BONJOUR SERIES # 12 - SLOW COOKER TANDOORI CHICKEN

Hey Guys.. It is already late for doing this post.. So, would be jumping into the post directly. 

Today , we have Ansh from Spiceroots. She is a such a sweet heart.. She was very prompt in sending me this post.. Thanks Sweety ! She has a beautiful blog with amazing collection of recipes.. Now with no further delay, I present you Ansh - in her own words. 

Ansh's Guest Post 

Bonjour!

I met Jabeen through a facebook forum a few months ago.  A few email exchanges later, she got me hooked to the idea of Bonjour. What an incredible idea! We get to know the lovely people behind all the delicious food and incredible photographs. We get to know their stories, what motivates them or who. Journey Bonjour so far has been an incredible one.

Thank you Jabeen, for this wonderful event.

I find cooking for family and friends a delight that is soul-satisfying, pleasing and one of the best mediums to let them know that I love them. Cooking and sharing food makes things right with the world – instantly.

My blog Spiceroots  came into existence in the spring of 2008. It had been a few months since I had moved to the US and I had made some new friends whom I invited over for dinner one night. They enjoyed the meal and asked for recipes. I promised I would email them the recipes. And then we had an exchange of emails after which one of my friends declared that I should blog my recipes. 

It was a daunting thought. I have been blogging since 2004. You know the kind of blogging where you  just go out there and express!! But food blogging meant precision, responsibility, commitment, honesty and so many other daunting things. I wasn't ready and I don't think I still am. But start I did – and I do enjoy it. Sharing stories, the recipes and best of all meeting other food bloggers who share a passion for food and photography has been deeply rewarding. And tell you what!It's one Delicious Ride!

The recipe I am sharing today is:

-An original recipe from the SpiceRoots kitchen. The original idea was from Emiril's slow cooked chicken, but I had to make it my own and make it Indian. So there!

-A slow cooker recipe. Something you can fix when you leave for work and then come home to the wonderful aroma of this dish.

Plan:

1 whole chicken (skin removed)

2 tbs greek style plain yogurt

1-2 Tbs Tandoori Masala Powder 

½ tsp kashmiri chilli powder

½ tsp garam masala

3-4 peeled and halved shallots

2-3 Tbs lemon juice

Salt to taste
1 clove – pound to a powder form
1 Tbs ginger garlic paste

For the glaze

½ tsp cumin powder

½ tsp garam masala

3- 4 tbs copped cilantro

1 tbs oil/butter 

Good to know :

• These timings may vary, so base this on your slow cooker. Always under cook , you can cook it further, but there is nothing you can do about overcooked food.
• I use a internal meat thermometer to check the doneness of the chicken. A temperature of 170F in the chicken breast or 185 in the thigh– tells me that it is done.

Procedure:
 

• Wash and dry the chicken
• Make incisions in the more meaty parts like breast and thigh – to allow spices to penetrate deeper.
• Mix the Tandoori masala, garam masala, kashmiri chilli , lemon juice, ginger garlic paste and salt into the yogurt
• Apply this mixture onto the chicken
• Sprinkle the clove powder on the chicken
• Lower the chicken into the slowcooker with the breast side up. Tuck in snugly and throw in the shallots.
• Close the lid and lock it and cook on high for 1 hour and then on low for 2.
• If you are leaving this to cook while you are away from home, slow cook for 4 hours.
• Check for doneness - At this point you can check the thermometer, cut a slice and look for raw signs – a chicken cooked is a chicken white and the juices run clear or with this kind of recipe.. the chicken will look cooked to the point of falling off the bones.
• Gently place the whole chicken in a roasting pan leaving the juices in the slow cooker. There would be about ½ C to 1 C of liquid left.
• Broil the chicken for about 3 minutes on low and 2 minutes on high for that perfect roasted look.
• While you are broiling the chicken, heat a pan and add the butter/oil for glaze
• Add in the cumin powder and the garam masala.
• Add the reserved liquid along with any shallots
• Reduce this to your desired thickness – about 2- 3 min on high
• Plate the chciken on a platter and pour the sauce on it. Serve with lemon wedges, salad, and buttered rice or any grains or bread of your choice.

Until we meet again on the culinary journey !

Stay Blessed

XO

Ansh