It sounds incredible, but it is said that historians found the earliest evidence of a meat preparation similar to Tandoori Chicken in the ruins of Harappa. It is believed that excavations uncovered clay ovens resembling a tandoor and chicken bones with charring marks dating back to 3000 B.C.
The ancient Sanskrit treatise Sushruta Samhita mentions that meat marinated with ground mustard and aromatic spices was cooked in clay ovens. By the late 1940s, tandoori chicken was popularized at the Moti Mahal restaurant in Peshawar by Kundan Lal Jaggi, Thakur Dass, and Kundan Lal Gujral.
Mokha Singh had founded Moti Mahal in the Peshawar area of British India, which is now part of Pakistan, and the trio worked with him.
After the partnership, they established the Moti Mahal restaurant in Daryaganj, which became an iconic spot famous for this dish, still served there on a bed of fresh green salad.
The Moti Mahal tandoori chicken in Daryaganj was so enjoyed by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru that he made it a regular part of official banquets.
It is said that former Prime Ministers of the Soviet Union and Pakistan, Nikita Khrushchev and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, were also great fans of this dish. Khrushchev even took it to Moscow.
The popularity of Tandoori Chicken led to many variations, such as Chicken Tikka, Chicken Tikka Masala (which became very popular in Great Britain), and Butter Chicken Masala.
