Tandoori Chicken

Method

1. score8 min
   skinless pieces, slashed to the bone
   two or three deep cuts across each piece — the slashes are the tandoor adaptation's first half: marinade reaches the bone, heat cooks the thick pieces evenly, and the charred ridges that form along each cut are the dish's signature texture
2. marinate20 min
   stage one: half the lime + all the salt
   rubbed into the slashes and rested while stage two mixes — the acid-salt first pass seasons deep and firms the surface so the yogurt coat clings instead of sliding
3. marinate480 min
   stage two: spiced yogurt, 8 hours to overnight
   yogurt + ginger + garlic + Kashmiri chili + garam masala + turmeric + cumin + oil + remaining lime, massaged into every slash — the yogurt is the tenderizer of record here: its lactic acid works slower and gentler than citrus, which is why overnight improves this marinade where it would wreck a ceviche
4. broil22 min
   highest rack, on a wire rack over a sheet, turned once
   the pieces shaken of excess marinade, broiled ~10 minutes a side until blackened in spots and 185°F at the bone — the broiler is the upside-down tandoor: ferocious direct heat while the rack keeps the pieces out of their own drippings; the char spots are not burning, they are the point
5. glaze3 min
   melted butter brushed on, one last minute under the flame
   the butter baste in the final minute — the restaurant gloss, and the fat carries the spice crust's aroma; served over raw red onion rings with cilantro and lime, which is not decoration but the traditional acid-crunch counterpoint