Bee Gill Tandoori Style Boneless Chicken Thighs and Drumsticks
This dish is a huge success with family and friends. Roasted in the oven it cooks fairly quickly, even the marination period isn’t hours and hours – you can marinate it first thing in the morning and serve it for lunch alongside the really quick Special Punjabee Aloo (see recipe).
The excess garlic and ginger is required for this chicken as you want all the flavours to penetrate the chicken, not only from the marinade but also whilst its cooking. It is so flavourful and tender. My students fell in love with this one – some of the testimonials can tell you just how much their families appreciated it. My nephew cooks this one up everytime he has the boys over to watch the footie – they love it!
Ingredients – Serves 6
10 chicken drumsticks
10 boneless chicken thighs
2 heaped tbsp garlic paste
2 heaped tbsp ginger paste
2 teaspoons finely chopped green chillies or to taste
2 loaded cups of yoghurt
Juice & rind of a lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons kashmiri chilli
Fresh green coriander leaves to garnish
1 tablespoon of oil
One metal skewer
Method
1. Wash and clean all the chicken thoroughly.
2. Mix all the ingredients bar the chicken and fresh coriander in a glass or plastic bowl and create a marinade.
3. Add all the chicken pieces to the marinade ensuring every piece is thoroughly coated with it. I use my hands to do this as I give the chicken a good massage with it.
4. Cover and place in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours.
5. When you are ready to cook the chicken remove from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature.
6. Preheat the oven to 200c/fan 180c/gas 6 and lightly grease an oven tray.
7. Oil an oven tray and remove all the drumsticks from the marinade and place on the tray – try not to place them too close together so they can cook evenly.
8. Cover the tray with foil and place in the middle shelf of the oven.
9. Line another baking tray with foil ready for the thighs.
10. Oil the skewer using kitchen paper dipped in oil or a pastry brush.
11. Take the thighs from the marinade and folding them in half push them along the skewer. Continue doing this with all the thighs pushing them along until they are all tightly packed on the skewer. It should resemble one whole chicken kebab (see video).
12. Place the skewer on the lined tray, pour on any remaining marinade and place the tray on the top shelf of the oven.
13. Allow the thighs to cook turning the skewer every 10 minutes. Be very careful when turning it as it can get very hot so use oven gloves or a tea towel.
14. Remove the foil from the tray with the drumsticks 20 minutes into the cooking process.
15. Allow them to continue cooking uncovered.
16. Check the chicken until you can see it has cooked through –and is not pink – cut through a piece and make sure the meat is white and not pink– and remove from the oven.
Be sure not to overcook it either – you want it to be moist and tender meat not dry.
17. Slide the thighs off the skewer and serve alongside the drumsticks sprinkled with roughly chopped fresh coriander. They make a fabulous Saturday lunch served with my crunchy Special Spicy Aloo and a fresh salad and Mint Chutney – all recipes can be found on the website.
You can find me on all social media channels under The Authentic Punjabee.
This chicken has the most amazing flavour and we love it so much we have it once a week. If there is any left( a big if!!!) we have it in rolls the following day.