Tandoori Chicken
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Tandoori chicken is a classic Indian dish with chicken marinated in yogurt, citrus, and spices, then traditionally cooked in a tandoor (clay oven). But with this easy recipe, you can achieve those bold flavors right at home—no special oven needed!
Tandoori chicken isn’t just delicious—it’s a feast for the eyes too, thanks to its bold spices and vibrant color. The secret to that signature reddish hue is a fragrant blend of spices that gets even more flavorful when toasted before mixing into the marinade. This recipe, adapted from Food & Wine, delivers irresistibly crispy skin and tender, flavorful meat.
Instead of making a traditional green chutney, I like to serve it with store-bought mango chutney—it adds a touch of gingery sweetness that pairs beautifully with the warm spices. For a complete meal, serve the chicken with naan, basmati rice pilaf with dried fruits and almonds (or simple basmati rice), and a refreshing cucumber mint salad. It’s a dish the whole family will love—even the kids!
“This is the best tandoori chicken recipe you will find. It is definitely restaurant quality, or better.”
What You’ll Need To Make Tandoori Chicken
- Paprika, Garam Masala, Cumin, Coriander, Turmeric, Cayenne Pepper: This blend of spices creates the signature flavor of tandoori chicken, providing warmth, depth, heat and a vibrant color. This dish is typically made with ground Kashmiri chili pepper, a spice found in Indian grocery stores and some supermarkets. Paprika makes an excellent substitute and is readily available, so I use that instead.
- Fresh Ginger and Garlic: These aromatics form the flavor base of marinade, adding a punch of flavor.
- Greek Yogurt: Acts as the base for the marinade, tenderizing the chicken thanks with its acidity. It also helps the spices adhere to the meat.
- Lime Zest and Juice: Adds a citrusy brightness to the marinade.
- Chicken Drumsticks: They’re juicy, easy to eat, and perfect for this recipe. Bone-in chicken thighs are a great alternative with a similar cook time. Chicken breasts, on the other hand, don’t hold up as well to the high heat and can dry out.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Combine the spices in a small skillet and toast for a few minutes until the spices are fragrant.
Combine the toasted spices, ginger, garlic, yogurt, lime juice, lime zest, oil and salt in a mini food processor or blender and pulse until smooth.
Then, using a sharp knife, make slashes in the drumsticks. This increases the surface area of the chicken, so the marinade can penetrate the meat.
Toss the drumsticks with the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. (No time to marinate? If you’re in a time crunch, you can simply coat the chicken with the marinade and cook it immediately; it will still be delicious.)
Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil and place a greased oven-proof rack over it. Arrange the marinated drumsticks on the rack, leaving a bit of space between them so the skin will crisp up.
Cook for 45 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is cooked and the skin is quite crisp. Following that, pop the chicken under the broiler for about 5 minutes, until the skin is super-crisp and a bit charred. Serve with mango chutney and lime wedges on the side.
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Tandoori Chicken
This easy tandoori chicken recipe packs in bold, smoky flavors and crispy skin—no tandoor required!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon garam masala (substitute curry powder if you can't find it)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (use ¼ teaspoon for less heat)
- 3 tablespoons peeled and roughly chopped fresh ginger (see note)
- 7 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- ¼ cup whole milk Greek yogurt
- Zest and juice from one lime (about 1 teaspoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2½ teaspoons salt
- 12 chicken drumsticks (about 4 pounds)
- 1 (9 ounce) jar mango chutney, for serving (optional)
- A few sprigs cilantro, for garnishing the platter (optional)
- Lime wedges, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a small pan over medium-low heat, combine the paprika, garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes, until spices are fragrant.
- Add the spices to a blender or mini food processor, along with the ginger, garlic, Greek yogurt, lime zest and juice, oil and salt; process until smooth.
- Using a very sharp knife, make 2 or 3 slashes in each drumstick (be careful; they are slippery). Place the drumsticks in a large bowl and toss with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil (for easy clean-up) and set an oven-proof rack over top. Spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray or grease with vegetable oil.
- Arrange the chicken on the rack, leaving a bit of space between the pieces. Spoon any marinade left in the bowl evenly over the drumsticks. Roast for 45 minutes, turning once midway through, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through (be sure to turn on your exhaust fan as the oven will get a little smoky). Turn on the broiler and broil the chicken about 6 inches from the heat for 3-5 minutes, until lightly charred and crisp all over. Transfer the chicken to a platter and garnish with cilantro sprigs and lime wedges, and serve with mango chutney on the side.
- Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 3 drumsticks (nutritional data does not include chutney)
- Calories: 807
- Fat: 53g
- Saturated fat: 11g
- Carbohydrates: 8g
- Sugar: 1g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 73g
- Sodium: 1884mg
- Cholesterol: 369mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi. This is marinating right now for tomorrow’s dinner and we are both looking forward to it! But I have a questions which maybe only a chef would know. I have a white silgranite sink, and if it is ever stained, then soft scrub with bleach easily gets it out. I’m not sure which one because I cook with spices quite a bit, but one of the spices stained the sink when I laid the spatula on it and started cleaning up the counter. With the softscrub/bleach, I am down to an orange stain, but I’m wondering if you have any suggestions. Thank you! I love your website and recipes!
Hi Belinda, I have great luck with Bar Keeper’s Friend for cleaning all kinds of kitchen surfaces when other products haven’t worked. I’m not familiar with silgranite, so just make sure it’s okay to use on it. Good luck!
Thank you, Jenn. Mysteriously the stain came out by the morning before I saw your reply! I guess the soft scrub continued to work after I thought it was completely rinsed off!
The chicken was delicious, made it exactly per the recipe, although I had to lower the temperature since it was smoking just after 5 minutes – I might need to check my thermostat. Instead of chutney (since we are on no sugar diet here), I made the cucumber yogurt sauce you include with your Grilled Moroccan Meatballs recipe. It was a fine balance along with roasted cauliflower and asparagus. Thank you for lending us your cooking wisdom.
This looks delicious. Can you use lemon and lemon zest instead of lime/lime zest or will this alter the taste too much?
It will have a minor impact on the flavor, but should still be delicious. Enjoy!
Wow! Delicious! Easy and now a favorite in my house. I will share it around. I didn’t change a thing. My drumsticks were juicy.
this was good, a solid recipe. The amount of spice was not under or overdone. I did not use food processor and used boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of drumsticks.