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Spatchcocked tandoori-style roast chicken with charred yoghurt masala crust in its roasting tin
The whole tandoori-style roast on a board – deep red-gold from the marinade, edges charred, mint yoghurt ready to spoon over.

Tandoori-Style Roast Chicken

A whole spatchcocked chicken marinated overnight in spiced yoghurt, roasted hard and basted with butter. A Sunday roast with a Lahori accent.

Prep
15 mins
Cook
60 mins
Total
75 mins
Serves
4–5
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Kitchen roadmap

Before you cook

The details that make or break this dish, mapped to the exact step where they matter.

  1. Watch forThe marinade should cling
  2. Make sureTake the chill off
  3. Watch forButter only near the end
  4. Food safetyProbe the thigh

Ingredients

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Method

9 steps

  1. Make several shallow cuts across the thickest parts of the chicken.

  2. Combine the yoghurt, AL Mix, ginger and garlic, lemon, oil and paprika.

  3. Rub the marinade over and underneath the chicken.

    Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

    Whole chicken with shallow cuts covered in a thick red-orange tandoori yoghurt marinade that clings without pooling

  4. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.

  5. Roast at 200°C fan for 45–55 minutes.

  6. Brush with melted butter during the final 10 minutes.

    Nearly roasted tandoori chicken being brushed with melted butter in a home kitchen roasting tray

  7. Check that the thickest part reaches at least 75°C.

  8. Rest for 10–15 minutes before cutting.

  9. Serve with masala roast potatoes, salad, naan and mint yoghurt.

If it does not come out right

The faults this dish actually has. Open one for the fix.

Why is my curry bitter?

Curry turns bitter for four reasons, in the order they usually happen: burnt garlic, over-toasted ground spices, too much fenugreek – seed or kasuri methi – and too much turmeric, or turmeric fried for too long.

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How much garam masala per kg of chicken?

Use 8 g of garam masala per 1 kg of chicken – two level teaspoons – stirred in during the final three to five minutes of cooking, because garam masala is a finishing spice and its aromatic oils are driven off by a long simmer.

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Authentic Lahori All Purpose Mix pouch

Make it with the Authentic Lahori mix

One blend for karahi, curries, marinades, chips and everyday cooking.

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