This Tandoori Chicken recipe brings all your favorite Indian takeaway bold flavours to your kitchen. With juicy, burnt edges and tender meat, the meat marinated in a luxurious spiceful yogurt mix is one of the slightly special dishes. Whether you’re cooking for a mid-week snack or firing a BBQ for a weekend feast, this recipe is a proper flavor bomb and is easier than you think.
Nikki’s recipe notes
I had a soft spot of tandoori chicken cooked on a barbecue, which is one of the dishes that also smells fragrant. Break a marinade and it’s surprisingly easy.
Now I don’t have a clay tandoor oven in my backyard (just!). This recipe is to get a smoky, spiced flavour at home, even in the tools we have, an oven, barbecue or an air fryer. The trick is in the marinade: spice yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger…it’s a filling that tenders the meat and is full of flavor.
Why do I love this recipe:
Big flavor, minimal effort – the marinade makes all the heavy lifts while relaxing.
brialsatile general-purpose cooking – an oven, grill or air fryer… great in any way!
Crowd delights crowds – whether it’s a Friday night Farquare or a summer barbecue, it’s always devoured.
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To make this simple tandoori chicken, you need:
The best chicken for tandoori chicken?
Tandoori chicken traditionally uses boneless chicken legs (drumsticks and thighs). These dark meat pieces remain juicy and flavorful when marinated and cooked on a tandoor oven, grill (broiler), or barbecue hot.
You can also use full-satch coke (butterfly) chicken if you like
Important steps to making tandoori chicken
***A complete recipe with detailed instructions on the recipe card at the end of this post***
How to prepare chicken
Use a little kitchen roll to help you grab your skin. Otherwise, it can become slippery and stubborn. Start by loosening the skin with the thick ends of the chicken legs, then grab it on a kitchen roll and gently pull it down towards the narrow end.
I want to acquire the chicken in deep cuts, so it helps to penetrate the marinade even deeper, infuse more flavor and cook evenly.
Tandoori marinade
The Tandoori Marinade is constructed as follows:
Yogurt – I use Greek yogurt. Because its natural sourness makes the meat beautifully tender. Plus, it’s well lifted while cooking and helps us all get a tasty tandoori chicken and get a slightly burnt coating. Lemon juice (or oil) contains garlic and ginger spices; Garam masala, ground coriander, cashmere chili powder, cinnamon, paprika, salt & pepper.
After that, you need to thoroughly mix the marinade and rub it on the cuts made from the meat in the chicken.
Beware of Kashmir chili powder
Kashmiri Chilli Powder gives a gorgeous deep red colour with gentle warmth, but the regular chilli powder is much hotter and doesn’t have the same vibrant shade. Look at the differences in the image below!
Pro tips
Bring the marinated chicken to room temperature before cooking. It makes a real difference.
Through many years of testing in my home’s kitchen, I have discovered that chicken ensures more uniform cooking before sitting for 30 minutes and then hitting the heat. If it’s too cold, there’s a risk that the exterior has been cooked before the center is complete, leading to dry patches. This small step will help keep the meat beautifully and juicy from edge to center, as you can get from a suitable tandoor oven.
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Marinated chicken
In a large bowl, mix the marinade ingredients until fully combined.
100 g (1/2 cup) Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon, One tablespoon of inger, 1 tablespoon garlic paste, 1 tablespoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon cashmere powder, One cup of paprika, One ground coriander, 1/2 ground turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 ground black pepper, 1/4 TSP Ground Cinnamon, Lemon juice
Make a pretty deep slice into the chicken
Chicken legs 4
Add chicken and massage in the marinade. Cover, head for the marinade for 6 hours or up to 24 hours.
Cooking on a barbecue
Preheat the BBQ to a fairly high temperature.
Brush the BBQ grill with oil to help prevent sticking
Add the chicken to the BBQ grill and cook directly on heat (on coal) several times upside down for 25 minutes while cooking.
Once the internal temperature is reached between 80-85°C (175-185°F) is reached, remove the chicken.
Let it rest for 5 minutes before sprinkling fresh coriander.
Fresh coriander
Cooking under the grill (US broiler)
Preheat the grill (broiler) to high heat (approx. 240°C / 460°F).
Arrange the baking trays with foil and place the wire rack on top (optional but useful for air circulation and carbonation). Place the marinated chicken on a wire rack.
Place the baking tray in the oven on the center shelf (not too close to heat), cook for 25 minutes, then flip it over once midway.
Once the internal temperature is reached between 80-85°C (175-185°F) is reached, remove the chicken.
Let it rest for 5 minutes before sprinkling fresh coriander.
Fresh coriander
Cooking with an air fryer
Spray spray oil into the air fryer basket. Add chicken legs to a single layer (you may need to work in two batches depending on the size of your air fryer).
Spin the chicken in the middle of cooking time for 20 minutes. The chicken should be piped, not pink, in the middle, at 80-85°C (175-185°F).
Let it rest for 5 minutes before sprinkling fresh coriander.
Nutrition information is roughly per meal (this recipe serves 4).
calorie: 369kcal | carbohydrates: 4g | protein: twenty fiveg | fat: 28g | Saturated fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated fat: 5g | January Saturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | cholesterol: 145mg | sodium: 425mg | fiber: 1g | sugar: 1g
Nutrition information is calculated automatically and should only be used as an approximation.
Various cooking methods
Cooking chicken under the grill or on an air fryer is of course the easiest way to go and it’s weather-independent. However, my favorite way to cook tandoori chicken is by barbecue. The smoky flavor and its rich marinade bring an invincible flavour. If you have time to start a BBQ, give it a try!
How to serve it with tandoori chicken?
I love serving a slightly burnt chicken legs with lemon wedges, sliced red onions and a sprinkle of fresh coriander.
🍲A better Indian chicken dish
? FAQ
Not excessive! The beauty of homemade tandoori chicken is that it can control the heat. Using Kashmiri chili powder, add its gorgeous red colour and gentle warmth without burning the mouth. If you are cooking for a meal like small or spices, you can reduce the amount of chili powder. It’s still packed with flavors from the other spices in the marinade.
The deep red colour, commonly found in restaurant-style tandoori chicken, is traditionally derived from Kashmiri chili powder. This is a mild spice that adds vibrant colours without too much heat. In some restaurants, they may add coloring of red food. Personally, I skip food dyes and rely on the natural colours of chili and paprika, but still look gorgeous and feel a little more home cooking and honest.
Yes, and when you do, it’s actually even better! Marinating chicken the night before will give you plenty of time to cast a spell on the spices and yogurt. It tenderens the meat and infuses it with a flavour. I often prepare it for the evening before a barbecue or dinner party, then just dive under a barbecue or grill (broiler) when ready. Store in the fridge, store in an airtight container and keep at room temperature before cooking for best results.
To make the most of your flavor and juiciness, we always recommend boneless chicken leg. They beautifully withstand high fevers and long marinades.
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(TagStoTRASSLATE) Chicken Legs (T) Kashmir (T) Tandoori Chicken
