Tandoori Chicken
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This Baked Tandoori Chicken features healthy and delicious Indian flavors you can enjoy right in your home. Made from scratch, baked in your oven and perfect for a weeknight meal!
What is Tandoori Chicken?
Tandoori chicken is an Indian chicken dish prepared by roasting chicken marinated in yogurt and spices in a tandoor cylindrical clay oven. You can read more about tandoor ovens here on thekitchn.com.
This delicious chicken dish is extremely popular in Indian restaurants, and it’s one of my favorite dishes to order. However, I also love making it at home without a tandoor oven. All you need is your oven.
What Cut of Chicken Can You Use
When you visit an Indian restaurant and order tandoori chicken, almost always you will get chicken drumsticks. However, I have made this many times with boneless skinless breast as well as thighs and drumsticks.
In this recipe I am using both breasts and drumsticks. It works just as well with both cuts of chicken. Chicken breast with skin and bones works as well.
How to Make Tandoori Chicken
Clean the chicken and pat it dry. If using chicken breasts cut them in half. In a small bowl, mix all the wet rub ingredients together to form a paste. Using a knife, cut deep slits into the chicken. Smear the rub in between the slits and if there is any left over, rub it over the entire chicken pieces.
In a medium size bowl, whisk together all the marinade ingredients. Since Tandoori chicken is usually red, I used a few drops of red gel food coloring, however this is optional and the more food coloring you use the more red color you’ll get.
Place the chicken in the bowl with marinade and mix well, making sure all the chicken pieces are fully coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple hours.
How long to bake?
After a couple hours you can start preheating your oven to 400 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and over it, place a grill rack.
Place the chicken breasts over the grill rack leaving a bit of space in between each piece. Bake the chicken for 30 minutes. 15 minutes, in brush some butter over each piece. After the first 30 minutes, turn the chicken pieces over, brush with more butter and bake for another 15 minutes.
The chicken is done when the juices run clear when poked with a fork. The best way to check if your chicken is done, is to use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature near the bone. When it reaches 165 degrees F, the chicken is done.
How to serve
Make sure to serve this chicken with some lemon slices so you can squeeze the lemon juice all over the chicken. It will really bring out all those tandoori flavors.
I usually serve this with a side salad like a simple spinach salad with tomatoes. However tandoori chicken is great with some basmati rice, sliced fresh cucumbers, and some red onions.
Leftovers
As with most dishes, this tandoori chicken should be enjoyed as soon as it’s cooked. However if you have leftover chicken, store it in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
You can also freeze the chicken also stored in airtight containers and it could last up to 4 months in the freezer.
Try These Indian Recipes:
- Lamb Korma
- Indian Style Lentils with Pork Tenderloin
- Mulligatawny Soup
- Instant Pot Butter Chicken
- Vegetable Biryani
- Butter Chicken
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Chicken Biryani
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Tandoori Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 3 pound chicken (such as breasts, thighs or drumsticks)
- 3 tablespoons butter (unsalted, melted, for brushing)
Wet Rub
- 1¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Marinade
- ½ cup yogurt (plain, such as Greek yogurt)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon ginger (minced)
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper (freshly ground)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 drops red gel food coloring (optional)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken: Clean the chicken and pat it dry. If using chicken breasts cut them in half. Using a knife, cut deep slits into the chicken.
- Apply wet rub: In a small bowl, mix all the wet rub ingredients together to form a paste. Smear the rub in between the slits and if there is any left over, rub it over the entire chicken breasts.
- Prepare marinade: In a medium size bowl, whisk together all the marinade ingredients. Place the chicken in the bowl with marinade and mix well, making sure each chicken breasts is fully coated.
- Marinate chicken: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple hours.
- Preheat oven and baking sheet: Preheat your oven to 400℉. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and over it, place a grill rack.
- Place the chicken breasts over the grill rack leaving a bit of space in between each piece.
- Bake: Bake the chicken for 30 minutes. 15 minutes in, brush some butter over each piece. After the first 30 minutes, turn the chicken pieces over, brush with more butter and bake for another 15 minutes.
- Garnish with lemon slices, parsley and serve.
Notes
- As with most dishes, this tandoori chicken should be enjoyed as soon as it’s cooked. However if you have leftover chicken, store it in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
- You can also freeze the chicken also stored in airtight containers and it could last up to 4 months in the freezer.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
