In today’s times more people are obese than ever. It is a true epidemic. Sugary sodas are delicious and addictive and the calories turn into fat and lower our metabolism. Fried foods and foods of convenience like fast food are making us overweight and lazy. It is important to try and discover foods we truly enjoy that are healthy, and tandoori chicken is the perfect example.

The way tandoori chicken is cooked makes it unique to say the least. Tandoori chicken is cooked at scorching temperatures in a tandoor, which is a clay oven that is used extensively in India and parts of Asia. The tandoor while cooking at extremely high temperatures will sear the chicken outside and make it flavorful and juicy inside. As the juices drip onto the coals the fragrant smoke will make your senses come alive. Cooking tandoori chicken in a tandoor oven will make you realize why this food is the culinary pride of India.

It can be safely assumed that tandoori chicken will be a very popular dish to serve at any gathering. It also makes for a superb snack. When you discover that tandoori chicken is like rocket fuel for your metabolism and actually low in calories and fat, you will fall in love with the succulent and spicy tandoori chicken. When preparing the popular Indian dish you can take pride in knowing you’re eating healthy and satisfying your hunger as well.

Tandoori chicken should be marinated for 24 hours, so you can begin preparation the day before. Mix yogurt and tandoori spices in a large bowl. Stir together 1 cup of yogurt and tandoori masala spices. This spicy marinade will make the tandoori chicken hot and bursting with flavor. In India you would need a glass of water close by, but in Western places like the United States and Canada a more mild version of tandoori chicken is often served.

Next you will want to clean your chicken pieces by rinsing them off. Use a fork and punch holes into the chicken pieces. This will make the chicken very tender and allow the marinade to set into the chicken pieces. Place your pieces of chicken in a large plastic bag, and pour in your marinade. It is definitely a good idea to let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator overnight, but if you don’t have that much time 4 or 5 hours should be enough time to let the chicken absorb the delicious marinade. Make sure the chicken is sealed air tight in the refrigerator.

After you have successfully made tandoori chicken there is so much you can do with the left overs. You could make a spicy tandoori chicken salad or a healthy and rib sticking soup. Make a delicious sandwich with whole wheat bread or mix the chicken with a whole grain rice. The possibilities are endless, and they are all low in fat! I hope you realize how wonderful tandoori chicken can be and how fun it can be to make. Here is to you and eating healthy!

When cooking tandoori chicken it is best to use a clay tandoor oven. If you want to use traditionally made tandoor ovens, check out Ron Levy’s website. He makes authentic tandoori ovens that will make delicious tandoori chicken.

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Tandoori Chicken gets its name from being cooked in a tandoor, a clay oven used for high-heat grilling of meats and flatbreads. The word tandoori is the adjective meaning “pertaining to the tandoor” and is used to describe a dish cooked in a tandoor. Meats grilled in the dry and high heat of a tandoor are usually marinated, baked crisp on the outside and tender inside.

Fired by charcoal, the sides of a tandoor can reach 900 degrees, creating a sealed heat that allows breads, seafood, and meats cooked in it to retain their natural juices and flavors. Meats cooked in the tall, rather cylindrical tandoor are usually skewered and thrust into the oven’s heat, which is so intense that it cooks a chicken half in less than 5 minutes.

The tandoori oven has become very popular as it cooks very quickly without burning. The oven is often fueled with wood, coal or gas. All of these mediums produce a scorching heat which is ideal for cooking breads or meats. Preparing the tandoori oven is just as important as the cooking itself.

When using charcoal in your tandoori oven it is very similar to a traditional grill. When the coals become a bed of hot embers you are ready to start cooking. Cook meats like tandoori chicken, or try making the popular naan bread, which is a staple in India.

A brine solution is sprinkled on the inner walls to facilitate the sticking of breads like naans to the sides. To know if the oven temperature is optimum, try and stick a naan to the sides, if it falls off, the oven is not hot enough. There is an opening at bottom for wood and air while the top is open and is used for adding wood as well as for sticking the bread.

The food is permeated with an aroma of marinade, clay and charcoal smoke, and the scent is intoxicating. The meat is often cooked on long skewers that can be inserted directly into the oven. Cooking in a tandoori oven will produce very succulent and tender meat, as the cooking process is optimum for sealing in all the flavors and juices.

It comes as no surprise that the tandoor oven cooking method goes back 2000 years. In ancient Egypt bread was cooked at extremely high temperatures in a clay pot. When things work and they are an ideal measure, chances are they wont just go away. The evolution of cooking with tandoor ovens spans 2000 years and it won’t be going away anytime soon.

Tandoori food in many ways is the soul food of India, and is best when eaten in the traditional style, with the fingers. A cool yogurt raita sauce is nice for dipping, as is Indian kachoomar salsa. In India great pride is taken in the cooking of these very popular foods.

Tandoori chicken is a popular part of Indian cuisine. It can be served as either a main dish or as an appetizer. It is a unique food to the Indian culture and when tried for the first time it is often loved. You can often find tandoori chicken at Indian restaurants that cook with tandoors.

Tandoori meals are surprisingly very easy to prepare. They look very impressive on the table, yet they are often cooked in 1/3 of the time as traditional meals. On top of that, tandoori food is also low in calories! A healthy and delicious alternative that should not be overlooked.

When preparing food with a Tandoori oven, it is good to know you are using authentic cookware. Check out Ron Levy’s website, where you can find authentic Tandoor ovens that can help you with all your Indian cooking needs.

Tags : clay tandoors, Cooking, food, food preparation, Indian cooking, tandoori chicken, tandoori ovens