Spice up the dinnertime with my smoky and perfectly juicy tandoori chicken. Marinated in yogurt and cooked in the oven, it’s an easy, authentic recipe.
Authentic tandoori chicken recipe that tastes like it’s from a restaurant
Tandoori chicken is, in my opinion, the most popular and tasty Indian dish ever. It features chicken marinated in yogurt and spices. Traditionally, the chicken is then cooked in a tandoor, which is a clay oven. In my version, I oven-bake it, and it honestly tastes like something from a restaurant!
If you love Indian chicken recipes as we do, try my butter chicken, chicken saag, chicken vindaloo, or chicken tikka masala next.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken. I prefer using chicken leg quarters for this recipe because they are fatty, flavorful, and have the bone intact. You can also use a mix of chicken legs and drumsticks. If you want boneless chicken, opt for chicken thighs.
- Yogurt. Plain Greek yogurt or natural yogurt. Please do not use flavored yogurt.
- Lemon juice. Optional, but if your yogurt is NOT on the tard side, add 1 teaspoon of lemon or lime juice.
- Ginger and garlic. Freshly minced. Fresh ginger and garlic give the chicken Asian notes and add great flavor. Use fewer or more garlic cloves, depending on your preferences.
- Spices. The spice blend I prefer using for my tandoori chicken recipe consists of garam masala, cumin, cinnamon, ground coriander, turmeric, and smoked paprika. While you can customize the spice blend for tandoori chicken, I recommend you never skip the garam masala, as it gives the dish an authentic Indian feel.
- Olive oil. For the marinade. You can use butter or ghee, but I find it firms up a little too much for my liking.
- Salt. To taste.
How to make tandoori chicken
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Prepare the marinade. Add the yogurt to a mixing bowl. Add the spices, freshly minced ginger and garlic, and olive oil.
Step 2- Marinate. Pat dry the chicken pieces and put them in the marinade. Mix well to get the chicken completely coated. Let the chicken sit for at least 10 minutes.
Step 3- Assemble. Remove the chicken from the yogurt mixture and shake off the excess marinade. Place the chicken on the wire rack.
Step 4- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the chicken is nicely charred and cooked through.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Use even-sized chicken pieces to ensure even cooking. If you are using different cuts of chicken, I recommend cooking them in batches.
- Don’t overcrowd the baking rack so the chicken pieces brown well on all sides.
- Check the internal temperature. Remove the chicken from the oven as soon as it reads 165F in the thickest part of the chicken.
- Resting the chicken is essential because it allows the juices to redistribute and yield the juiciest meat ever.
Frequently asked questions
Tandoori chicken is juicy thanks to the yogurt marinade and earthy due to the Indian spices, ginger, and garlic. Cooked over high heat, the chicken is also naturally smoky. This is why I like to add smoked paprika to the marinade to make up for the smokiness that the traditional cooking method provides.
More delicious Indian dinners to try
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
In a mixing bowl, mix together the ginger, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, garam marsala, ground coriander, smoked paprika, olive oil, and plain yogurt.
Pat dry the chicken then add it to a large mixing bowl. Add in the marinade and mix very well, until all the chicken is completely coated.
Either cover and marinate for up to one day or let it sit for 10 minutes at room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Place tin foil on two wire racks. Remove each piece of chicken from the bowl and shake off the excess marinade. Place them on the wire rack.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until they begin to char around the edges. You can also check the internal temperature and make sure it reaches 165F.
Allow the chicken to set for 5 minutes before serving.
Serving: 1servingCalories: 250kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 17gFat: 19gSodium: 89mgPotassium: 263mgFiber: 0.3gVitamin A: 233IUVitamin C: 0.5mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 1mgNET CARBS: 3g
Originally published March 2015, updated and republished February 2025
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