Grilled Indian Butter Chicken

 

chix18-710Father’s Day Celebrations and the Summer Season are all about grilling and this week we turned to Katie from the Parsley Thief Blog for this amazing find. She knew we would love this Indian spice-infused grilled chicken. It may be a bit time consuming, as it needs to marinate a long time but its so worth it. You can prepare it when you have time & have it ready to grill on a busy weeknight.

Grilled Indian Butter Chicken

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup chopped onion

3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger (peeled)

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 small fresh, green Thai or jalepeno chile, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 {3 pound} chicken, quartered, backbone & skin removed

1 stick unsalted butter

Directions

Marinate Chicken: Add the onion, garlic, ginger, salt, chile & vinegar to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl & whisk in the yogurt, coriander, oil, turmeric & cayenne pepper. Add the chicken pieces & toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap, or transfer to a resealable container & marinate for at least 16 hours {or up to 3 days}. Let the chicken stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.

To Make the Ghee:

Bring the butter to a gentle boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat to very low & cook the butter until a very thin crust begins to form on the surface & milky white solids fall to the bottom of the pan {about 8 minutes}. Continue to cook the butter, watching to avoid burning, until the solids at the bottom turn light brown & the butter has a nutty fragrance {about 6-8 minutes more}. Remove the pan from the heat & let it stand for 1 minute. Pour through a double layer of moistened heavy duty paper towels into a bowl, or measuring cup. Discard the solids.

To Grill the Chicken:

Heat a gas, or charcoal grill & lightly oil the grill racks. Put the chicken, still heavily coated in marinade, on the rack, over indirect heat (as much as possible). Drizzle the chicken with about a tablespoon of the ghee. Cook over medium high heat, turning over & drizzling with ghee every 5 minutes, covering the grill between turns, until the chicken is cooked through {about 30-45 minutes}.

Click here for the printable recipe. 

Adapted from Gourmet magazine, May 2006

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