Grilling chicken in an OTG or convection oven is easier than it looks. Marinated chicken legs or boneless chicken tikka go on the grill rack over a tray of water, cook at 200°C in convection mode for 40 minutes, then get turned, brushed with oil and grilled 20 minutes more. I made spicy peri peri chicken legs and mild chicken tikka in my OTG this way, and both came out juicy.
- Temperature: 200°C, convection mode, preheated 5 minutes
- Time: 40 minutes, turn, then 20 minutes (add 10 if not done)
- Rack: grill tray on the middle rack, with ½ cup water in the tray below
How to set up the OTG for grilling chicken
1) Take a baking tray and pour ½ cup water in it.
2) Above that place the grill tray.
3) If needed wrap the ends of marinated chicken legs with aluminium foil.
4) Place it on the grill tray.
5) Take the boneless chicken pieces and pass a skewer through it. One by one pass through 4-5 chicken pieces.
6) Brush some oil on top of the chicken.
How long to grill chicken in an OTG
7) Pre-heat the oven in convection mode for 5 Mins at 200 C.
8) After 5 Mins, carefully open the hot oven and place the prepared tray with marinated chicken on the central rack.
9) Bake it in convection mode for 40 Mins by carefully observing the chicken every 10 Mins.
10) After 40 Mins, take out the tray with the help of a oven glove or thick cloth.
11) Turn the chicken to the other side with the help of tongs and again brush some oil onto it.
12) Again place the tray in the oven and bake in convection mode for another 20 Mins.
How to check if grilled chicken is cooked
13) After it is done, take out a piece of chicken and check if the chicken piece can be easily cut.
14) A perfectly cooked piece of chicken will be soft and easy to bite through. If not, grill for 10 more Mins.
Marinades I used: peri peri and chicken tikka
I followed the above given steps and I got perfectly grilled chicken and my family absolutely loved it. Peri peri was my hubbys favorite and was extremely spicy. My kid loved chicken tikka kebabs.
FAQ
What temperature should I grill chicken at in an OTG?
200°C in convection mode, after preheating for 5 minutes.
How long does chicken take to grill in an oven?
About 60 minutes for chicken legs: 40 minutes, turn, then 20 more. Boneless pieces may need less.
Why put water in the tray under the grill?
It catches drips and keeps the chicken from drying out or smoking.
How do I know grilled chicken is done?
It should be soft and easy to cut through; if not, grill for another 10 minutes.
Do try out some chicken recipes from my blog. For marinating chicken refer to my video on YouTube.
Grilled Chicken in OTG (Convection Oven)
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 500 g chicken legs or boneless chicken cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons thick curd/yogurt
- 1½ tablespoons ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon red chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin jeera powder
- ½ tablespoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
For grilling
- 2 tablespoons oil for brushing
- ½ cup water for the drip tray
- Wooden or metal skewers for boneless pieces
Instructions
- Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add the chicken, coat it well and marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge.
- Pour ½ cup water into the baking tray and place the grill tray on top.
- Wrap the ends of the chicken legs with aluminium foil if needed. Thread boneless pieces onto skewers, 4–5 per skewer.
- Arrange the chicken on the grill tray and brush with oil.
- Preheat the OTG in convection mode at 200°C for 5 minutes.
- Place the tray on the middle rack and grill for 40 minutes, checking every 10 minutes.
- Take the tray out using oven gloves, turn the chicken with tongs and brush with oil again.
- Grill for another 20 minutes.
- Check doneness: the chicken should be soft and easy to cut through. If not, grill for 10 more minutes.
Notes
The water in the tray catches drips, so the chicken doesn’t smoke or dry out.
For peri peri chicken, use peri peri marinade instead of the tikka marinade. The timings stay the same.
Hi Raksha,
Thanks for sharing your tips and tricks, much appreciated. I wanted to know if the grilled chicken comes out better in OTG/Convection Microwave or a grill like Weber? Some of my friends said the weber one comes out better as it has the burnt taste (best done on charcoal). Also it seems the OTG grilled chicken feels dry. Kindly share your thoughts on this please?
If you have weber grill or anything like that, you can use it. Else try in OTG. Yea, it becomes bit dry compared to charcoal grill.