Tandoori Chicken is a popular Indian dish where chicken is marinated in a tenderizing mixture of yogurt, lemon juice, and aromatic spices. Grilled to perfection, this is seriously succulent juicy, fall-off-the-bone smoky delicious chicken. Serve with Naan bread, basmati rice, raita yogurt, and other well-known dishes like saagwala or tikka masala.
Tandoori chicken gets its name from the cylindrical-shaped tandoor clay oven. The dish originated in India and is popular in many other parts of the world.
What does tandoori chicken taste like? Thanks to the yogurt lemon spiced marinade that makes the chicken so tender and juicy. The taste is slightly smoky from the grill and has earthy flavors of various Indian spices from garam masala to ginger and garlic.
Tandoori masala spice mix consists of a variety of spices such as; curry, turmeric, cumin, garam masala, coriander, cardamom, and chili powders.
Watch my quick 2- minute video of how to make Tandoori chicken
Tandoori Masala Spice Mix
HOW TO MAKE TANDOORI CHICKEN
To make this Tandoori chicken recipe at home is pretty simple. Gather all your spices and whisk them into plain yogurt, garlic, ginger paste, lemon juice, and olive oil. To give the chicken its distinctive red color, I added a few drops of red food coloring to the yogurt.
Next, cut deep slashes all the way to the bone 3 to 4 times on the chicken drumsticks/ and or chicken thigh pieces. Coat the chicken in the marinade, cover, and chill for 4 hours.
If cooking in the oven: If you don't have a grill, you can do this easily in the oven. I actually prefer it that way. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Take the chicken pieces out of the marinade and place them on a wire rack. Cover lightly with foil and cook for about 25 minutes. Then uncover, turn the chicken pieces, and let them char on all sides under the broiler for another 10 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with a little chopped parsley or coriander if you like.
If cooking on a charcoal or gas grill: Place the chicken pieces on the hot grill and cover. Cook for 3 minutes. Leaving the grill open, turn the chicken and let it brown on all sides until slightly charred.
Serve with Indian naan bread, basmati rice, yogurt raita, and other popular dishes like saagwala, or tikka masala. Enjoy!
Steps for making Tandoori Chicken:
Like to support my work? If you would be so kind and have a moment to spare, I would be so happy to hear from you! If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back to comment and leave a 5 -star rating below. You can also follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to be the first when new recipes are live!
Recipe
Tandoori Chicken
Ingredients
- 6-8 chicken drumsticks, or a mix of legs and thighs
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- Β½ lemon, juice off
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste (about 4 cloves of garlic)
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- Β½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- Β½ teaspoon cinamon
- ΒΌ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ΒΌ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- few drops of food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- To make this Tandoori chicken recipe at home is pretty simple. Gather all your spices and whisk them into plain yogurt, garlic, ginger paste, lemon juice, and olive oil. To give the chicken its distinctive red color, I added a few drops of red food coloring to the yogurt. 2. Next, cut deep slashes all the way to the bone 3 to 4 times on the chicken drumsticks/ and or chicken thigh pieces. Coat the chicken in the marinade, cover, and chill for 4 hours.If cooking in the oven: If you don't have a grill, you can do this easily in the oven. I actually prefer it that way. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Take the chicken pieces out of the marinade and place them on a wire rack. Cover lightly with foil and cook for about 25 minutes. Then uncover, turn the chicken pieces, and let them char on all sides under the broiler for another 10 minutes.Remove the chicken from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with a little chopped parsley or coriander if you like.If cooking on a charcoal or gas grill: Place the chicken pieces on the hot grill and cover. Cook for 3 minutes. Leaving the grill open, turn the chicken and let it brown on all sides until slightly charred.Serve with Indian naan bread, basmati rice, yogurt raita, and other popular dishes like saagwala, or tikka masala. Enjoy!
COMMENTS