Authentic Tandoori Chicken Without Oven

Place a muslin cloth over a strainer set on a bowl, add 3/4 cup curd, and lightly squeeze out the whey. Let it drain on the strainer for 30 minutes until thick hung curd forms.

Take 750 grams of chicken leg and thigh pieces. Make deep scoring cuts on the thighs, drumsticks, joints, and tendons with a knife.

Add salt to taste, 2 tsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp ginger garlic chilli paste, and 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder to the scored chicken. Rub and massage the first marinade thoroughly into all cuts, then let it marinate for 30 to 60 minutes.

Heat 2-3 tbsp mustard oil in a pan on high flame until it smokes to remove pungency. Turn off the heat, let it cool slightly, then stir in 1 tbsp kashmiri or degi red chilli powder and pour into a mixing bowl.

To the chili oil mixture, add 1 tbsp ginger garlic chilli paste, 2-3 tbsp kashmiri red chilli paste, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp black salt, 1/2 tsp chaat masala, 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1/4 tsp roasted kasuri methi powder, 1/4 tsp cardamom powder, salt to taste, and the prepared hung curd. Whisk thoroughly until smooth and completely free of curd lumps.

To give a smoky tandoor flavor, place a burning charcoal piece in a small clay cup in the center of the marinade, drizzle 1 tsp ghee over the charcoal to create smoke, cover with a glass dome, and let it infuse for 3 to 4 minutes.

Drain any accumulated liquid from the first-marinated chicken. Add the second prepared tandoori marinade to the chicken, massage it thoroughly into all cuts and scores, cover, and let it marinate for 30 to 60 minutes.

Prepare a makeshift oven by taking a pressure cooker, removing its rubber gasket and whistle, placing a plate inside on top of a steamer ring, and preheating for 10 minutes on high flame.

Carefully place the double-marinated chicken on the heated plate inside the preheated pressure cooker, cover with the lid, and cook on medium-low flame for 25 to 30 minutes.

Alternatively, if using an oven, place the marinated chicken on a baking tray and bake in an oven preheated to 175°C for 25 minutes.

After 20 minutes of baking, remove the chicken from the oven, brush melted butter generously over the surface, return to the oven, and bake for another 5 minutes until the chicken is perfectly cooked and glossy.

Open the pressure cooker, brush melted butter over the cooking chicken, cover, and cook for another 5 minutes.

To get authentic tandoori char marks on the pressure-cooked chicken, pick up the chicken pieces with tongs and char them directly over an open gas flame for about 1 minute, rotating gently.

To make green chutney, add 1 cup fresh coriander, 1/2 cup mint, 1 onion, 3-4 garlic cloves, 1/2 inch ginger, 4-5 green chillies, 1 tsp tamarind, 1 tsp jaggery, 1 tsp black salt, 1 tsp cumin powder, salt to taste, 1 ice cube, and a little water to a blender and blend into a fine green chutney.

To make red chutney, add 15-20 soaked and deseeded kashmiri red chillies, a small handful of fresh coriander, a small handful of mint, 1/4 cup tamarind, 8-10 garlic cloves, 1 tsp cumin powder, 4-5 green chillies, 1 tsp jaggery, 1 tsp black salt, salt to taste, 1 tbsp oil, and a little water to a blender and blend into a semi-thick red chutney.

Plate the tandoori chicken on parchment paper over a wooden board. Garnish with onion rings, fresh coriander leaves, and lemon wedges, then squeeze fresh lemon juice and sprinkle chaat masala on top. Serve with the green and red chutneys.