This easy Tandoori Chicken recipe nails the iconic tandoori BBQ flavor we love at restaurants. Bake, then broil (or air-fry) the chicken to give it that smoky, charred finish. Includes traditional charcoal-smoking instructions!
Tandoori Chicken (Chicken Tikka Leg)
Tandoori Chicken, or Chicken Tikka Leg, as it’s called in many Pakistani restaurants, is probably South Asia’s most well-known BBQ item. Not only did Tandoori Chicken inspire the creation of Butter Chicken, but it also marked the beginning of cooking meat in Tandoors, which were previously just for making Roti or Naan.
I find that while restaurants have the Tandoor/grill advantage, their Tandoori Chicken often lacks actual flavor. Instead, they compensate with loads of red chili powder. This recipe, with its luscious marinade and high-heat cooking, mimics that smoky taste while bringing in flavor depth and dimension.
More BBQ Favorites: Seekh Kabab, Chapli Kabab, Fish Tikka
Tandoori Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken leg quarters: The leg quarters I use are the ones you’ll find at Halal stores – skinless and smaller than the ones you’ll see at supermarkets. If you go to a Halal meat store, you can ask them to make the tikka/tandoori slits on the chicken and they’ll usually do it for you. Skinless chicken is not common in regular supermarkets so if you’re not able to find it at Halal meat stores, you’ll have to remove the skin yourself.
- May also use chicken drumsticks, bone-in chicken thighs, cut up leg quarters, or a whole, skinless, cut up chicken.
Tandoori Marinade
- Greek yogurt: South Asian BBQ recipes often called for ‘hung’ or strained yogurt, essentially Greek yogurt. The thicker yogurt coats the meat better (not as runny) and has a stronger flavor. Feel free to sub with regular yogurt if that’s what you have on hand.
- Garlic + Ginger: Both may be crushed in a mortar & pestle or blended/finely chopped in a food processor.
- Melted butter + Oil: Oil keeps chicken moist while butter adds flavor.
- Lemon juice: Sub regular vinegar.
- Tomato paste: Unconventional ingredient in Tandoori chicken but it adds flavor and color. I also use it in my Tandoori Chicken Curry.
- Kashmiri chili powder: Essential for all things Tandoori – adds color and very mild spice. Sub Paprika (smoked Paprika would be quite strong here so would not suggest).
- More Spices: Coriander, cumin for earthiness, turmeric for balanced color, black pepper and red chili powder (sub cayenne) for heat, Garam masala or your fav store-bought Tandoori Masala for a little oomph.
- Dried fenugreek leaves: The secret ingredient (also used in my Butter Chicken marinade) that takes your tandoori marinade over the top.
- Sugar: Undetectable but balances out the flavors.
- Red or orange food color: Optional, but great if you want trick your brain into thinking you’re at a restaurant.
How to make Tandoori Chicken
Full instructions are in the recipe card! Some tips on the process:
- Prep Chicken: Make deep, slanted cuts on both side of the meat. Bonus points if you can get your butcher to do this.
- Marinate: Whisk all the marinade together. Taste, if you wish, before tossing in the chicken. The marinade needs to be sharp and overpowering for the end result to be flavorful. Make sure to get into the cuts and crevices.
- Preheat Oven + Line Tray: When ready to prepare, take out of the fridge and allow to come closer to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place a baking rack on the parchment or aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. This prevents the chicken from getting soggy on the bottom. (If you don’t have a rack, lightly grease the parchment paper or aluminum.) Place the leg quarters meat side up on the baking sheet/rack. Reserve the excess marinade.
- Bake: Bake for 30 minutes, flipping the pieces midway, until cooked through (165°F/73.9°C). The size of the chicken pieces will affect total time.
- Baste: Once cooked, remove the chicken from the oven and flip the chicken once again so the meaty side is on top. Brush/baste the remaining marinade over the chicken pieces.
- Broil: Place back in the oven and broil for 4-5 minutes, until lightly charred (timing will depend on your oven). If not charred within 6 minutes (mine is usually not), move your oven rack on the top shelf so it’s close to the heat source. Continue to broil for another 1-2 minutes.
How to Smoke Tandoori Chicken
For safety reasons, I’ve always hesitated to share instructions for smoking via the South Asian dhungar/charcoal method. So a little disclaimer – Ideally, you should get a chimney starter or ignite coal outdoors. But if you’re only burning one all-natural hardwood lump charcoal or briquette in a well-ventilated area, here’s how you’d do it:
- Turn your gas stove top on to High heat. Using tongs, place a charcoal chunk/briquette directly on the rack of a gas range, and position in a way so that it’s right on top of the flame. The charcoal will start off black, emitting flames, and gradually, as it continues to burn, it’ll form a coating of gray ash. No need to hold it there with your tongs, but once one area of the coal turns ash gray and glows red, move it around. The red flame is good sign – it tells you that the coal is ready to be used for smoking. You want to take your time doing this, about 5 minutes for all-natural charcoal, and 8 minutes for a briquette. You don’t need to burn all the charcoal, but you want it to be well done enough so that it maintains the red flame. Underdone charcoal gives an underdone scent.
- Meanwhile, shape a large piece of aluminum foil into a “bowl” large enough to fit your piece of charcoal. (You can use any heat-safe bowl, but I like to use aluminum so I can throw it away with the coal and have minimal cleanup.)
- Place the just-cooked chicken in a large bowl or pot with lid where it can fit comfortably. Fit the aluminum “bowl” snugly on top of the chicken.
- Using tongs, carefully place the lit charcoal on the aluminum bowl. Working quickly, pour a drizzle of neutral oil (around 1-2 tsp) directly onto the charcoal to make it smoke. Immediately cover with an airtight bowl or lid. Allow to smoke for 4-5 minutes. Then uncover and discard the aluminum “bowl” and charcoal piece. (I usually discard outside.)
Tip – I’ve found that you’ll need to light the charcoal chunk, especially if using a briquette, for a longer than you think you need to. Not cooking it long enough will give a raw charcoal scent instead of the smoky scent that we want.
Make-ahead (How to Freeze)
Tandoori Chicken is a great make-ahead recipe.
- Store the raw, marinated chicken in the freezer until your ready to cook. Allow to thaw to room temperature, then proceed with the recipe.
- You can also cook and store in the freezer, like you would other Kababs, for up to 2 months.
What to Serve with Tandoori Chicken
Restaurants serve it up best, with Mint Raita, sliced onion (and sometimes cucumber), lemon/lime and Imli chutney (quick recipe below). Best paired with Naan, but Basmati Rice also works.
Imli (Tamarind) Ki Chutney
This tangy and sweet chutney is often served with BBQ at restaurants. You can either use your favorite store-bought version or use my 1-minute recipe.
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp water, preferably hot/boiling
- 1 tbsp tamarind concentrate (I’ve tried Indira’s brand and Tamicon)
- 1/8 tsp red chili powder
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients in the order listed. Refrigerate or allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes so that the sugar dissolves and the chutney thickens up.
Leftovers? Be like the original Tandoori Chicken creator and toss them into this Butter Chicken!
Tried this recipe? If you have a minute, please consider leaving a comment telling me how it was! You can also take a quick picture and upload it directly into the comments. If you’re on Instagram, please tag me so I can see your creations. I truly love hearing from you. Thank you!
Tandoori Chicken (Smoky, Tender, Super Flavorful!)
This easy Tandoori Chicken recipe nails the iconic tandoori BBQ flavor we love at restaurants. Bake, then broil (or air-fry) the chicken to give it that smoky, charred finish. Includes traditional charcoal-smoking instructions!
Servings 5 leg quarters
Calories 439kcal
Equipment
- baking rack
- baking tray optional
Ingredients
- 5 chicken leg quarters skinless (~2.5 lb) – Note 1
Tandoori Marinade:
- 1/3 cup plain, whole-milk Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp neutral oil such as grapeseed oil
- 2 tbsp melted butter salted or unsalted both work (sub more oil)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 6-8 garlic cloves 1 tbsp heaped, finely chopped/crushed
- 1 inch piece ginger 1 tbsp heaped, finely chopped/crushed
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder sub paprika
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 1/2 tsp red chili powder or cayenne 1 tsp for less heat
- 1 tsp garam masala or store-bought Tandoori Masala
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (sukhi methi) crushed between your fingers
- 2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp sugar I use cane sugar
- pinch deep orange or red food color optional – Note 3
For Serving:
- finely chopped cilantro
- lemon or lime wedges
- thinly sliced red onion
- Mint Raita and/or Imli (Tamarind) Chutney (recipe in post)
Instructions
- Prep Chicken: Use a sharp knife to make 4 (2-3 inch) deep slits across the meat side of the chicken pieces. Turn over and cut another 2-3 slits on the underside.
- Marinate: In a bowl large enough to fit the chicken, combine all the ingredients listed under Tandoori Marinade. Toss the chicken pieces to coat, making sure to get in the cuts and crevices (I use kitchen gloves to do this). Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, up to 48 hours (the longer the better!). When ready to prepare, take out of the fridge and allow to come closer to room temperature.
- Preheat + Prep (see Note 1 for Air-Frying): Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place a baking rack on the parchment or aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Lightly grease the rack with baking spray. (If you don’t have a rack, lightly grease the parchment paper or aluminum.) Place the leg quarters meat side up on the baking sheet/rack. Reserve the excess marinade.
- Bake + Broil: Bake for 30 minutes, flipping the pieces midway, until cooked through (165°F/73.9°C). Turn on the Broil Function to High (550°F/288°C). (If you don’t have a broil function, turn it to the highest heat setting.) Remove the chicken from the oven and flip the chicken once again so the meaty side is on top. Brush/baste the remaining marinade over the chicken pieces. Place back in the oven and broil for 4-5 minutes, until lightly charred (timing will depend on your oven). If not charred within 6 minutes (mine is usually not), move your oven rack on the top shelf so it’s close to the heat source. Continue to broil for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. (See Post for Smoking with the Charcoal Method) Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime/lemon, thinly sliced red onion, and Mint Raita or Imli (Tamarind) Chutney.
Video
Notes
Note 1: The leg quarters I use are the ones you’ll find at Halal stores – skinless and smaller than the ones you’ll see at supermarkets. If you go to a Halal meat store, you can ask them to make the tikka/tandoori slits on the chicken and they’ll usually do it for you. Skinless chicken is not common in regular supermarkets so if you’re not able to find it at Halal meat stores, you’ll have to remove the skin yourself.
Note 2: Air-frying instructions
I find myself air-frying it more often than baking. It’s just so crispy and juicy, with minimal effort or fuss.
- Best with bone-in chicken such as chicken drumsticks, bone-in thighs, cut up leg quarters, or a whole, skinless, cut up chicken.
- If using boneless chicken, bake for shorter length of time ~20 minutes.
- Preheat air fryer at 380°F (193°C) for 5 minutes. Generously spray the bottom of the air fryer basket with cooking spray.
- Place the chicken pieces in a single layer so they’re not touching. (I can fit 3 at a time in my air-fryer.)
- Spray the top of the chicken generously with cooking spray.
- Air fry the chicken pieces at 380°F (193°C) for 18-22 minutes, or until they’re they’re crispy and slightly charred. No need to flip. Ensure the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 439kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 154mg | Sodium: 1354mg | Potassium: 451mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1181IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg
The post Tandoori Chicken (Smoky, Tender, Super Flavorful!) appeared first on Tea for Turmeric.