Spicy Grilled Chicken

Last weekend sun was shining with all its glory, so we ended up having BBQ at our friends place. We had loads of fun with guys grilling meat, veggies and bun and ladies gossiping and eating them. Kids were just running around and playing without wasting their time eating. After all that grilling was done men sat down to watch the footie. Apart from all that hungama, food was just amazing. We had some kebabs and burgers; lamb chops and chicken wings marinated in a spicy marinade as mains. We very much loved the meal and among them, the lamb chops were outstanding. Here is the re-created version of that one in my kitchen, but using chicken instead of lamb. I would love to try it with lamb, but I am not sure if lamb would come out well in the oven. Well, has anyone tried grilling lamb pieces in the oven? Does it cook well? And how long would it take to get cooked, without using any tenderizer? Any suggestions are much appreciated. Let's get on the recipe, now. It's quite simple to prepare and tastes quite good as well.

Spicy Grilled Chicken
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 Large leg portions (around 700g)

Marinade:
½ Tbsp fresh ginger puree
½ Tbsp fresh garlic puree
4 Tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder *
1-2 tsp Lime juice
½ tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Few teaspoons of water
1-2 Tablespoon of oil
Lemon slices to serve.

Preparations:

1.Wash chicken thoroughly and drain in a colander to remove excess water. Make deep gashes on to fleshy parts of leg and thigh portions of chicken to penetrate the marinade through.

2. Mix all ingredients for the marinade with just enough water to make a smooth paste. Rub the marinade thoroughly all over the chicken and deep down the gashes. Sprinkle oil all over the chicken and lightly rub in.

3. Transfer it into a bowl, cover using a cling film or foil and chill it over night or for a minimum of 2 hours.

4. Bring the marinated chicken to room temperature before cooking and Preheat the oven 10 minutes prior to grilling. Place the chicken on foiled tray and grill on medium heat for around 35-40 minutes turning once or twice in between. I Grilled (at 3) one side for 15 minutes, flipped the chicken over and cooked the other side for another 15 minutes and flipped again to cook for some more time. To ensure that chicken is fully cooked, poke the chicken on several parts until you see clear juice oozing through the poked area. If not, cook it for some more time. Make sure you don’t over cook your chicken as it can become really dry. Chicken prepared can be baked or even fried in oil. But the results may vary slightly depending on how you do it. Grilling gives it a slight smoky flavour.

Squeeze plenty of lime juice while serving if preferred. This can be used as a side dish fo rchappathis, Indian naan breads or rice dishes.

Notes:

Instead of using chilli powder aby itself, you can use a mixture of paprika and Kashmiri chilli powder. Or if you want it real hot, use the regular chilli powder. Paprika gives it a real good colour and a milder heat. I used 3 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder and a teaspoon of paprika powder here.