Can I baked Tandoori?

[jpeirpont]

Last night I marinated chicken in a Tandoori marinade, idiot that I am I forgot to look at the cooking directions. The package that the seasoning came in says cook in any manner, but, that doesn't seem right. Online most recipes call for grilling. I don't have a grill I suppose I could broill it, but I didnt cut it up into small peices. I've butterfly the whole chicken, can I bake it like that?

 

[lawyerdad]

Well, true tandoori chicken is basically baked/roasted, not grilled. The clay tandoori ovens cook the meat at high temperature over direct heat. If you want to cook it in the oven, you might try running it under the broiler.
Edit: Sorry, I see you already thought of that. Butteflied is probably fine, but if you chop it up a bit more with a cleaver it's probably better. AFAIK, the reason for chopping it up into smaller pieces is to ensure more even cooking when you're blasting it with high heat. If the pieces are too big/thick when you broil it, you risk having the outside become too dry or overcooked by the time the meat on the inside is sufficiently cooked.

 

[jpeirpont]

Originally Posted by lawyerdad

Well, true tandoori chicken is basically baked/roasted, not grilled. The clay tandoori ovens cook the meat at high temperature over direct heat. If you want to cook it in the oven, you might try running it under the broiler.
Edit: Sorry, I see you already thought of that. Butteflied is probably fine, but if you chop it up a bit more with a cleaver it's probably better. AFAIK, the reason for chopping it up into smaller pieces is to ensure more even cooking when you're blasting it with high heat. If the pieces are too big/thick when you broil it, you risk having the outside become too dry or overcooked by the time the meat on the inside is sufficiently cooked.

Thanks, I think I'll follow your recommendation and chop it up.