On a chilly Friday night, it’s nice to start the weekend by warming up with a roast chicken dinner. There are few aromas as comforting as roasting chicken – and the good news is, it’s simple enough for a Friday night at the end of a long week. A classic roast chicken needs nothing more than a bit of oil or butter rubbed over the skin and a lemon half, garlic cloves or fresh herbs tucked inside; but you can easily jazz it up by adding a tandoori spice rub to the outside of the chicken.Serve this easy Indian-style chicken with potatoes, roasted alongside, and green beans steamed quickly or sautéed in a dab of butter in a skillet as your chicken rests.
Tandoori Roast Chicken
A tandoori spice blend is similar to curry powder – itself a blend of ground spices. Tandoori typically contains curry, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric and sometimes cayenne or cloves. If you’re feeding a crowd, simply double the recipe – two chickens roast in the same amount of time as one!
1 roasting chicken
1/4 cup olive or canola oil
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp. tandoori spice blend
salt and pepper
1 fresh lemon
Preheat oven to 450°F. In a small bowl, mix the oil, garlic and tandoori spice blend. Pat the chicken dry, put it into a cast iron skillet or roasting pan and rub all over with the oil mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in half and put inside the chicken, or put half inside each.
Roast for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375°F and cook for about another hour, or until the juices run clear and the joints wiggle in their sockets.
Serves 4