Oven baked Tandoori chicken

I'm still feeling  amiable and socialible ( more than usual, I mean)  from the yuletide season and the countless celebrations with family and friends that came naturally with it. So to keep the spirits high,  I invited FF's family over for lunch .

Although I love  Indian cuisine, I prefer to eat it at the restaurants rather than cook it myself at home. It's still one ground  I still rarely thread. Today, I just kept my fingers cross and decided to give it a try and serve it. My guests are pretty excited about the prospect of eating Indian foods, after all, it rarely make appearances on family lunches and dinners. Just like an adventure, trying something new that they might like....or not.

I made some Indian fish curry, using some spices I bought in Malaysia and this oven baked tandoori chicken. The smell of my kitchen was heavenly! The spices and the aroma welcomed my guests like a sweet embrace . Not only did it smelled good, it tastes fantastic too! Everyone , even the picky kids were raving about it and were actually keen to give Bollywood meal another go! Yeah, you don't need to wear a cape and tight leather speedo to feel like a hero. Watching my family happy and satisfied  faces while eating foods I lovingly prepared and cooked, gave me just the same satisfaction.

Ingredients:

6 chicken legs

Marinade:

1 cup jogurt

2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp. coriander powder

1/2 tsp. cumin powder

1 tbsp. garam masala

1 tsp Cheyenne pepper

2 tsp. paprika powder

1/2 tsp chilli powder ( you can add more, if you like it hot)

4 garlic cloves, finely mashed

1 tbsp. grated ginger

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

To Garnish:

Lemon wedges

coriander leaves or mint leaves

onion rings

Cooking instructions:

 1.Remove skin and trim excess fat from the chicken legs. Make some incisions along the flesh so flavours can set in deeper. Pat chicken pieces with paper towel.

 2. Mix marinade ingredients and rub it into the chicken, making sure to lather every inch of flesh, every crease and slit .
Cover bowl with a cling foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours . The longer it marinates, the tastier it becomes. I had mine soaked in marinade overnight. The jogurt also helps tenderize the meat, making it fall off the bone tender and keep it moist and succulent .

3. Preheat oven to 200 ° c. Line a baking pan with aluminium foil. You need to do this. It's going to make your life easier after all the eating and socializing. Trust me. Spray or brush wire rack with your choice of fat. I used coconut oil to grease it. Put sauce lathered chicken on the wire rack  and place wire rack on the aluminium foil lined pan and pop in the oven for 30 mins. After 30 mins, turn chicken and bake for another 15 mins. I flipped the chicken once more and turn oven's setting to ''broil'' and pop it in for another 5 mins. Take out from the oven, garnish and serve!

Finger lickin' good!