Authentic Indian Baked Spiced Chicken

Authentic Indian cuisine is not hard to make; this recipe calls for crushed whole spices, smells and tastes spectacular and is as close to genuine Indian cooking as you can find. The only thing missing is a clay oven, although if you have a clay oven, this is the recipe to use for it.

If you are unable to find fresh, whole spices, it’s OK to substitute dried, but it’s worth the effort of finding whole spices. While this is an easy recipe, it takes a little time and the chicken needs to be prepared a few hours ahead of time, or preferably overnight.

You will need:

Equipment:

• A skillet or frying pan
• A baking pan
• A sharp knife
• A cutting board
• A mortar and pestle (this is no longer standard equipment in most kitchens, but a small plastic bag, a hard surface and something to crush the spices works just fine)

Ingredients:

• A whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 2 tablespoon butter or ghee
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 red or green pepper, finely chopped
• 3 dried jalapenos, deseeded and chopped small
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
• 10 whole cardamom seeds
• 3 tablespoons of fresh ginger, grated
• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• ½ cup plain yoghurt
• Salt and fresh ground pepper

I know it’s a longer list than usual for me, but try this combination of spices and taste an authentic Indian flavor.