Tandoori Chicken is probably the most famous Indian style Chicken preparation. We are just two and half people in my household.  The one and half people (except me) love chicken. Making a full size Tandoori Chicken was out of question as we wouldn’t have been able to finish it. We decided to get the next best thing- Cornish Hen. These are birds like chicken but a little smaller…well quite smaller than the chicken. These birds are more famous during Thanks Giving time but you do get them year around. They come in the pack of 2 and individually wrapped.

These measurements are for One Tandoori Cornish Hen. There are two different marinades that I use.

Marinade #1

• 2 Teaspoons of Fresh Lime Juice
• 2 Teaspoons of Kashmiri Red  Chilly powder
• 1 Teaspoon of White Vinegar
• 2 Teaspoons of Ginger and Garlic Paste
• 1 Teaspoon of Turmeric
• Pinch of Brown Sugar

Marinade #2

• 1 Teaspoons of Black Pepper
• 2 Teaspoons of Cumin
• 2 Teaspoons of Coriander Seeds
• 1 Teaspoons of Fennel Seeds
• 2 Inch Piece of Cinnamon
• 2 Black Cardamom
• 2 Green Cardamom
• 3-4 Aniseeds
• 3-4 strands of Mace.
• 5-6 Cloves.

Heat a pan on the stove and dry roast all the above spices till a nice and nutty aroma comes. Grind and set aside.

The Cornish Hen needs to be washed thoroughly and dried. You would have a thin layer of the skin on the bird. For a good Tandoori preparation it is good to keep some skin on. With a very sharp knife make some slits along the muscle of the bird ( Breast and Thighs). Marinade the hen in the marinade #1 above for 30 mins. The acids would help to tenderize the meat and flavor it too.

In a bowl mix 1 and half cup of Greek yogurt (preferably or any thick yogurt), 2 Teaspoons of oil ( I use Olive),  2 Teaspoons of Ginger Garlic paste, 2 Teaspoons of Garam Masala, 1 Teaspoons of Chaat masala, 1 Teaspoons of White Pepper Powder, 1 Teaspoon of Red Chilly Powder along with the roasted and ground spices in #2. This is Marinade #2.

After the hen marinades in the first marinade. Take it out. Pat dry to remove any extra water that the bird might have lost. The hen should be pretty dry while going in marinade #2. Let it marinade for overnight for best results. In my case I have seen good results with just 4 hrs marination as well.

Heat the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I use the rack along with the cookie sheet to make tandoori chicken. The rack helps to keep the chicken dry as the extra moisture drips on the cookie sheet.

After every 10 minutes you need to check on the chicken and apply the marinade in case you see chicken getting too dry. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. You should see a nice white meat when you insert a sharp knife in the meat. If you have the cooking thermometer you should use that. The temperature in the thigh muscle should be around 170 degrees Fahrenheit. When you reach that , that means chicken is well done.

Spread the marinade on the chicken one last time and switch on the broiler. You need to keep and eye as this can quickly burn the hen. You should see the masala pieces turning a little brown and the oil in the masala shining nicely. That’s the time to flap the bird and broil on the other side. For me 3 minute each side on medium heat broiling works.

Once cooked, take it out of the oven and apply some butter with the nonstick cooking brush. Serve with some sliced onions and lemon wedges. Sprinkle some chat masala on it for extra flavor.

You can cook the hen on the outdoor grill if you have. Hope you like it!