Tandoori chicken is a dish made fromchicken marinated inyogurt and spices androasted in atandoor, a cylindrical clay oven. The dish is now popular worldwide. The modern form of the dish was popularised by theMoti Mahal restaurant inNew Delhi, India in the late 1940s.
Chicken roasted in tandoor-like ovens is documented in theHarappan civilisation of theBronze Age ofIndian subcontinent, as early as 3000 BC.[13][14][15][16][17][18] Much later, theSushruta Samhita records meat being cooked in an oven (kandu) after being seasoned with black mustard (rai) powder and fragrant spices.
Tandoori chicken was popularised in post-independence India by Moti Mahal, Daryaganj in Delhi[28][29] when it was served to the first Prime Minister of India,Jawaharlal Nehru.[30] There, tandoori chicken became a standard offering at official banquets.[30]
In the United States, tandoori chicken began appearing on menus by the 1960s.Jacqueline Kennedy was reported to have eaten "chicken tandoori" on a flight from Rome to Bombay in 1962.[31] A recipe for tandoori chicken was printed in theLos Angeles Times in 1963, for "the hostess in search of a fresh idea for a party dinner";[32] a similar recipe was featured in the same newspaper in 1964.[33]
The marinated chicken is placed on skewers and cooked at high temperatures in atandoor oven, which is heated with charcoal or wood, which adds to the smoky flavour. The dish can also be cooked in a standard oven, using a spit orrotisserie, or over hot charcoal.[34]
There are also tandoori recipes for whole chicken, some of which are cooked in a tandoor and others over charcoal. These includeChirga (Roasted whole chicken);Tandoori Murgh (Roast whole chicken with almonds);Murgh Kabab Seekhi (Whole stuffed chicken on the spit);Kookarh Tandoori (Steamed chicken on spit);Tandoori Murgh Massaledarh (Whole spiced chicken on spit); andMurghi Bhogar (Chicken in the Bhogar style).[35]
The fame of tandoori chicken led to many derivatives, such aschickentikka (and eventually the Indian dish popularised in Britain,chickentikka masala), commonly found in menus in Indian restaurants all over the world.[38] Nearly all derivatives of tandoori chicken begin with a yogurt and citrus-based marinade.[39][40]
^ab"Tandoori Chicken Recipe and History".Indiamarks. 14 June 2012.Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved7 July 2017.After the partition in 1947, Punjab was partitioned with the Eastern portion joining India and the Western, Pakistan. Peshawar became part of Pakistan and Gujral found himself one among many refugees fleeing the rioting and upheaval by moving to India. He moved his restaurant to Delhi in a place called Daryagunj. The Tandoori chicken at Moti Mahal so impressed the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru that he made it a regular at official banquets.
^abcDinesh (10 October 2008)."Origin of Tandoori Chicken".Indian Foods Guide.Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved7 July 2017.After the partition in 1947, Punjab was partitioned with the Eastern portion joining India and the Western, Pakistan. Peshawar became part of Pakistan and Gujral found himself one among many refugees fleeing the rioting and upheaval by moving to India. He moved his restaurant to Delhi in a place called Daryaganj. The Tandoori chicken at Moti Mahal so impressed the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru that he made it a regular at official banquets.
^abVellampalli, Jaya (14 June 2017)."The tale of Tandoori chicken".Telangana Today. Archived fromthe original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved2 August 2022.But, do you know what ingredients are used in making this yummy dish, or who invented it? The credit goes to Kundan Lal Gujral, a Punjabi. He invented the recipe of Tandoori chicken at his restaurant Moti Mahal Delux in Delhi.
^abBehura, Monica (21 July 2008)."High on bar Be Cues".The Economic Times.Archived from the original on 22 September 2019. Retrieved2 August 2022.A pearl among connoisseurs of true blue north western frontier province cuisine, it (Delhi) prides itself as the inventor of the tandoori chicken.
^Vishal, Anoothi (14 August 2017)."Partition Changed India's Food Cultures Forever".The Wire.Archived from the original on 2 August 2019. Retrieved2 August 2022.As a new immigrant community poured in from across the new border, new tastes and techniques gained ground. Tandoori became the food of Delhi.
^Gujral, Monish (7 March 2013).On the Butter Chicken Trail: A Moti Mahal Cookbook (1.0 ed.). Delhi, India:Penguin India.ISBN9780143419860.
^Hosking, Richard (8 August 2006).Authenticity in the kitchen: proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on food and cookery 2005 (1 ed.). Blackawton: Prospect Books. p. 393.ISBN978-1903018477.
^Lawler, Andrew (30 January 2013)."The Mystery of Curry".Slate.Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved2 July 2018.
^Ritu, Grishm."Virasat"(PDF).Archived(PDF) from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved2 July 2018.
