Preparation Time
35 Minutes
Marination Time
2 hours
Cooking Time
50 Minutes
Servings
6
Skill Level
Medium
Diet
Non-Vegetarian
Ingredients
- Whole Chicken
- 4-5 tsp of Coarse Garlic Powder
- 4-5 tsp of Coarse Onion Powder
- ½ cup of Olive Oil
- 1 Charcoal Piece
- 2 tbsp melted butter for Basting
- Small Stainless Steel Bowl or an Aluminium foil
- Salt to taste
Directions
- Butterfly the whole chicken and lay it flat on a baking tray, breast side up. You can leave the skin on or remove it, based on your preference.
- With a knife, score the chicken including the breast legs, and thighs, allowing the flavours to penetrate when the chicken is marinated.
- Now, take salt as per taste and rub it all over the chicken. A little over 1 teaspoon is a good starting point for the whole chicken. You can always add more salt if required, at a later stage. If you have left the skin on then make sure you get the marination under the skin.
- Now sprinkle the onion and garlic powder all over the chicken. Follow it by pouring the olive oil. Rub the mixture very well, covering the whole including the cuts.
- Leave the chicken to marinate in a deep stainless steel pot for at least 2 hours, overnight works best as this allows the flavours to penetrate.
- Once marinated, take a small stainless steel bowl or an aluminium foil shaped as a bowl. Place it on top of the chicken.
- Put the coal on a stovetop fire, once lit, using tongs carefully place it in the bowl or foil you placed on top of the chicken. Pour a teaspoon of oil of your choice and once the charcoal starts to smoke, quickly place a lid on the pot. Wait for about 20 minutes, this will allow all the charcoal flavour to penetrate deep into the chicken.
- After about 20 minutes remove the lid and carefully remove the foil or the bowl in which you placed charcoal using tongs. Make sure that the charcoal is completely out before you discard it.
- Now it’s time to place the chicken in a baking dish and place it inside a preheated at about 180 degrees Celsius for about 15 minutes.
- At regular intervals remove the chicken and baste it with some butter or olive oil. This will ensure that the breast will not dry out and the chicken comes out succulent.
- After about 40 to 50 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken, it should be cooked through. You can always check by cutting a small part of the chicken with a knife. Also, the chicken would have developed a nice golden brown colour by now.
- Once cooked, remove the baking tray from the oven and cover it with a foil. Allow it to rest for 5 minutes and then serve.
RECIPE NOTES
This south-east Asian technique of smoking the chicken is called the “Dhungar Method” and works to create a nice smoky charcoal flavour in the dish. It can be used to add that extra layer of flavour to lentils (dals), vegetables seafood, and meat (proteins). Think of it as adding an extra layer of smoky, charcoal flavour to your dish without the need to light up a barbeque. Works well if you live in a small apartment or do not have the space to light a charcoal barbeque.
For proteins, I prefer to use this technique after the marination step, while with dals or lentils, I tend to do this at the end of the cooking process.
It involves placing the meat or vegetables in a large pot with a suitable lid to go on it. Light a coal on fire by placing it on the stovetop. Rotate the coal so that it is evenly burnt from all sides. 10 to 15 minutes and the coal should be well let, ready to use.
Place a small metal bowl or an aluminium foil on top of the protein you want to smoke. Using tongs carefully place the lit charcoal on the metal bowl or aluminium foil.
Now, add some butter or oil on top of the coal. Now quickly place the lid on top of the pot to capture all the smoke. Leave it for about 15 minutes and then open the lid. Carefully using tongs remove the piece of aluminium foil or metal bowl and place it in the kitchen sink. Splash some water on it to ensure that the coal is completely out before discarding it.