Tandoori chicken what makes it red

One of the characteristics which makes tandoori chicken unique is its splendid red color. Its coloration is due to the fact that many spices are used in the preparation, including red chili pepper and cayenne pepper: they are responsible for the intense red color of tandoori chicken. They are used in the marinating process together with yogurt, curry, ginger and lemon. The marinade is essential because it ensures that the chicken remains soft and juicy even when exposed to the very high temperatures of the tandoori oven, while the delicious crispy crust forms on the outside.

The final flavor is pleasantly spicy , with a slightly smoky finish that makes it truly irresistible. The original recipe for tandoori chicken requires a lot of care and patience: it is not a dish that can be prepared at the last minute, but the time taken is repaid by the final taste! Of course cooking the chicken inside a tandoor oven is the secret to recreating the original recipe, the one you would eat in India.

However, even using an electric oven you can get a good tandoori chicken. If you'd like to eat the original recipe instead, give us a call and we'll bring it to your door!

The original tandoori chicken recipe is not complex, as we have seen, although achieving the perfect balance of spices is not so simple. Not to mention that cooking it inside the tandoor oven is essential to give it its original flavor. At Haveli we are experts in traditional Indian recipes and we prepare tandoori chicken just as it was once done. Would you like to try it?

You can take advantage of our takeaway service or home delivery throughout Florence and surrounding areas. Most Popular. Classic Tomato Soup Recipe. Potato Gnocchi Recipe.

Osso Buco Recipe. Classic Bread Stuffing Recipe. What is it? How to choose: Look for tandoori coloring at Indian groceries and speciality markets. Private Notes Edit Delete. Recipe Tandoori Chicken I love serving this with traditional Indian accompaniments, such as sesame-seed chutney, curried potatoes and peas, raita, basmati or fried rice, and mango shakes.

Comments Leave a Comment. Leave A Comment Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Member ID. Featured Review. What We're Cooking Now. Menu A Cozy Fall Brunch. The yogurt breaks down the proteins in the chicken. This tenderizes it and helps it absorb the flavors of the spice paste. Whole articles, like this one , have been written about how fermented dairy products work to tenderize meats in this way. To put it simply, the lactic acid in the yogurt breaks down the proteins more quickly than ingredients like vinegar or citrus juice.

This means that yogurt-based marinades are great for both tenderizing meat and helping them absorb the other flavors in a marinade quickly. But if you leave the yogurt on too long, the chicken becomes mushy. If you want to marinate the chicken for longer, leave out the yogurt.

Thin the marinade with a bit of oil and additional lemon juice. Tandoori paste has a rich, deep red color, which it will impart to the chicken. This is usually achieved by adding a few drops of red or red and orange food coloring. If you really like that bright color, go ahead and add it! Some sort of flatbread is a must as far as I am concerned. Serve it with naan, roti, or paratha. I also like to serve an herby chutney or even my Spicy Yemenite Zhoug Sauce.

For dessert, try this refreshing Kulfi , a creamy frozen dessert flavored with mango and cardamom. In a large bowl, stir together the tandoori paste, yogurt, and salt.

Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 20 to 40 minutes. If you don't want to make your own tandoori paste, substitute a store-bought version like Patak's. Nutrient values are estimates only.

Variations may occur due to product availability and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of preparation, origin, freshness of ingredients, and other factors. I am a full-time food blogger, recipe developer, and cookbook author. I spend my days cooking, writing about, and photographing food.