Bhatti da Murgh (Indian Grilled Chicken With Whole Spices)

Name: Bhatti da Murgh (Indian Grilled Chicken With Whole Spices)
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Cuisine: indian
Ingredients: 6 whole, bone-in chicken legs (drumsticks with thighs attached, about 4 1/2 pounds); 2 tablespoons finely grated garlic (about 6 large cloves); 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger; 1 tablespoon white vinegar; 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cayenne, or to taste; 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala; 2 teaspoons fine sea salt; 1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon ground clove; 1/2 teaspoon ground mace; 1/2 teaspoon ground anise or fennel seeds; 1/2 teaspoon ground black cardamom (optional); 1/2 teaspoon ground green cardamom; 2 teaspoons cumin seeds; 2 teaspoons coriander seeds; 1 1/2 teaspoons red-pepper flakes; 3 to 4 tablespoons melted salted butter, as needed for basting; Lime wedges, for serving

Recipe from Chintan Pandya and Adda Indian Canteen

Adapted by Melissa Clark

Bhatti da Murgh (Indian Grilled Chicken With Whole Spices) — Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 1½ hours, plus marinating
Rating: 4(475)
Comments: Read comments

Adapted from the chef Chintan Pandya of Adda Indian Canteen in Long Island City, Queens, this fiery, aromatic recipe calls for marinating whole chicken legs in yogurt, ginger-garlic paste and ground spices, then coating them in cracked whole spices before roasting. The ground spices imbue the meat with flavor while the whole spices add pungency and a wonderful crunch. At Adda, Mr. Pandya cooks these in a tandoor. But you can roast them in your oven, or cook them on the grill using indirect heat and a baking sheet. In either case, brushing the sizzling chicken skin with plenty of melted butter is the key to its rich taste and burnished crispness. —Melissa Clark

Featured in: For the Hottest Grilled Chicken, Double the Spices

or to save this recipe.
Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
Subscribe
Share this recipe
Print this recipe
Include recipe photo

Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

6whole, bone-in chicken legs (drumsticks with thighs attached, about 4½ pounds)
2tablespoons finely grated garlic (about 6 large cloves)
2tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
1tablespoon white vinegar
1½teaspoons ground cayenne, or to taste
1½teaspoons garam masala
2teaspoons fine sea salt
½cup plain whole milk yogurt
½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½teaspoon ground clove
½teaspoon ground mace
½teaspoon ground anise or fennel seeds
½teaspoon ground black cardamom (optional)
½teaspoon ground green cardamom
2teaspoons cumin seeds
2teaspoons coriander seeds
1½teaspoons red-pepper flakes
3 to 4tablespoons melted salted butter, as needed for basting
Lime wedges, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Pop the joint on each leg: Grasp a drumstick in one hand and a thigh in the other, and bend the joint back until you hear a crack. This helps the leg cook more evenly.
Step 2
Using a small knife, make a slash in the meaty part of each drumstick and thigh twice or three times, going all the way to the bone.
Step 3
In a large bowl, stir together garlic, ginger, vinegar, cayenne, garam masala and salt. Keep half the mixture in the bowl and set aside; rub remaining mixture all over chicken, getting underneath the skin. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes (or up to 2 hours) while you prepare the yogurt marinade.
Step 4
Stir yogurt into the large bowl with ginger-garlic mixture, then stir in black pepper, clove, mace, anise, black cardamom (if using) and green cardamom. Transfer spice-rubbed chicken to yogurt mixture, tossing gently to coat.
Step 5
Cover and refrigerate chicken for at least 6 hours, and preferably overnight.
Step 6
When ready to cook, prepare the grill for indirect heat. (If using a charcoal grill, mound coals to one side, allowing for an area of indirect heat. If using a gas grill, turn on only a few of the burners and leave the rest off.) Or heat oven to 450 degrees.
Step 7
Using a mortar and pestle, the flat side of a knife or a spice grinder for a very brief time, crack the cumin, coriander and red-pepper flakes but do not grind; you want a coarse texture here. Sprinkle spice mix onto chicken to coat each piece.
Step 8
Place a rimmed baking sheet on the unlit side of the grill or in the oven and let heat for 15 minutes. Carefully place chicken on the hot baking sheet and drizzle each piece with a little melted butter. Cover grill, if grilling. Let chicken cook for 25 to 35 minutes, drizzling with melted butter two or three times. The chicken is done when the skin is dark brown and the juices run clear when pricked with a knife.
Step 9
If you are grilling, you can sear the chicken over direct heat for 1 to 2 minutes per side just before serving to char the skin, but this is optional. Serve chicken on a platter, with lime wedges on the side.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

4 out of 5

475 user ratings

Have you cooked this?

Comments

jason carey6 years ago

I think this is wonderful, but I think under-spiced to cater to so called "American" tastebuds. I think that most of those spices (except clove and mace) should be doubled for this dish, based on my following the recipe the first time.

Prakash Nadkarni6 years ago

Step 6 says, "Or heat oven to 450 degrees".

Isha Ray6 years ago

You can buy readymade garam masala in many spice stores, not necessarily Indian. It is indeed a pre-made mixture. Buy in small amounts so it stays fragrant. You may see Punjabi garam masala and Kashmiri garam masala; the latter has more fragrance from nutmeg etc but the Punjabi-ish version, slightly more fiery, is the most commonly found generic GM. Gujarati versions are "sweeter" and I wouldn't use it for this chicken. If you want to roast and grind your own GM, I like Madhur Jaffrey's recipes

Lardnakus2 years ago

If Melissa Clark adapted thus, her one major omission is removal of skin. If the skin is not removed, then the marinade does not penetrate the meat. Western adaptations that insist on keeping the skin on to keep the chicken juicy lose all the flavor in the meat. However but doing so, you can be super lax about cooking time and temp. The true brilliance is removing the skin. Marinating the meat and still having it be juicy. But not enough detail is provided to help the chef achieve this effect.

Jo Jo2 years ago

I make this with Cornish game hen as spice to flesh ratio is better. I use plain greek yogurt (the marinate is typically made with yogurt cheese). The signature spice of bhatti murg is yellow chilli powder (not red chilli powder)...you can order it online. Otherwise, good recipe!

Clara T.2 years ago

I substituted low fat buttermilk for the yogurt and it worked well. Delicious!

Private comments are only visible to you.