🍗 Tanoor chicken (dajaj tanoor)
Dajaj tanoor is chicken marinated in yogurt, garlic, lemon, turmeric and chili, then baked against the hot clay wall of a tanoor oven until the surface blisters and chars. The yogurt keeps the meat tender, while the oven gives it a smoky edge. It is served with rice, grilled vegetables and salad.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken pieces or thighs, skinless
- 200 g plain yogurt
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Method
- Score the chicken pieces with a knife.
- Mix the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, turmeric, chili, salt and oil and coat the chicken well.
- Marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours, ideally overnight.
- Bake on a rack at 240 °C (or under a hot grill) for 30–35 minutes, turning once, until charred at the edges and cooked through.
How to make it lighter
- Use skinless thighs or breast and low-fat yogurt in the marinade.
- Pair it with a large salad and a modest scoop of rice.
- Shake off excess marinade before baking so less of it ends up on the plate.
History
Clay tanoor ovens have been used across Iraq, Iran and the Arabian Peninsula for centuries, and roasting marinated chicken in them is a popular restaurant style in Iraq and the Gulf today.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →