Tandoori chicken at its best! This easy recipe helps you make incredibly tender, juicy, moist and outrageously delicious Tandoori chicken. This mind-blowing way of grilling chicken is immensely popular in the Indian restaurants & is known as Tandoori Murgh. Indian food lovers keep going back to the restaurants time and again, not knowing it is the simplest that can be made at home.
In this post I share how to make the best Tandoori chicken in numerous ways – using an oven, on stovetop Griddle, air fryer and on direct fire. If you are new to the dish you may be wondering
What is Tandoori Chicken?
Tandoori chicken is a popular Indian dish where marinated chicken is grilled to perfection in a Tandoor, a cylindrical clay oven. As a first step chicken is marinated overnight with various spices, herbs and yogurt.
This marinade helps to tenderize, spice and flavor up the chicken. It is later grilled in a Tandoor. Traditionally the heat for a tandoor is generated by wood fire or charcoal. As the food cooks in this clay oven, the juices drip on to the hot charcoal and release a smoky flavor.
The resulting char grilled chicken is the best – tender and juicy with bursting flavors.
Sources say Tandoori chicken dates back to the Mughal period. While others say it was invented at Moti Mahal, Peshawar by Kundan Lal Gujral, before the partition of India. However it is beyond the scope of this post so let us enjoy making this amazing dish at home.
Wondering how to make Tandoori chicken without having a tandoor?
Any kind of heat source is good enough to grill/roast the chicken – an oven, stovetop, air fryer or direct fire. We are going to roast the chicken to perfection in one of these ways.
How do we infuse the smoky aroma into the chicken?
It is simpler than you think, you can infuse the smoky flavor either by smoking the grilled chicken with a red hot wood coal or cook it over direct fire for a few minutes towards the end.
More Chicken recipes
Butter chicken
Chicken kebab
Szechuan chicken
Chicken tikka
Chicken shawarma
How To Make Tandoori Chicken (Stepwise Photos)
Prepare Marinade
1. Greek yogurt also known as hung curd is the key ingredient used in the marinade. It is nothing but curd that has been strained of all the whey/liquid. If you do not have Greek yogurt, please check this link for making hung curd.
2. Firstly transfer yogurt to a large mixing bowl. Add all the spice powders. Garam masala, coriander powder, pepper powder, turmeric, chili powder and salt. Also add in ginger garlic paste and kasuri methi.
3. Add lemon juice. Be careful not to add a lot. Use as required depending on how sour your yogurt is.
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 and not runny otherwise it will stick up to the pan. Chicken will let out lot of moisture and juices while grilling if the marinade is runny.
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. You can keep this as long as 48 hours in the refrigerator.
Grill Tandoori Chicken
Grilling in Oven – Preheat the oven to the highest for at least 15 to 20 mins. In my oven it is 470 F (240 C). Place a wired rack over a baking tray and then place the prepared chicken over the wired rack. Grill it for 15 mins.
For a spicy version, mix together red chilli powder with oil and baste the chicken on both the sides. You can also baste the left over marinade over the chicken.
Grill the chicken again for another 6 to 10 mins until fully cooked through. Adjust the timing as needed depending on the size of your chicken pieces. The last 5 mins set the oven to broil mode or move the rack to the top most level and grill until charred.
Stovetop method – Grilling in pan
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 tandoori chicken.
15. Flip them. Cook on both the sides until soft and cooked. If it looks too dry, smear little soft butter.
Smoke 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 tandoori 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.
Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken
- Preheat the air fryer to 390 F or 200 C. Place the chicken on the basket and air fry for 10 mins on each side or until cooked through and the internal chicken temperature reaches to 165 F.
- Once done, brush the tandoori chicken with the left over marinade or the red chilli paste mixed with oil. Air fry for another 2 mins. For the authentic flavors, brush with mustard oil or butter.
Grill in Outdoor Grill
- Preheat the outdoor grill for medium high heat.
- Grease the grate generously with oil. Wipe off the excess marinade from the chicken and place them over the preheated grill.
- Cook for 5 to 6 mins and turn them the other side. Baste the marinade on the top side and turn it again after 5 to 6 mins. The cook time depends on the size of your chicken pieces.
- It takes about 27 to 30 mins to cook the Tandoori chicken fully. Insert a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken and cook until it shows 165F or 75 C. Brush with some butter or mustard oil.
Related Recipes
Recipe card
Tandoori Chicken Recipe
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- ½ kg chicken (500 to 700 grams)
- ½ cup greek yogurt (hung curd)
- ¾ tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp red chilli powder (kashmiri or any low heat chilli)
- ¼ tsp black pepper crushed (powder)
- 1 tsp coriander powder (daniya powder)
- ¼ tsp salt (taste marinade & add more)
- ¼ tsp Turmeric (haldi)
- 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1½ tbsp oil (preferably mustard oil)
For grilling
- 1 tbsp oil
For color
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1 to 2 tbsp oil (preferably mustard oil)
Instructions
Marinade for tandoori chicken
- To a mixing bowl, add greek yogurt or hung curd (thick curd). If you do not have it make your own following the notes below.
- 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
- Preheat the oven to the highest for atleast 15 to 20 mins. In my oven it is 470 F or 240 C. For the stovetop and air fryer method, please follow the step by step instructions above the recipe card.
- Place a foil on a oven tray to collect the drippings.
- Then keep a greased wired rack on the tray.
- Place the chicken pieces over the wire rack.
- Grill the chicken for about 15 mins.
- For spicy version mix together 1 tsp red chili powder with 1 tbsp oil.
- After 15 mins of grillling, baste the red chili oil over the chicken. You can also baste the left over marinade over the chicken.
- Turn the chicken to the other side and baste the red chili oil or marinade.
- Grill for another 6 to 10 mins or until the chicken is cooked through. You will need to adjust the timing as it depends on size of the chicken pieces.
- The last 5 mins, set to broil mode. Alternately you can move the entire tray with wire rack to the top most rack for the last 5 mins. This gives the charred effect.
- Brush the drippings all over the chicken. This keeps the chicken moist. You can also burn a char coal piece and place it in a small cup. Bring out the chicken tray from the oven and place the cup of char coal in the tray. Cover with a large bowl or foil. Allow it to smoke for 5 to 7 mins.
- Restaurant style tandoori chicken is ready. Serve with onion and lemon wedges.
Notes
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
Video
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Super delicious, very easy recipe. Thank you Swasthi.
Thank you Leah
Excellent recipe!
Thank you
Hi,
Can you slow coook this at all? Like a pulled chicken type style?
Hi Swasthi, such a great recipe! For boneless, can we use chicken breast or do you recommend thighs? Does the cooking time change based on the chicken we choose? Also my oven can go upto 270 c. Do you recommend a higher temperature or should we stick to 240? Does the cooking time change?
Hi Abhi,
Thank you! Thighs are best but breasts are okay too if left in the marinade overnight or longer. Yes higher is better, go with 270 C. Yes the cook time changes. You have to keep an eye towards the end. If you make it a few times you will know how to fine tune the timings. Hope this helps
Awesome
Hi Swasthi, thank you for the great recipe! I used thick Greek yogurt instead of hung curd, what can I do to get rid of the extra water in the marinade without hanging the curd?
Hi Supriya,
You can add more spice powders or little roasted besan. Roast the besan until aromatic. Cool it and add along with little more oil.
hi, i like to get the recipe of the tandoori “spice” mix you had uploaded a while back, i tried searching for it and couldnt find on your website, i had been using it since past one year and its the best i ever had, please upload it back soon
Hello. I want to make this but I have dairy intolerance. What other yogurt would you recommend?
Thank you! It really looks delicious!
Hi Irina
I haven’t tried. Almond yogurt should work but with a meat tenderizer. Dairy yogurt acts as a meat tenderizer here so any other yogurt may not work the same way. Meat tenderizer should work on that part.
Hi Swasthi hope all is well at your end. Today’s the third day I have prepared Tandoori chicken….with bone, without bone, flat breast piece, with oven without oven…each and every end product turned out too delicious.
Thank you for your detailed recipe. You’re wonderful.
Dear Tanu,
Yes all is well. So good to see your comment. Hope you all are doing good. Glad to know it turned out good. Thank you!
Yes, Swasthi. I’m irregular in the comment section these days. But trust me regularly preparing food following your recipe. Now my son and daughter both have started following you as well. Hence my better half is very elated.
Always appreciating your endeavour.
Stay safe.
So happy to know the kids are looking into the recipes. In the current situation it’s so important to keep up their spirts. That’s really awesome Tanu!
Stay safe all of you!
Am a 68 year old male with zero experience of kitchen. Made chicken tandoori in oven as per your recipe. Came out excellent the first time. Thank you.
Hi Alok Sir
Glad to know it came out good. Thank you
Hello Swasthi, what is a good kind of onion to use with this recipe? The onions have always been my favorite part.
Hello. Thank you for the recipe, I am very much excited to try it. However, I must ask: my favorite part of this dish when others have made it has always been the onions. When the onions soak in the chicken oils, it is so much delicious. What onions do you recommend I use?
Hi swasthi, can you send how to do telaga pindi vadiyalu
Hi Harshita
My mom never made these so I don’t know how to make them.
Hi,swasthi can we add riceflour in this recipe or any flour
Hi Harshita
You can use roasted besan. Even little corn flour should work.
I tried this recipe it was awesome
Glad to know Harshita
I tried this recipe it was tasty
I followed this recipe today and it was spicy, because I used spicy chilli powder instead of kashmiri chilli powder. My chicken looked orange instead of red too because of that. Except for that, taste was 10/10. Loved it!
Hi Angela
Glad to know you loved it. Yes Kashmiri chilli powder is very important for that good color. Thank you so much for leaving a comment
Perfecto! The family loved it..
Glad to know Neha
This worked like magic :)! Thank you for a great recipe!
Welcome Mimi, Glad it worked well. Thanks for leaving a comment
Hi Swasthi, greetings from Germany, I recently tried this recipe and it tasted really amazing. But: The Tandoori turned out much more yellow in color than depicted. Is there any lifehack to get that beautiful red color? So far, I tried Chili powder, Paprika powder and eventually Cayenne papper, but none of these really had an effect. Apparently, some use food coloring, but that does not seem appropriate.
Hello Martin,
The recipe has just 1/4 tsp turmeric. It shouldn’t turn yellow. Try with a different brand of red chilli powder. We use Kashmiri red chilli which gives that bright color.
Using Kashmiri Chilli Powder did the magic. Now it works – thank you Swasthi! 🙂
Glad to know Martin. Thanks for letting me know
Swasthi, another terrific recipe. I doubled the recipe, and paired it with a layered vegetable biriyani and that made a very lovely lunch for eight. Next time I will use the chilli oil for basting and do stove top method.
Thank you so much again for your dedication to producing the recipes, and the great and very helpful notes.
All the very best of peace, health and happiness to you and your family for 2021. Regards, Sandy
Hi Sandy,
You are welcome! So glad to know. Yes try basting chilli oil. It also enhances the flavors. Thank you so much for the wishes!
Wish you all a very happy and prosperous new year.