The chicken and egg story may be too old to be retold but the Indian love affair with poultry goes on and on. That’s why Republic of Chicken (ROC), a deli-cum-diner in the vibrant South Extension Market of the Capital has decided to go for the bird. The man behind the menu is Bharat Singh, who decided to drum up something different for Delhi’s foodies who like their chicken but want to taste it in new ways.

Every dish from the Spit Roast Chicken to the Chicken Gyros is either baked, grilled, pan seared or stir fried in their rotisserie or gyro (Greek sandwich) sections helping you to keep those extra calories at bay. There’s a ‘healthy bakes’ section too on the menu which offers options like Baked Chicken Wings, Baked Chicken Nuggets, Chicken Pot Stickers and Clay pot pies.

ROC takes the idea of hea-lthy eating to the next level by sourcing the chicken from their own hatchery in Chandigarh.

Bharat is a stickler for both hygiene and taste. “That’s exactly how the taste of a dish comes about,” says the chef who set out to earn himself a toque when his friends were thinking of pursuing careers in engineering and medicine. Armed with a three-year food and beverage diploma Delhi’s Le Meridien Hotel, Bharat opened the Lodhi Garden Restaurant along with a few partners.

The seas came calling after that and Bharat set off on the US-based cruise ship Carnival, working in their kitchens for four years before opening up a string of restaurants in Delhi including Baci and Ivy Bar and Dining. In his latest stint as chef manager of ROC, Bharat is all for giving deep fried items a miss and opting for baked and grilled stuff. Here’s a list of three recipes that are top draws at ROC. They’re easy to make and healthy to boot.

Punjabi chicken sticks

Ingredients

200 gm chicken leg, boneless
½tsp ginger paste
½tsp garlic paste
30ml mint dip
Half a lemon
½tsp red chilly powder
½tsp garam masala
2 tbs refined oil
40gm onion rings
6 sticks

Method

For the marinade: Put oil, ginger paste, garlic paste, red chilli powder, garam masala and mix well.

Add chicken and lemon juice to the marinade. Put marinated chicken on the sticks. Cook the chicken sticks on a hot grill plate. Place all the sticks on a platter and serve along with onions,lemon and mint dip.

Spit roast chicken

Ingredients

1 whole chicken with skin
3tbs refined oil
2tbs garlic paste
2tbs thyme
½tsp salt
½tsp crushed black pepper
Juice of one lemon
40gm pickled hummus

Method

For the marinade: Take oil, garlic, thyme, salt, lemon juice, crushed black pepper and mix well. Add the whole chicken to the marinade. Preheat the oven at 220°C and cook for 45 minutes. After cooking, cut the chicken into half and clean it from inside. Place a breast and leg piece each on a plate . Serve with pickled hummus.

Baked chicken

Ingredients

3 large chicken wings
3tbs refined oil
2tbs garlic paste
2tbs thyme
½tsp salt
½tsp crushed black pepper
Juice of one lemon
15ml chilli paste
30 ml mayonnaise

Method

For the marinade:Put oil, garlic, thyme, salt, lemon juice, crushed black pepper. Mix well. Add the chicken wings to the marinade. Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Set the wings in a baking tray and place them in the oven. Bake them for 12 mins to 15 mins till well-done. Mix the chilli paste and mayonnaise in a bowl for the chilli-mayonnaise dip. Serve the wings with the dip.

As told to Susmita Saha; Pix : Rupinder Sharma