• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Tasty Ever After
  • Search for Recipes
  • Most Popular Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • About
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Most Popular Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • About
×

Home » Entrees

Tandoori Chicken Recipe

06/15/2019 Updated: 08/27/2022 By Karrie 6 Comments

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Yummly
  • Reddit
Skip to Recipe
Tandoori chicken pinterest PIN

This Tandoori Chicken Recipe is so easy to make at home for a healthy family dinner.  Chicken pieces are marinated in a yogurt and spice mixture, then oven baked or grilled, for the most tender and flavorful chicken around!

How to Make Easy Tandoori Chicken Recipe grilled or baked!

A Perfect Chicken Recipe For The Grill Or Oven

This tandoori recipe for chicken works equally well in the oven, as it does on the grill. 

My preference is to grill for more flavor AND there's no pan to clean up, but I'm all about oven baking in the winter.

For example, when there's 3 feet of snow on the ground! LOL!

What Is Tandoori Chicken?

Tandoori chicken is an Indian dish made of marinating skinless chicken pieces in a spiced yogurt sauce.

It's then threaded on skewers, and roasted in a tandoor oven at an extremely high temperature (up to 900F degrees!). 

Since the heat in a tandoor is produced by a charcoal or wood fire, cooking the chicken on a grill at home is an ideal substitute. 

No grill?  No worries, because the chicken can also be successfully cooked in a oven! 

I've included cooking instructions on each method below in the recipe card, so feel free to try the one that works best for you.

Tandoori Chicken on a white plate with lime wedges and parsley

How To Make Tandoori Chicken At Home

Grab some fresh chicken, plain yogurt, various Indian spices, and a lemon and you are ready to make the most deliciously juicy chicken! 

All of the ingredients should be readily available in local grocery stores. 

The Indian spice mix, Garam Masala, may be the only one that's difficult to find. 

If you can't find it locally, try this recipe for a homemade version that's even better than store bought!

One of the great things about this recipe is it's super healthy!  It's ideal for anyone following a healthy eating plan, like Whole30, Keto, or Paleo.  

Step by step photos making tandoori chicken marinade

How To Make Juicy Chicken

One of the best cooking methods for juicy chicken is to cook it at a high temperature for a shorter amount of time. 

Baking the chicken is an ideal method for this reason. 

Baking is also the way to go if breasts are substituted for thighs in this recipe. 

To make the best baked chicken recipe, place the marinated chicken pieces on a baking sheet and bake at 450F/232C for:

  • up to 30 minutes for bone-in chicken
  • up to 20 minutes for boneless chicken
Step by step photos of chicken marinating in an Indian yogurt sauce.

Using Chicken Breasts vs Thighs In This Indian Chicken Recipe

Let's try to answer that age-old question of "should I use breasts or thighs"? 

I say, use what you like, but there are some recipes that benefit from using one or the other.

Chicken breasts dry out easily, so I always use thighs for the BEST grilled chicken recipe. 

Thighs also hold up extremely well to a bold chicken seasoning rub or marinade, which is why I LOVE using it in this tandoori recipe.

If using breasts and grilling the chicken, cut it up in large chunks and place on skewers, like a kabob. 

Grill at a high heat until chicken is just cooked through, about 4 minutes each side, or until a thermometer reads 165F/74C.

Indian chicken thighs on a platter with parsley and fresh lime wedges

What To Serve With Tandoori Chicken

  • Indian Creamed Spinach
  • curried chickpeas
  • basmati rice
  • cucumber raita
  • puri bread

So skip going out to the Indian restaurant tonight!  Stay at home and make a healthy dinner with this easy Tandoori Chicken Recipe.  

Tandoori Chicken on a white plate with fresh limes wedges and parsley

Tandoori Chicken

This Tandoori Chicken Recipe is so easy to make at home for a healthy family dinner.  Chicken pieces are marinated in a yogurt and spice mixture, then oven baked or grilled, for the most tender and flavorful chicken around!
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Marinating Time:: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 280kcal
Author: Karrie | Tasty Ever After

Ingredients

  • 6 skinless chicken pieces (can use bone-in or boneless)
  • 1 cup plain yogurt whole milk or lowfat
  • ½ fresh lemon, juiced
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala powder
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 garlic clove, grated or mashed
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼-1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3-4 drops of red food coloring (optional)

Serve with lime wedges

    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Take a sharp knife and make slits into the tops of each chicken thigh, being careful not to fully cut through. Combine all the ingredients, except the chicken, in a large bowl. Mix until smooth. Add the chicken and marinate for at least 6 hours but no more than 24 hours.
    • After the chicken has marinated, take the pieces out of yogurt and discard the marinade. Preheat a gas grill or prepare a charcoal fire.
      **If oven baking, preheat oven to 450F/232C degrees and place the chicken on a large baking sheet. Can also place chicken on a rack on the baking sheet and can cover the bottom of the pan with foil for easier cleanup!
    • Grill (or bake) the chicken: bone-in for 25-30 minutes or boneless for 15-20 minutes. Until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat registers 175F/79C degrees (dark meat) or 165F/74C (white meat).
    • Serve the chicken with lime wedges on the side.

    Recipe Notes & Tips:

    • Do not marinate for longer than 24 hours, as the chicken meat may become mushy
    • When baking the chicken, can place on a rack on the baking sheet and can also cover the bottom of the pan with foil for easier cleanup!
    • Store leftover cooked chicken tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days
    Nutrition Facts
    Tandoori Chicken
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 280 Calories from Fat 180
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 20g31%
    Saturated Fat 6g30%
    Cholesterol 116mg39%
    Sodium 300mg13%
    Potassium 309mg9%
    Carbohydrates 3g1%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 2g2%
    Protein 20g40%
    Vitamin A 165IU3%
    Vitamin C 1.3mg2%
    Calcium 62mg6%
    Iron 1.1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @tastyeverafter or tag #tastyeverafter

    More Entrées

    • Irish Lamb Stew
    • Braised Beef Brisket
    • Shredded Beef Tacos {only 2 ingredients!}
    • Best Vegetarian Chili Frito Pie Recipe

     ©  Tasty Ever After  All images and content are copyright protected, so please do not copy or claim my work as your own.  Please do not use any images or republish this recipe without prior permission.  If you want to reference this recipe, link directly back to this post.  Thank you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Samaira Reddy

      October 16, 2019 at 6:47 am

      I have been looking for a good Tandoori Chicken recipe for a while now. I am going to try this and hope it turns tender and juicy. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

      Reply
      • Karrie

        October 16, 2019 at 9:43 am

        Thanks Samaira and hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
    2. GiGi Eats

      June 23, 2019 at 6:46 pm

      Oh my wow! THIS looks insane! I would love all THREE of those pieces!

      Reply
      • Karrie

        June 27, 2019 at 11:05 am

        Thanks Gigi!!!

        Reply
    3. heather wells

      September 09, 2014 at 8:37 am

      5 stars
      I love tandoori chicken and eat it out all the time. Never thought I could make it at home but tried this and it was so easy! Even my 5 year old son liked it and he doesn't eat anything! loL! Thanks for the recipe-

      Reply
      • Karrie

        September 10, 2014 at 5:45 pm

        Thanks so much Heather and very happy your son liked it too!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Picture of food blogger Tasty Ever After

    Thank you for visiting Tasty Ever After and I'm Karrie! I hope you enjoy spending some time here finding easy scratch made recipes for the home cook.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Banana Cream Pie Recipe {from scratch}
    • The BEST Graham Cracker Crust
    • How to Make Homemade Whipped Cream
    • Homemade Vanilla Pudding Recipe

    Let's Connect!

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact me here!

    Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com

    Copyright © 2023 Tasty Ever After