Chicken Lick’ n
Chickens are domesticated fowl. It is the most widespread domestic animal with an estimated global population of more than 25 billion.
It is believed that the chicken was domesticated somewhere in the region of India and Vietnam over 10,000 years ago. They were domesticated from the wild red jungle fowl species that still runs wild throughout most of Southeast Asia.
I tested this week’s recipe using chickens from Crazy Acres Farm located in Indian River. They offer farmgate sales of chicken, turkey and pork. I’ve divided the recipe into two parts: first we must make Tandoori chicken, then we use the Tandoori chicken to make butter chicken. I recommend making these dishes over two days. On day one make the Tandoori chicken but double the recipe so that you can try the Tandoori chicken on its own. Then produce the butter chicken on the following day using the left over Tandoori chicken.
Tandoori Chicken
Ingredients:
Two – two pound chickens
One cup of plain yogurt
1 tsp. of Kashmir red chili powder
Salt to taste
Two tbsp. of minced ginger
Two tbsp of minced garlic
Two tbsp of lemon juice
One half tsp of Garam Masala
two tbsp of mustard oil or canola
Two oz of butter melted
Method:
Remove the skin and wash out the body cavity of the chickens. Make small incisions in the breast and leg pieces with a sharp knife.
Stir together the Kashmiri red chili powder, salt, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, Garam Masala powder and mustard oil into the yogurt.
Apply this marinade onto the chicken pieces and refrigerate for three to four hours.
Rub the chicken with the yogurt mixture and allow the chicken to marinate for four hours in the refrigerator.
Roast the chicken in a pre-heated oven at 400 °f until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 180°f. Timing will depend on the size of your birds. For faster cooking time; break down the chicken into smaller pieces, keeping the bones in. Once cooked baste chickens with butter and cook for another five minutes. Serve immediately with sliced lemons and rice.
Butter Chicken
Ingredients:
2 cooked Tandoori chickens
One cinnamon stick
Three black cardamom seeds, bruised
Four green cardamom seeds, bruised
Three cloves
One bay leaf
Two pounds tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
One large cooking onion, coarsely chopped
Two-three tbsp. Minced ginger
Eight cloves of garlic minced
One and one half cups of butter
One half tsp cayenne pepper
One tbsp. Sugar
Three quarters of a cup of heavy cream
One half tsp Garam Masala
Method:
With the bones left intact cut the chickens into pieces and reserve. In a medium to large size sauce pot combine the whole spices with the tomatoes, onions, ginger and garlic. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Occasionally stir the mixture and cook it until the tomatoes become soft. Next remove all of the whole spices and discard. Puree the tomatoes into a smooth sauce and push it through a sieve. Return the sauce to the stove. Stir in the butter, cayenne and sugar. Let the sauce simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Next add the chicken pieces and Garam Masala. Let the chicken heat through and finish it by stirring in the cream. Serve over rice.
Gastronomically yours,
Chef Brian Henry
Tags: Catering, Chef Brian Henry, Kawarthas, Lakefield, Ontario, Peterborough, Private chef
