Step 1 of 7
First marinade. Rub the slashed chicken with lemon juice, Kashmiri chili, and salt. Massage into the slashes. Rest 30 minutes — the acid starts breaking down the surface proteins.
Step 2 of 7
Second marinade. Whisk yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, and mustard oil into a thick paste. Coat the chicken — work it into every slash.
Step 3 of 7
Refrigerate 12 hours minimum, 24 hours ideal. Turn once.
Step 4 of 7
Heat the oven to its absolute maximum — 260°C / 500°F or higher — for 30 minutes. Place the chicken on a wire rack over a foil-lined tray (catches drips). Tap off excess marinade so it doesn't pool.
Step 5 of 7
Roast 20 minutes. The marinade should char black at the edges, brick-red across the surface, with deeper colour where it pooled in the slashes.
Step 6 of 7
Switch the oven to broil/grill at the highest setting. Broil 3 minutes per side for additional char. Watch closely — the line between charred-and-amazing and incinerated-and-bitter is about ninety seconds.
Step 7 of 7
Rest 5 minutes. Plate with raw red onion rings, lime wedges, and a small bowl of mint-coriander chutney if you have it.
Ingredients 15
the chicken
- 1.5 kg chicken legs and thighs, skin on, bone in, slashed 2 cm deep through the meat
the second marinade
- 300 g full-fat Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (equal parts pounded in a mortar)
- Half goes into the ginger-garlic paste; reserve none separately
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp mustard oil (or 2 tbsp ghee)
the first marinade
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 1.5 tsp fine sea salt
the serve
- 1 red onion, sliced (for serving)
- Lime wedges, for serving