Use a whole chicken or 4 chicken leg quarters for this recipe. Cut whole chicken into eight pieces. Remove the skin and excess fat. Make a few shallow cuts with a knife on both sides of the pieces.
If using chicken leg quarters - leave as one piece. Remove the skin and excess fat. Make a few shallow cuts with a knife on both sides of the pieces. Make a deeper cut between leg and thigh on both sides of the joint to cook evenly.
To a bowl, add “first marination” ingredients. Mix well. Spread all over both sides of the chicken. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes (room temperature is fine unless your kitchen is hot)
To the same bowl, add “second marination” ingredients. Mix well. Spread the marinade on both sides of the pieces. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Marinate overnight or for 24 hours for better results.
Heat your oven to 400 degrees F or 205 C. Put the chicken on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle melted butter all over the chicken. Bake in the heated oven for about 40 minutes. Every 15 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven and drizzle with a little butter. Chicken is cooked when the internal temperature is 175 F or 80 C.
Turn your oven to the broil setting and put chicken under the broiler for 2 or 3 minutes. Not directly under the broiler but a few inches away so the chicken doesn’t burn. Check after 2 minutes and take it out if there is too much browning. Sprinkle chicken with chaat masala if you wish.
While the chicken is cooking, make the onions. Squeeze fresh lemon over the sliced onions. Add salt and cilantro. Mix and set aside. Give it a stir once in a while. Taste and adjust lemon juice or salt. Serve chicken with the marinated onions and lemon wedges.
***Amchur powder/Dried Mango Powder is optional in this recipe
***Chaat Masala is optional in this recipe
***Chicken may be grilled or cooked in the oven