Smokey Tandoori Chicken Breast (in an conventional oven)

Tandoori chicken, a North Indian Punjabi dish, is a meal that conjures up the scent of fragrant, charcoaled meats elaborately cooked to perfection in a clay tandoor oven. But did you know that you can make it in your own home, in your own conventional oven, and still get get that amazing, roasted flavor?

The trick to Tandoori chicken isn't actually a specific combination of spices - you can essentially use ANY spice combination in it, and call it Tandoori chicken. What makes it truly special is that pungent, knock-you-in-the-face smokey flavor that the Tandoori oven (or even a charcoal grill) gives it. However, unless you're living in a mansion in the Punjab, odds are, you don't have a Tandoori oven; and if you're living in a NYC apartment like me (or any apartment, for that matter), you probably don't have access to a charcoal grill. Does that mean you can't get that authentic flavor without it? The answer is... NO!

So how do you do it? By using a combination of pre-smoked ingredients that will give you the flavor WITHOUT the headache. Virtually any smoked ingredient can be added to list, but these are the 2 essentials.  

Essential Ingredients 

1) Liquid Smoke

Now, most people have probably never heard of this strange concoction, but liquid smoke is an all natural, sodium free product made entirely of water, hickory smoke, and mesquite smoke. It only takes a few drops to add an authentic smokey flavor to foods, and a 4 oz bottle can be purchased on amazon for $12 (considering you only need a few drops for a recipe, a 4 oz bottle will last you a VERY long time. Below this is a link to the brand I've been using).

http://www.amazon.com/CedarHouse-Ultra-Premium-Liquid-Smoke-Natural/dp/B007A3TBXM

2) Smoked Spanish Paprika 

While Hungarian Sweet paprika is the more commonly used ingredient in general American cuisine, it's the smoked Spanish variety that will truly add a depth of flavor to this dish, along with a beautiful red color.

Additional Ingredients 

2 tsp of Tandoori Chicken Marsala (optional - if you don't have this on hand, just double the amount                                                                              of  cumin and coriander)
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp smoked sea salt (or to taste)
1 tsp black cardamon seeds crushed (optional)
2 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder (or cayenne powder)
1 tsp smoked ghost pepper powder (optional)
1/2 cup plain yogurt (beaten with a spoon before use)
2 limes
7 cloves garlic
1 itch piece of ginger
1 pound chicken breast

*optional - any additional smoked ingredient that you might have, such as smoked Serrano chili powder

*sidenote - Tandoori chicken served in American/British resturants are typically prepared with red food dyes (as is the case with the 2nd picture posted), and that's the reason for their deeply red color. For health reasons, I've omitted any unnatural food dyes.

Directions 

1) Marinate 1 pound chicken breast in the juice of 2 limes, 2 tbsp Smoked Spanish paprika, 1/2 tsp smoked sea salt, 6 drops of liquid smoke, and 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder, for 15 mins.

                  *this first marination allows the chicken to pick up a red color, and insures that the                               acidic tang of the lime gets deep into chicken

2) In a seperate bowl, add 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/2 tsp smoked sea salt, 1 tbsp smoked Spanish Paprika, 2 tsp Tandoori chicken masala, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander,  1 tsp black cardamon seed powder, 1 tsp ghost pepper powder, 10 drops liquid smoke, mix together, and taste. Add additional spices/salt if desired. When satisfied, add the marinated chicken and whatever juices are left from the dish. 

                     *Before you add the spices to the yogurt, make sure you beat the yogurt for a min, in
                       order  to create a smooth texture that will not curdle when exposed to the heat)
                        Yogurt is essential to this dish, and when cooked, creates a delicious crust around 
                        the chicken. 

                        *Marinate up to 2 hours - any longer, and the enzymes in the yogurt will 
                         cause the chicken to turn to mush. 

3) Dice 7 garlic cloves and 1 itch piece of ginger, and add it directly on top of the chicken.

                         

4) Cook under the broiler for 10 mins. When finished, the chicken should be slightly charred, will have an incredible smokey quality, a clean tang from the lime, a bouquet of flavor from the spices, and a burst of brightness from the garlic/ginger. Enjoy!