Cooking The Blackest Rooster On Earth: A Tandoor and Clay Roasting Method

Preparing the Black Chicken

• 🍗 A black chicken is plucked and then singed using a culinary torch.
• 🔪 The chicken is then spatchcocked by cutting along the backbone and flattened.
• 💧 The spatchcocked chicken is rinsed in a stone basin.

Savory Marinade and Herb Infusion

• 🌻 Sunflower oil is heated in a cast-iron kazan.
• 🌿 Fresh savory herbs are added to the hot oil, followed by minced garlic and tomato paste.
• 💧 Water is added to create a sauce base, seasoned with table salt.
• 🐔 Whole chickens are dipped and thoroughly coated in this savory red tomato marinade.

Clay Roasting Preparation

• 🪵 A wood fire is lit in a clay tandoor oven.
• 📜 Marinated chickens are wrapped tightly in parchment paper, then in aluminum foil.
• 🧱 Wet earth and clay are mixed to create a thick coating mixture.
• 📦 The foil-wrapped chicken parcels are encased in a thick layer of this clay mixture.

Tandoor Cooking Process

• 🔥 The clay-encased chickens are arranged on a metal rack and lowered into the hot tandoor oven.
• 💨 The tandoor opening is covered with a metal lid.
• ☕ Meanwhile, black tea is steeped in a samovar.

Unveiling the Cooked Chicken

• 🔨 The hard-baked clay shells are cracked open with a hammer.
• ♨️ The hot aluminum foil and inner parchment paper are removed from the cooked chicken.
• 🔪 The juicy, tender black chicken is carved and sliced on a board.