Chicken drumsticks in aromatic yogurt marinade
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken drumsticks
- Salt
- 2 teaspoons garam masala spice blend
- 1-2 teaspoons hot paprika
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
- 4 cloves garlic, finely grated or crushed
- 1/2 onion, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon honey (optional, not in original recipe) or sugar
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 cup (250 ml) natural yogurt
- A few drops of red food coloring (optional)
Preparation:
Remove the skin from the chicken drumsticks (discard the skins as they won’t be needed for this recipe). Pat the drumsticks dry with paper towels, season with salt, and place them in a large plastic or glass bowl. Coat the drumsticks with garam masala, hot paprika, and sweet paprika spice blend. Add olive oil or vegetable oil and rub the chicken thoroughly with your hands.
Next, add ginger, garlic, onion, honey (if using), tomato paste, lemon juice, and rub the chicken again. Add natural yogurt and food coloring if using, gently mix everything together, and marinate (overnight in the refrigerator or for a minimum of 3 hours on the kitchen counter). Remove the chicken drumsticks from the marinade (do not discard the marinade), discard any marinade left at the bottom of the bowl as it won’t be needed anymore.
Arrange the chicken on a grill and grill for 60 minutes on a barbecue grill with indirect heat, preferably with charcoal spread to the sides of the grill (there should be a drip tray with water underneath the chicken to catch drippings), or bake in an oven preheated to 200 degrees Celsius (390 degrees Fahrenheit) for 60 minutes, turning the drumsticks occasionally. The meat should pull away easily from the bones when done. Serve with thick natural yogurt.
