This classic Indian chicken recipe lets you enjoy a delicious tandoori chicken at home without an Indian clay oven. Marinated in yogurt and aromatic Indian spices, then baked in a hot oven until golden and delicious.
Table of Content
If you have been to an Indian restaurant then you must have tried this classic dish, tandoori chicken or chicken tandoori.
The dish gets its name from the clay oven 'tandoor' used to cook it in. The chicken is marinated in yogurt and aromatic Indian spices. It has a distinct red color which is actually added edible food color and does nothing to the taste. Traditionally, grilled in the clay oven, but, this can also be done on a charcoal grill or home oven, and even in an air fryer.
Because of its popularity, people assume that it's a very difficult recipe to make. But, in truth, it is one of the easiest chicken recipes.
Why make this chicken?
- If you love cooking Indian food, then this is one of the easiest dishes you can make.
- The spices used are classic Indian spices that you probably have on hand.
- This is the perfect dish to make for a BBQ or when you have guests over because it is simple and easy to make.
- The process is much simpler than most people think.
- Prepare chicken - 10 mins
- Prepare marinade - 10 mins
- Marinate chicken - up to 12 hours
- Grill or roast chicken - 45 minutes
- Today, I served it with turmeric rice and sauteed green beans but, it can be served with naan, chapati, biryani, pilaf - the possibilities are endless. And the leftovers can be used in sandwiches and wraps.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Chicken - For the oven-baked method, the best cut of chicken to use for tandoori is chicken with bones like chicken thighs and legs. Boneless chicken works best on a BBQ. In addition, you can also make tandoori chicken drumsticks.
- Yogurt - You want to use thick yogurt with spices, that will coat the chicken. So, Greek yogurt works best for tandoori. Low-fat yogurt will have excess moisture that will prevent the marinade from sticking to the chicken.
- Spices - We have used the classic species cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, or red chili powder. I like teaspoon paprika for color too.
- Ginger / Garlic - In Indian cooking, these are always used fresh, not dry powder. They do make a huge difference in flavor. In fact, I use them to make a ginger garlic paste.
- Fenugreek - These are leaves - also called Indian methi. This is optional and gives the dish an authentic flavor. It does add a slightly bitter taste, which compliments the rest of the ingredients beautifully.
- Garam masala - Similar to curry powder, garam masala is also an Indian spice mix, that is easily found in most supermarkets but, can also be made yourself.
- Oil - often mustard oil is used to baste the chicken in the tandoor. This adds a nice smoky flavor to the baked chicken.
Tandoori Chicken Recipe
Marinade/Marinate
- Marinade - In a large bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients, yogurt, ginger, garlic cloves, spices, lemon or lime juice, salt, pepper, fenugreek, and oil.
Pro tip - Always use stainless steel, glass, or plastic for marinades as lemon can react with aluminum and give the food a metallic taste.
- Chicken - Thaw the chicken at least an hour before baking. Clean, skin, wash and pat dry the chicken with a clean paper towel.
Pro tip - Frozen or wet chicken will result in too much liquid in the marinade, plus the marinade won't stick to it. - Score - Cut deep slashes on the chicken legs and thighs with a paring knife.
Pro tip - Slashes on the chicken will help it absorb more flavor.
- Marinate - Next, coat the chicken pieces with the yogurt marinade. Making sure to let the marinade gets into the cuts on the chicken. Marinate the chicken for an hour on the countertop or overnight in the fridge.
- Pro tip - The longer you marinate the chicken the more flavorful it will be. But, do not marinate for longer than 12 hours.
Oven-Baked / Broil
- Preheat your oven to 440°F / 220°C Gas Mark 7 for at least 20 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a wire rack on the top of the baking tray. Spray the aluminum foil and rack with oil spray so the chicken won't stick. Alternatively, you can use a roasting rack.
Pro tip - When baking, the chicken marinade will drip drown so an aluminum foil before the rack will make for easy cleanup. - Arrange chicken pieces on the wire rack smooth side down. Bake for 20 minutes on one side, turn the chicken and bake another 20 minutes on the other side until browned on all sides.
Pro tip - If necessary, turn the broiler on for the last 5 to 7 minutes. But, watch carefully as broiling too long can also dry the chicken. - Serve with lemon or lime wedges and sliced onions on the side.
Tips for success
- Make sure the chicken pieces are patted dry thoroughly. Otherwise, the marinade will not stick to the chicken
- Marinate the chicken for as long as you can but no longer than 12 hours.
- Do not use aluminum or copper for marinating as the lemon in the marinade can react with the metal and give the chicken a metallic taste.
- Use Greek yogurt for the marinade, low fat yogurts will not stick to the chicken
- Curry powder is a blend of similar spices used though not in the same proportions. However, if you don't have any of these spices you can still use 2 tablespoon of curry powder.
- Garam masala is a blend of warm spices that you probably already have in your pantry. But, if you can't find garam masala use ¼ teaspoon each of cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg.
- Non-dairy chicken tandoori - Traditionally tandoori chicken is made with yogurt. If you choose to make this recipe dairy-free you have two choices, either you omit the yogurt or you use a non-dairy yogurt, such as coconut yogurt. The rest of the ingredients and measurements will remain the same.
Variations
- Chicken quarters - When entertaining I like using chicken quarters (joined chicken thighs and legs) as they look very presentable on the table and do not dry out when cooking. It takes about 20 minutes of baking on each side.
- Tandoori chicken drumsticks - using only legs and this should take about 12 to 15 minutes on each side.
- and Tandoori chicken thighs - using only thighs and this should take about 15 to 18 minutes on each side.
- or Tandoori chicken breast - some people prefer chicken breast but it cooks quicker and needs only 10 to 12 minutes on each side.
- Grilling - The smoke from the grill gives the chicken a wonderful flavor. When grilling, boneless chicken (thighs, legs, and breast) works better for grilling while bone-in chicken does better when baked in the oven or clay tandoor.
- Air fry tandoori chicken - you can just as easily make tandoori roast chicken in an air fryer. Preheat the air-fryer at 390F/220C then bake for 20 minutes on each side.
- Double marination - traditionally chicken is first marinated in lemon juice, salt, and pepper for a while. The second marinade is done with yogurt and spices.
More Indian recipes
Frequently asked questions
How long will this chicken keep?
This chicken will keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. You can even freeze it for up to a month.
Can I leave the chicken skin on?
The yogurt marinade for this oven-baked tandoori is very aromatic and flavorful you do not want to waste it over the skin. Rather make sure it's well marinated into the meat, so you have a wonderful tender and flavored chicken tandoori.
Can I use chicken breast to make tandoori chicken?
For the oven-baked method, the best chicken to use for tandoori is chicken with bones like chicken things and legs. Boneless chicken works best on a BBQ. Chicken breast can dry out very easily so it is usually not recommended for this dish. If you choose to use breast, I suggest cooking it on a stovetop grill.
How to make tandoori chicken red?
The red color used in Indian restaurants is just red food coloring but does not contribute to the taste. Feel free to omit it. I have used a combination of yellow and red powdered food colors for this recipe. These are usually available in some Indian stores.
What do you serve the tandoori chicken with?
There is so much you can serve with this chicken Indian Naan or garlic naan, Chapati, Sweet potato chapati, basmati rice, vegetable rice, or try my Rice pilaf with fruit and nuts.
What side dish do you serve with this chicken?
You serve a side of veggies such as spiced potatoes and mushrooms masala. Or, try Black beans curry, Black Beans Coconut Curry
Spicy Indian Eggplant Pickle, Channa Masala - Chickpea Curry
Kidney beans coconut curry.
Printable Recipe
Tandoori Chicken - Oven Baked
Print Pin Rate Share by Email Share on FB Save Grow Coooking Temperature: 440°F / 220°C Gas Mark 7
Difficulty: Easy
Diet : GF
Calories: 494kcal
Adjust Servings Here: 4 servings
Description
This classic Indian chicken recipe lets you enjoy a delicious tandoori chicken at home without an Indian clay oven. Marinated in yogurt and aromatic Indian spices, then baked in a hot oven until golden and delicious
Video
Ingredients
- 6 (900 g) Chicken quarters (or 10 to 12 drumsticks or thighs)
- ½ cup (120 ml) Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Garlic ((4 cloves grated))
- 1 tablespoon Ginger ((3-inch grated))
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ½ tsp Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Canola oil
Spices
- 1 tablespoon Cayenne (or Chilly powder)
- 1 teaspoon Sweet paprika ((for color) )
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon Cumin powder
- 2 tablespoon Coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon Fenugreek powder (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala powder
Optional ingredients
- Pinch Tandoori red color
- Pinch Tandoori yellow color
Instructions
Marinade/Marinate
- Chicken - Thaw the chicken at least an hour before baking. Clean, skin, wash and pat dry the chicken with a clean paper towel. Pro tip - Frozen or wet chicken will result in too much liquid in the marinade, plus the marinade won't stick to it.
- Marinade - In a large bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients, yogurt, ginger, garlic, spices, lemon juice, salt, pepper, fenugreek, and oil. Pro tip - Always use stainless steel, glass, or plastic for marinades as lemon can react with aluminum and give the food a metallic taste.
- Score - Cut deep slashes on the chicken legs and thighs with a paring knife.Pro tip - Slashes on the chicken will help it absorb more flavor.
- Marinate - Coat the chicken pieces with the yogurt marinade. Making sure to let the marinade gets into the cuts on the chicken. Marinate the chicken for an hour on the countertop or overnight in the fridge.Pro tip - The longer you marinate the chicken the more flavorful it will be. But, do not marinate for longer than 12 hours.
Oven-Baked / Broil
- Preheat your oven to 440°F / 220°C Gas Mark 7 for at least 20 minutes.
- Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Place a wire rack on the top of the baking tray. Spray the aluminum foil and rack with oil spray so the chicken won't stick. Alternatively, you can use a roasting rack. Pro tip - When baking, the chicken marinade will drip drown so an aluminum foil before the rack will make for easy cleanup.
- Arrange chicken pieces on the wire rack smooth side down. Bake for 20 minutes on one side, turn the chicken and bake another 20 minutes on the other side until browned on all sides. Pro tip - If necessary, turn the broiler on for the last 5 to 7 minutes. But, watch carefully as broiling too long can also dry the chicken.
- Serve with lemon or lime wedges and sliced onions on the side
Recipe Notes
- Make sure the chicken pieces are patted dry thoroughly. Otherwise, the marinade will not stick to the chicken
- Marinate the chicken for as long as you can but no longer than 12 hours.
- Do not use aluminum or copper for marinating as the lemon in the marinade can react with the metal and give the chicken a metallic taste.
- Use Greek yogurt for the marinade, low fat yogurts will not stick to the chicken
- Curry powder is a blend of similar spices used though not in the same proportions. However, if you don't have any of these spices you can still use 2 tablespoon of curry powder.
- Garam masala is a blend of warm spices that you probably already have in your pantry. But, if you can't find garam masala use ¼ teaspoon each of cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg.
- Non-dairy chicken tandoori - Traditionally tandoori chicken is made with yogurt. If you choose to make this recipe dairy-free you have two choices, either you omit the yogurt or you use a non-dairy yogurt, such as coconut yogurt. The rest of the ingredients and measurements will remain the same.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 494- kcalCarbohydrates: 7- gProtein: 35- gFat: 36- gSaturated Fat: 8- gCholesterol: 170- mgSodium: 752- mgPotassium: 520- mgFiber: 1- gSugar: 2- gVitamin A: 385- IUVitamin C: 8.7- mgCalcium: 107- mgIron: 3- mg
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
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Chris David
OMG!!! This recipe is so good!!! Baked chicken thigh and served it on top of a rose cream cheese spaghetti and all my guests loved it!!!
Sana
Hi just made the chicken (I baked it) and while it tastes good it doesn’t have that thick masala coating on it that I’ve always seen on tandoori chicken. How can I get that?
Veena Azmanov
Sana. The marinade has to be thick! Make it with thick Greek yogurt. If the marinade had less liquid it would stay on the chicken, otherwise, it will drip down into the pan. I hope that makes sense.
Cyndee Clemann
We thoroughly enjoyed this chicken - it was amazing! I did bone-in and skin-on thighs and breasts. I marinated the chicken for about 7 hours. I served it with saffron rice, apple raita, and naan bread. I will definitely make this again.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Cyndee for the lovely feedback. I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe. We don't usually do tandoori skin on but I bet it was moist and delicious.