INGREDIENTS
3 very young broiling chickens (about 2 to 2-1/4 pounds each)
2-1/2 teaspoons unseasoned natural meat tenderizer
1/3 cup lemon juice
FOR MARINADE
2 large cloves garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon ground roasted cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1 teaspoon tandoori coloring, or 1 tablespoon paprika
1/3 cup plain yogurt
Usli ghee or light vegetable oil for basting
METHOD
Cut the wings off the chickens. Remove the neckbone carefully. Place
the chickens on a cutting board and quarter them neatly. Then pull away
the skin, using kitchen towels for a better grip if necessary. (Reserve
the wings, neck, and skin for the stockpot.) Prick the chicken all over
with fork or a thin skewer. Make diagonal slashes, + inch deep, 1 inch
apart on the meat. Put the meat in a large bowl. Add meat tenderizer and
lemon juice to the chicken, and rub them into the slashes and all over
for 2 minutes. Cover and marinate for + hour. Put all the ingredients of
the marinade into the container of an electric blender or food
processor, and blend until reduced to a smooth sauce. (Alternatively,
garlic and ginger may be crushed to a paste and blended with the
remaining ingredients.) Pour this marinade over the chicken pieces and
mix, turning and tossing, to coat all the pieces well. (A note of
caution: Since certain brands of Tandoori coloring tend to stain the
fingers, it is advisable either to use a fork to turn the chicken pieces
in the marinade or use a pastry brush to spread it over the chicken.)
Cover and marinate for 4 hours at room temperature, or refrigerate
overnight, turning several times. Chicken should not remain in the
marinade for more than 2 days, because the marinade contains a meat
tenderizer which, with prolonged marinating, alters the texture of the
chicken meat to very soft and doughy. Take the chicken from the
refrigerator at least 1 hour before cooking to bring it to room
temperature. The chicken is now ready to be either roasted in the oven
or broiled over an electric or charcoal grill.
TO ROAST IN THE OVEN:
Start heating the oven to 500-550 degrees. Take the chickens out of the
marinade. Brush them with the ghee or vegetable oil, and place them on
an extra-large shallow roasting pan, preferably on a wire rack. Set the
pan in the middle level of the oven, and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or
until the meat is cooked through. There is no need to baste while the
chicken pieces are roasting, because the enclosed environment keeps the
chickens from drying excessively.
TO BROIL INDOORS:
Preheat the broiler. Brush the grill with a little oil to prevent the
meat's sticking. Place the chicken pieces, slashed side up, on the
grill, and brush the slashed side with ghee or vegetable oil. Cook 2 to
3 inches away from the heat for 20 minutes. Turn and cook the other side
for another 10 minutes, or until the chicken pieces are cooked through.
Brush often with ghee or vegetable oil during cooking.
TO GRILL OUTDOORS:
Fire the coal well in advance (about 1-1/2 hours before you are ready
to begin cooking), so that a white ash forms over the surface of the
coal. This is when the coal is at its hottest. Place the grill at least
5 inches away from the heat, and rub generously with oil. Place the
chicken pieces, slashed side up, over the grill and brush them with ghee
or vegetable oil. Let chicken cook without turning for 10 minutes. Turn,
baste the other side, and cook for 10 minutes. Continue to cook, turning
and basting the chicken every 10 minutes, until it is done. The cooking
time for broiling and grilling usually varies widely. Much depends upon
the intensity of the heat and its distance from the chicken. The point
to remember is that the chicken pieces have been marinating in a very
strong tenderizing solution for two days and therefore will cook much
faster than standard broiled or barbecued chicken.
Serve the chicken immediately, lightly brushed with ghee or oil.
