This easy recipe is the key if you want to know how to make incredibly delicious, tender, and juicy Tandoori Chicken at home. It is healthy, extremely easy to cook, and an absolute crowd-pleaser.
Serve this classic Indian dish as a starter/appetizer or a main course over Mushroom Rice (Mushroom Pilau) and a bowl of Onion Raita on the side.
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Tandoori chicken is traditionally cooked in a tandoor (or tannour) clay oven which is also used to make Keema Naan Bread or Pakistani Roghni Naan. The good news is that you can cook it over a grill (charcoal preferred) or just in an oven with a broiler.
What is Tandoori Chicken?
Tandoori Chicken is a worldwide-known Indian dish made with marinated chicken pieces cooked in a tandoor cylindrical clay oven. The marinade is made with yogurt, spices, Garlic Ginger Paste, and lemon juice, and helps to tenderize, spice and flavor up the chicken.
The unusual red color is coming from the red food dye. However, I won't be using it in my recipe as I think the color coming from the spices is enough for this chicken dish.
This juicy, healthy, and delicious chicken dish dates back to the Mughal period. Some other sources say it was invented at Moti Mahal, Peshawar by Kundan Lal Gujral, before the partition of India.
Why This Recipe Works?
- This classic Indian chicken dish is very easy to make at home in just 35 minutes without needing a tandoor oven.
- The leftovers would keep for up to 5 days when refrigerated in an airtight container.
- You can serve Tandoori Chicken as a starter or as a main course. Alternatively, you can use the cooked chicken pieces as a base for a creamy curry dish!
- This recipe doesn't require a long list of ingredients. All you need is your favorite part of the chicken, tandoori masala mix, yogurt, lemon juice, and garlic&ginger paste.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Chicken - Boneless&skinless chicken thighs work best for this recipe. However, you can also use a drumstick, or breast if you prefer. The cooking time varies depending on the size and the cut of the chicken.
- Tandoori masala - Tandoori masala is an Indian spice blend consisting of a variety of spices. It usually includes paprika, cumin, coriander, and turmeric but can vary slightly from recipe to recipe. You can buy it from the majority of the large supermarkets or online from Amazon.
- Yogurt - Plain, unsweetened natural or Greek yogurt works for this recipe.
- Garlic ginger paste - This is a great ingredient for Asian recipes. It adds an incredible spicy flavor and amazing color to the marinade. Alternatively, you can use grated garlic and ginger.
Step-by-step Instructions
This is a very simple, straightforward recipe for homemade Chicken Tandoori and to achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple steps:
Marinate the Chicken
Combine the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, tandoori masala, garlic&ginger paste, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl.
Place the chicken thighs in the bowl with marinade and mix well, making sure all the chicken pieces are fully coated.
Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate it for a minimum of a couple of hours, ideally overnight.
When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200 °C (400° F). Remove the marinated chicken from the fridge and bring it to room temperature while the oven is heating.
Place the chicken pieces in an oven dish and bake them for 25 minutes, until the center of the thickest part reaches 74°C (165° F).
If you prefer a chared look, broil it on the top rack for 5 minutes or until the charred mark appears.
Serve over Tawa Naan With Garlic or pilau rice, or both!
Top Tip From the Chef
You can also make this delicious Indian Tandoori Chicken dish on the stovetop instead of in the oven.
Simply heat your grill pan or cast iron pan on the stovetop and lightly brush it with oil.
Arrange the chicken pieces down and cook them for 10 minutes on medium heat. Flip, brush with melted butter, and cook for another 15 minutes, or until the center of the thickest part reaches 74°C (165° F).
Recipe FAQs
You can serve this classic dish over Tawa Naan With Garlic, Yellow Rice (Indian Turmeric Pilau Rice), or Mushroom Rice (Mushroom Pilau), and a bowl of Indian Chickpea Salad (Chana Salad) or Onion Raita on the side. I also serve Dal Palak (Spinach Dal) or Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry with Tandori Chicken for a hearty Indian feast!
Yes, the leftovers would keep for up to three months in the freezer. Make sure you cool them down totally and place them in an airtight container before freezing them.
Although I prefer boneless & skinless chicken thighs for this dish, you can use breasts, legs, or even whole chicken if you prefer. Make sure to adjust the cooking time to your preferred cut!
Related Recipes
For more delicious chicken recipes why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious Tandoori Chicken as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!
Tandoori Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 600 g chicken thighs (boneless/skinless)
- 200 g Greek yogurt or natural yogurt
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon tandoori masala
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon garlic ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, tandoori masala, garlic&ginger paste, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl.
- Place the chicken thighs in the bowl with marinade and mix well, making sure all the chicken pieces are fully coated.
- Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate it for a minimum of a couple of hours, ideally overnight.
- When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200 °C (400° F).
- Remove the marinated chicken from the fridge and bring it to room temperature while the oven is heating.
- Place the chicken pieces in an oven dish and bake them for 25 minutes, until the center of the thickest part reaches 74°C (165° F).
- If you prefer a chared look, broil it on the top rack for 5 minutes or until the charred mark appears.
Notes
- The marinade is made with yogurt, spices, Garlic Ginger Paste, and lemon juice, and helps to tenderize, spice and flavor up the chicken.
- The leftovers would keep for up to 5 days when refrigerated in an airtight container.
- You can also make this delicious Indian Tandoori Chicken dish on the stovetop instead of in the oven.
- You can serve Tandoori Chicken as a starter or as a main course. Alternatively, you can use the cooked chicken pieces as a base for a creamy curry dish!
- Instead of chicken thighs, you can use breasts, legs, or even whole chicken if you prefer
Nutrition
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Bruce
What a great recipe… I loved it and it was so easy to make. Very tasty