Tandoori chicken and shameless squatters
I’ve arrived at the conclusion that our animals need to be brought to heel. When we were first married, someone actually suggested my husband bring me to heel (yes, really :lol:), but don’t let’s go there today. The hens, having been told in no uncertain terms that hoarding is NOT on, have now taken up squatting. I suppose bad habits are never really eradicated, just replaced with other bad habits – they’ll no doubt be smoking and chewing gum next. Unfortunately they are particularly fond of squatting the most comfortable chair on the terrace, the only one we own that doesn’t dig menacingly into your back. Having made Tandoori chicken yesterday, I’m thinking of investing in a Tandoor oven and was wondering whether they would understand the veiled threat 😉 ?
A Tandoor is a cylindrical clay oven, typically found in Central, Western and Southern Asia. The heat source is a wood or charcoal-burning fire and temperatures can reach over 450°C. If you don’t have a Tandoor to hand, obviously a hot regular oven will do.
Ingredients (serves 4)
8 skinless chicken thighs
1 red onion, chopped finely
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
For the marinade :
150ml greek yoghurt
1 Â piece of fresh ginger, grated
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon chilli powder
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon sea salt
Slash the chicken thighs several times then cover them with the lemon juice and chopped onions. Set aside in a deepish dish. Mix the marinade ingredients together and pour over the chicken, making sure that all bits are well covered. Leave to chill for at least an hour or overnight if possible. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Carefully place the chicken thighs on a lightly oiled baking tray and cook for about 25 minutes, depending on the size of the thighs. They are cooked through properly when the juice runs clear when prodded with a fork. May be served with basmati rice, naan bread, chickpea pancakes (recipe here), or vegetable curry. Delicious with chutney too.
16 Comments
andreamynard
Looks really delicious – the tandoori chicken, not your squatters. Will definitely be giving this a try. Hope the squatters react well to their warning!
The Healthy Epicurean
Thanks 🙂 As for the squatters, they look pretty at home on the chair, I don’t think the warning will suffice!
apuginthekitchen
Mmmm… love tandoori chicken. The marinade sounds great, a tandoori oven would be great, you could make naan also!! Those hens are a rowdy bunch, I can just visualize them on that comfy chair smoking a cigarette and smacking gum, LOL!!! You make me laugh.
The Healthy Epicurean
Naan is definitely one of the next things on my list. I’m just wondering how it will turn out with spelt flour :/? You’re right; the hens are utter layabouts – I just wish they’d do more laying and less abouting 😉
genevieveyam
Seeing all the pictures of your hens makes me really want one of my own… They seem like they would be amusing company! Also, the tandoori chicken looks great- might try a vegetarian version sometime 🙂
The Healthy Epicurean
They are SO amusing – I’d never have believed it before having them! I’m sure you could use the Tandoori marinade for pretty much anything so I’m sure you’d find a good vegetarian alternative. Let me know if you do 🙂
annelifaiers
Mmmm, this is great. I have a crowd to cook for soon and these would go down a treat! Your hens are gorgeous! x
The Healthy Epicurean
As we say in French, it’s better to see them in a photo than have them in real life! The tandoori chicken would be a great idea for a crowd. They’re really good cold too – I know strictly speaking they should be served hot, but I almost prefer them cold and it makes an excellent Summer party dish…
Fig & Quince
Terribly amused by the “veiled threat” … I’m horrible! Great post!
The Healthy Epicurean
😆 If you’re horrible, what does that make me?! 😮
Lokness
My mother-in-law used to have a rooster and a hen. They were very cute and funny to watch. Your hens are very pretty. By the way, love the tandoori chicken too! YUM!
The Healthy Epicurean
I would love to have a rooster but I’m afraid he would wake me up too early in the morning!
Lilly Sue
ha ha too funny.
The Healthy Epicurean
🙂
gotasté
Thanks for your nice comment on my blog so that I can discover your wonderful site. You have fabulous creations and beautiful photos. I really like it 🙂 ……Danny
The Healthy Epicurean
You’re welcome Danny – you have a great site and thank you for the compliments on my creations and photos 🙂