Saucy Baked Chicken

Was wondering what to cook for dinner and once decided to make chicken, I grabbed the Fauzia's recipe which I had been longing to do and eyed for long time :) . I couldnt resist to eat it once I made it it looked fabulous and smelled superb and tasted the best and this is the best ever baked chicken  by me :), a big hug and thank you to Fauzia. A must try easy recipe.

Ingredients:

1 chicken, without skin, cut into 8 or 10 pieces
2 tbsp oil
3 tbsp tomato paste (if your tomato paste is of a good bright coloured type, then first use 2 tbsp and check how the colour looks when blended with the rest of the ingredients...if you find you need more you can then add as necessary)
1 medium red onion chopped
1 heaped tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp whole cumin
2 tsp salt
2 TBsp tandoori masala
1 big mug plain yoghurt, full
2 green chillis (add more if you want it spicier)
1 bunch coriander, with sticks (not just the leaves)
Juice of 2 lemon (if ur lemons are very juicy then use just the juice of 1)

Method:

Clean and wash, then drain the chicken and set aside in a bowl.

Put ALL the other ingredients into a blender. Blend everything together until smooth. If you find the colour is not as vibrant as you would like, add a tsp of tandoori masala and a little more tomato paste, and blend again. Then pour over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate, let it marinate preferably for about 2-4 hours, but up to overnight is fine.

Pour everything into a glass pyrex baking dish, cover with foil. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Place your baking dish on the center rack and bake for 30-35mins. 

(At this point your whole house will have the most appetising aroma. So be warned, tummies will growl!) :D

Remove dish, open the foil and turn the pieces over. Baste them with some of the liquid, just scoop with a spoon n drizzle over the pieces to keep them moist. Replace foil and put the dish back in the oven. Bake for another 30-35mins.

Finally remove the dish from the oven and discard the foil. Turn the pieces over once more and baste again with the sauce just to retain moisture, then put the tray back into the oven (without the foil this time) for about 10 mins or so just to give the pieces a nice colour. (If you have a grill in the oven, turn it on at this point to give the chicken a fantastic finish).

Once ready, remove and cover loosely with the foil until time of serving so the heat is retained.

Serving options: This dish can be served  with many different things in the past, but the best accompaniment in my opinion is fries, some sort of bread like naan or pita or parathas, chappatis and a fresh salad and an icy cold drink.


Enjoy cooking and eating this fabulous Chicken:)