What Is So Special About The Tandoori Chicken?

Tandoori chicken is one of the popular Indian cuisines. It is also one of the most commonly offered dishes among Indian cuisine restaurants. And for some restaurants, tandoori chicken is their specialty. Now, what is so special about the tandoori chicken? What does it taste like? Should you try it? Read these following articles and you'll get the answer.

Chicken marinated in yogurt

Tandoori chicken is very special and unique since it chicken is marinated in yogurt. Can you name another dish where chicken is marinated in yogurt? You will have a hard time. The chicken is marinated for at least an hour. Some even marinate the chicken overnight to make sure that the taste seeps in. Yogurt is what makes the tandoori chicken tasty and healthy. As you probably already know, yogurt is very healthy. It is loaded with a lot of vitamins including vitamin B12, potassium, and zinc. Yogurt can also give you flat abs in case you have always wanted a six-pack. Yogurt and chicken are two things that body-builders and weight watchers would want to eat. Thus, tandoori chicken is popular among the health-conscious.

Chicken is seasoned with tandoori masala

Aside from being marinated in yogurt, the chicken is also seasoned with tandoori masala. It is a special mixture in Indian cuisine that works well with any meat cooked in a clay oven. Numerous spices are used to make the tandoori masala and the basic spices vary from one region to another. Nevertheless, the most basic ingredients are garlic, onion, cayenne pepper, ginger, and garam masala. These spices are ground together and are sometimes mixed with a little bit of lemon juice. It is this very spicy seasoning that gives the tandoori chicken its very distinct taste. Though the tandoori masala is supposed to be freshly prepared, there are some pre-mixed brands available in groceries.

Chicken is cooked in a clay oven

Finally, the chicken is cooked in a clay oven or what is referred to as the tandoori. Cooking the chicken in this traditional manner helps achieve that distinct flavor and smell that a lot of people really love. Cooking the chicken with a gas oven or over a barbeque grill might give a slightly different taste. Thus, a lot of people would prefer if their chicken are cooked in an oven. As the chicken is cooked in the oven, most nutrients are not lost. The flavors that are made with the help of yogurt and tandoori masala are retained. It is a good thing that a lot of Indian restaurants nowadays cook their tandoori chicken the traditional way. Well, because if not, their clients might end up tasting a synthetic kind of tandoori chicken. Tandoori chicken is loved by people all around the world and not just in India alone. In fact, it is a common dish served to many tourists and foreign dignitaries. This might be because tasting tandoori chicken helps one enjoy Indian culture in a big way. If you suddenly have a craving for tandoori chicken and for any other kind of Indian food, you can come to visit The Yarra Indian Restaurant! Source: www.dawett.ca