Smoked Chicken With An Indian Twist

Smoked chicken is a real treat for anyone, but it does become difficult to differentiate yours from everyone else’s smoked chicken.

Here’s an ingenious idea – replace wood chips for spices!

Try our recipe that gives traditional smoked chicken an Indian twist – it’s soon to become a new family favorite!

Preparation time: 1 hour (plus 1-4 hours ‘soaking’ time and 1-4 hours marinating time)

Cooking time: 1 hour

Total time: 2 hours

Servings: 4

Your Ingredients

5 cinnamon sticks

10 cardamom pods

1 tablespoon of whole cloves

2 tablespoons of canola oil

1 full of head garlic

4-inch piece fresh ginger

1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds

1/2 cup of water Zest and juice of 1 lime

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

One chicken (3 pounds in weight)

How to make your Smoked Chicken With An Indian Twist:

1) In a bowl, place the cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods and cloves and cover with cold water. Soak for 1-4 hours. 

2) Detach all the cloves from your head of garlic and remove the skin (use the side of a knife to bash each cloves on a wooden cutting board to make this easier). 

3) Chop up your ginger coarsely. 

Hot Tip!

To bring out the best flavor of ginger, you may opt to grate it. Try grating ginger using the Chef Remi Multifunction Cheese Grater which also works as a zester for vegetables and a grinder for nuts and chocolates.

Remember to grate food items using the palm of your hand, instead of your fingers to avoid shaving your knuckles.

4) In a medium sauté pan, heat the oil over a medium heat, and then add the garlic and ginger. Cook for about 2 minutes until they are soft. 

5) Now add the mustard seeds and cook for just 30 seconds before adding 1/2 cup of water, the lime zest and juice, and the salt and pepper. 

6) Cook for another minute until the mixture starts to boil. Remove from heat. 

7) Pour the contents of the pan into a blender and blend till it forms a paste. Add more water if the paste seems too dry. Allow the paste to cool. 

8) Spatchcock your chicken (cut out the backbone and then remove the keel bone from the breast). You can use a knife, but this task is much easier with heavy duty kitchen shears!

9) Rub your mustard paste over the whole of your chicken, making sure you also get some under the skin. Cover the chicken and place in refrigerator for 1-4 hours to marinate. 

10) Remember to take the chicken out of the fridge about 30 minutes before grilling. 

11) Fill a chimney starter with hardwood charcoal, and let it all burn through until there is fine layer of gray ash lying on top of the coals. 

12) Make sure the coals are spread evenly at the bottom of the grill to create a single level fire, and then add the soaked cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods and cloves. 

13) Let the grates heat up and allow smoke to fill the grill by covering with the lid for 5 minutes. 

14) Take your chicken and place it onto the grill, skin side down and cook until the skin is charred. 

15) Turn the chicken over carefully and move to indirect heat. Cook for about 40-50 minutes at 375°F. 

16) Push an instant read cooking thermometer into one of the thighs and make sure it reads at least 165°F. 

17) Move your chicken onto a wooden cutting board and let it rest for about 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute. Then carve, and serve – enjoy!

NB: Whole chicken cooks faster if the poultry meat is butterflied, or spatchcocked.

Our Chef Remi Award Winning Kitchen Shears can make the cutting task much easier for you!

As the sharpest kitchen shears on the planet they'll slice through the chicken like a knife through hot butter.

They also have a built in bottle opener which is perfect for opening tough sealed sauce bottles or even cracking nuts for your recipes! 

Add this indispensable kitchen tool to your collection today.