Chicken drumsticks - 4
Lemon juice - 1/2 tablespoon (freshly squeezed)
Yogurt - 1/2 cup
Gram flour/ besan - 2 tablespoon
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chaat masala powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Green chillies - 2 no:s (minced)
Salt - to taste
Oil - for greasing
Method
1. Prepare chicken drumsticks – Grab the chicken thigh with a paper towel. This keeps it from slipping. Hold the meaty end of the thigh and pull the skin down. Using a sharp knife, trim the skin at the joint and excess fat adhering to the drumstick. Hold the chicken pieces under running water and wash thoroughly.
2. Pat dry with a kitchen towel to remove moisture.
3. Slash the meaty portion to make three deep slits. This helps in absorbing the marinade. Brush the drumsticks with lemon juice and keep aside.
4. Prepare the marinade .Dry roast the besan on low heat taking care not to burn it. Remove from heat once it starts emitting a nutty and fragrant aroma. Cool it slightly. In a bowl, mix the roasted besan, yogurt, turmeric powder, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and salt.
5. Coat each drumstick with this mixture and preserve the balance marinade. Place all the drumsticks in a shallow bowl, cover it and marinate for at least 2 hours. Overnight marination is the best. That gives time for the chicken to take in the spices while the yogurt tenderizes the meat.
6. The marinated chicken drumsticks can be roasted over a tandoor or grilled in an oven or even pan fried. I used the oven method, which requires less oil. Preheat the oven to 425° F/220° C.
7. Prepare a baking sheet with an aluminium foil and grease with oil. Arrange the drumsticks on the baking sheet.
8. Place the baking sheet in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then, lower the oven temperature to 390° F/200° C and bake till done. This took about 30 minutes.
9. Flip the drumsticks a few times so as to bake all sides evenly. If left to bake without turning sides, one side sticks to the foil and gets ripped when removed from the baking sheet.As you turn sides of the drumstick, brush the reserved marinade on all sides.
10. For a grilled look, run the drumsticks ( sprinkled with chaat masala if desired) under the broiler for 2-5 minutes.
Serve warm with lemon wedges and onion slices