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This easy tandoori chicken recipe delivers all the bold, smoky flavor of the classic with everyday spices and a simple yogurt marinade.
Tandoori chicken isn’t just delicious—it’s a total stunner, too, thanks to all those bold spices and its vibrant color. This version, adapted from Food & Wine, gets its deep, warm flavor from a mix of toasted spices, yogurt, and citrus. The chicken turns out tender and juicy with crisp skin and just the right amount of char—and you don’t need a tandoor oven to make it.
Instead of making a traditional green chutney, I like to serve tandoori chicken with store-bought mango chutney. It adds a touch of gingery sweetness that pairs beautifully with the warm spices, and it’s one less thing to make from scratch!
“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, and cayenne pepper: This blend gives the chicken its warm, bold flavor and vibrant color. Traditional tandoori chicken uses ground Kashmiri chili, but paprika makes a great and easy-to-find substitute.
- Fresh ginger and garlic: Give the marinade its aromatic, savory flavor.
- Greek yogurt: The base of the marinade—the acidity in it tenderizes the chicken and helps the spices cling to the meat.
- Lime zest and juice: Adds fresh citrusy brightness to balance the bold spices.
- Chicken drumsticks: Juicy, flavorful, and great for high-heat cooking. You can also use bone-in thighs; breasts tend to dry out too easily with this cooking method.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How to Make Tandoori Chicken
Toast the spices: Combine the spices in a small skillet and toast over medium-low heat for a few minutes, just until fragrant.
Make the marinade: In a mini food processor or blender, combine the toasted spices with the ginger, garlic, yogurt, lime juice and zest, oil, and salt. Blend until smooth.
Prep the chicken: Use a sharp knife to slash the drumsticks—this helps the marinade soak deeper into the meat. (Cut deep enough to get through the skin and into the meat, but not so deep that the drumsticks fall apart while cooking.)
Marinate the chicken: Toss the drumsticks with the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. (In a rush? You can cook them right away and they’ll still be tasty.)
Arrange on a rack: Line a baking sheet with foil and top with a greased oven-safe rack. Place the chicken on the rack, leaving space between pieces. The rack lets the hot air circulate and helps the skin crisp up instead of steaming in its own juices.
Roast then broil: Bake at 450°F for 45 minutes, flipping once, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crisp. Turn on the broiler and broil the chicken for about 5 minutes, until the skin is super crisp and lightly charred. (Keep an eye on the broiler—things move fast. You’re looking for darkened edges and blistered skin.) Serve the chicken with mango chutney and lime wedges and enjoy!
Make-Ahead, Storage, and Freezing
Make ahead: You can marinate the chicken up to 24 hours in advance. Keep it covered in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
Storage: Leftover cooked chicken will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on a baking sheet in a 325°F oven, loosely covered with foil, until heated through.
Freezing: You can freeze the cooked chicken for up to 3 months. Let it cool, then wrap it tightly or transfer it to a freezer-safe container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. You can also freeze the raw chicken directly in the marinade for up to 3 months. Combine the chicken and marinade in a freezer-safe resealable bag, press out the air, and freeze immediately. Thaw completely in the refrigerator, then cook as directed.
Tandoori Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon garam masala (okay to substitute curry powder)
- 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
- 7 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- ¼ cup whole milk Greek yogurt
- Zest and juice from one lime
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2½ teaspoons salt
- 12 chicken drumsticks (about 4 lb/1.8 kg)
- 1 (9-oz) 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 (235°C). 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 in (15 cm) from the heat for 3 to 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.
Nutrition Information
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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What to Serve with Tandoori Chicken
Tandoori chicken makes a great family dinner, especially with a few simple sides that everyone can mix and match. I love serving it with warm homemade naan, golden basmati rice pilaf (or simple basmati rice), and a refreshing cucumber salad.
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Wow! These are fantastic. Your recipes never disapppoint. I am excited to have the leftovers for lunch this week. Thank you again for a wonderful new meal idea!
I made these about a month ago, and came back for the recipe again. FANTASTIC! I even bought your book after trying this recipe. thank you
So glad you enjoyed the chicken and thanks for purchasing the cookbook! 💗
Best drumsticks ever!!
Do you think I could use a different type of oil? I have olive oil and coconut oil. Thanks!
Sure, Madison, I like vegetable oil here because it’s very mild tasting, but you can get away with using either olive or coconut oil. Hope you enjoy!
This was absolutely fantastic!! Perfect!
Another wonderful meal which surprisingly the kids enjoyed too. Made for a quick weeknight meal after making the marinade the night before – just needed to pop the chicken in the oven the next day.
Absolutely delicious, made exactly as written. The only thing I did since I did not have a baking rack was place the chicken pieces directly on a baking pan which I covered with foil. Am making it again this weekend.
If I don’t have fresh ginger can I use powdered ginger
Yes, but you’ll need significantly less; I’d suggest about 3/4 teaspoon. Hope you enjoy!
I wanted to try something new for dinner and so glad I picked this recipe. I used both chicken drumsticks and thighs, just removed the drumsticks a little sooner. Roasting the spices beforehand was new and smelled delicious. I did not have fresh ginger but used ground ginger and it worked just fine. It did set off the smoke alarm which sent my dog and cat scurrying to the basement-poor things! I thought it was delicious and best of all, my sister who is the real cook of the family, thought so too!
Jenn – thank you for this excellent recipe; it’s easy to follow, simple to make and most importantly delicious. I made this for my wife and we loved it, and are making it again tomorrow. Cheers!
This recipe sound yummy and because I’ve got a function of 150 guests, my question is, is it possible if I baked it a day or 2 before the time and refrigerate ND reheat it will it still be delicious/ good
Thank u
Wow, that’s a lot of chicken! Yes, these can be made ahead and reheated. Hope everyone enjoys! 🙂
Hello, I am looking at doing this for a large group as well, (90-100 legs) did you try this in advance? If so, how did the reheating go and how long did you reheat for? Thanks!
This was so good. Made as written. Did not have lime so did without. Will try next time with Lime.