Tandoori chicken is a world popular chicken starter originated from the Mughlai cuisine. Soft, juicy, flavorful and delicious grilled chicken that stole the hearts of many across the globe. I am sharing an easy recipe to make a tandoori chicken in an oven & on stove top.
This mouth-watering delicious chicken is well known as murgh tandoor or tandoori murgh. The term murgh meaning chicken and tandoor is a clay oven. So this dish is all about marinating and grilling chicken in a tandoor.
This tandoori chicken recipe yields spicy chicken kababs that are soft and juicy with all the flavors of spices infused. These are spicy but not hot. Even kids can enjoy them. This recipe uses no food color or butter, making this a low fat chicken starter.
Most Indian homes do not own a oven and use the stove for their daily cooking. So I am sharing how to make tandoori chicken on stove and also in oven.
You can use store bought or ready made tandoori masala. However I have never used one to suggest. All the ingredients mentioned here for the masala will be present in most Indian kitchens. So try it from scratch, like I did.
You can serve this chicken tandoori as a starter or as a side with a meal.
For more Tandoori recipes you can check
Chicken kebab
Schezwan chicken
Chicken tikka
Grilled chicken sandwich
Chicken shawarma
Restaurant style tandoori chicken recipe
Tandoori chicken | Restaurant style tandoori chicken recipe
Tandoori chicken is a chicken starter that is marinated with spices and yogurt. It is them grilled in a oven or stove top.
Ingredients (240 ml cup used)
- ½ kg chicken (or 500 to 700 grams)
- ½ cup yogurt (or hung curd or greek yogurt)
- ¾ tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- ¼ tsp pepper powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder (or daniya powder)
- ¼ tsp salt (taste marinade & add more)
- ¼ tsp Turmeric (or haldi)
- 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1½ tbsp oil (or mustard oil)
For grilling
- 1 tbsp oil
For color
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tbsp oil
How to make the recipe
Marinade for tandoori chicken
To a mixing bowl, add thick yogurt or hung curd. If you do not have it, then line a thin cloth over a sieve. Pour 1 cup curd. Wring it gently and strain off the whey (water). Make a knot and hang it to a hook for 45 mins. Then use half cup here.
Next add in ginger garlic paste, garam masala, red chili powder, salt, turmeric, kasuri methi, pepper powder and coriander powder.
Pour oil and lemon juice as well.
Mix everything well. The marinade has to be thick and not of dripping consistency. Taste it and add more salt and chili powder if needed.
Make deep gashes over the chicken and add it to the bowl.
Marinate the chicken well into the gashes.
Cover and set aside for at least 6 hours. If you reduce the marination time, chicken will not turn soft and juicy. It may not get cooked well if making on tawa.
How to make tandoori chicken
For the stove method, please follow the step by step instructions after the recipe card. Preheat the oven at 240 C for at least 15 mins.
Place a foil on the tray. Next grease it.
Place the chicken pieces oven the foil or greased wire rack. If using a wire rack place a tray under it to hold the drippings.
Grill the chicken for about 15 mins.
Mix together 1 tsp red chili powder with 1 tbsp oil.
Then baste the red chili oil over the chicken. Grill for 5 mins.
Flip the chicken to the other side and baste the red chili oil.
Grill for another 6 to 10 mins.
The last 5 mins, you can move it to the top most rack. This gives the charred look. You can also burn a char coal piece and place it in a small cup. Keep that in the chicken tray. Cover with a large utensil. Allow it to smoke for 5 to 7 mins.
Restaurant style tandoori chicken is ready. Serve with onion and lemon wedges.
Recipe Video
Video of tandoori chicken
Marinade for tandoori chicken without oven
1. Firstly transfer hung curd or greek yogurt to a large bowl. It is nothing but curd that has been strained of all the liquid. Please check this link for making hung curd.
2. Put in all the spice powders. Garam masala, coriander powder, pepper powder, turmeric, chili powder and salt. Also add in ginger garlic paste and kasuri methi as well.
3. Add in lemon juice.
4. Pour oil as well.
5. Mix well and taste the marinade. Add any ingredient needed to suit your taste like salt and chili powder. The marinade has to be thick otherwise it will stick up to the pan. There may be lot of moisture that will let out.
6. Make sure the chicken has no dripping water. If needed wipe dry with a kitchen tissue. Next make deep gashes to the chicken.
7. Marinate it well so that the masala reaches deep inside. The marinade will tenderize the chicken. So make sure you do it properly.
8. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours to over night. Do not reduce the time as the chicken will not get cooked and turn tender.
How to make tandoori chicken recipe without oven
9. Heat a pan. Spread 1 to 2 tbsp oil.
10. When the oil turns hot, place the chicken on the tawa. Regulate the heat to medium.
11. After 3 to 4 minutes flip the pieces. Smear the marinade.
12. Flip them again after 3 to 4 mins.
13. Meanwhile add red chili powder to a small bowl. Mix it with the oil. This is optional. Skip if you do not want spiced ones.
14. Smear that to the chicken.
15. Flip them. Cook on both the sides until soft and cooked. If it looks too dry, smear little soft butter.
Smoking tandoori chicken
16. This step is also optional, unless you want to smoke the chicken. Burn the charcoal.
17. When it turns hot, drop it in a cup. Immediately pour 1 to 2 tsps ghee.
18. It will begin to smoke immediately.
19. Finally cover it and allow to smoke for 5 to 7 mins.
20. Before smoking the chicken, do check if it is cooked well. The meat should fall off the bone easily.
Serve tandoori chicken with sliced onions, carrots and lemon wedges.
Manisha Singh says
Good morning Swasthi.
Found ur tandoori chicken recipe on google. Thought it to be really nice & simple n importantly with all d readily available ingredients. Looks freat in d pics too.Trying it today.
Thanks for sharing.
Good day & happy Sunday.
Stay blessed 🙂
swasthi says
Good morning Manisha
Hope you liked it. Thank you so much for the wishes
Good day to you too.
🙂
Sunitha says
hi swasti,
tried this recipe in otg and it turned fabulous and yummy…..heartfelt thnks from my family for sharing such wonderful recipes…
thnk u
swasthi says
Welcome Sunitha
Thank you so much for the comment. Glad to know it turned out good.
Chethan G K says
Dear Swasthi,
Thank you so very much for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Just spent 200 rupees for buying the chicken and all other ingredients were readily available at home
It turned out to be more delicious than what I could get in a restaurant where they normally charge more than twice for same quantity
Thank you very very very much.
swasthi says
Welcome Chetan,
Glad to know it came out delicious. Thanks for trying and the comment
Mich says
Tried out this recipe today. It came out wonderful. I used the full chicken pieces and doubled the ingredients. Didnt have coal but otherwise came out like we get in the restaurant. Thanks for improving my cooking abilities.
swasthi says
Welcome Mich
Thanks for trying
Mrunalini says
Can this be cooked on barbecue (the coal one)too… ? If not can u help with the recipe for barbecue mix…
swasthi says
Mrunalini
Just go ahead and use the same recipe to grill on barbecue. Make sure the heat isn’t too high when you grill.
Nava Chaitanya says
Hello Swasthi,
Your recipes are really awesome. I always try out your recipes exclusI’ve lay when I want to try a new dish. Keep on posting new ones for us…