Tandoori Chicken
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Craving tandoori chicken? This easy recipe brings that restaurant-style flavor home with everyday spices and a quick 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. 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, 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: These aromatics are the foundation of the marinade and pack in a ton of 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
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Toast the spices. Combine the spices in a small skillet and toast over medium heat for a few minutes, just until fragrant.
Pro Tip: Don’t walk away—spices can go from perfectly toasted to burnt in seconds. As soon as they smell aromatic, they’re ready.
Step 2: 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.
Step 3: 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.)
Step 4: 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.)
Step 5: 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.
Step 6: Roast then broil. Bake at 425°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!
More chicken recipes to Love
Tandoori Chicken
This tandoori chicken looks as good as it tastes—juicy, charred, and full of warm spices.
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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This is one of my favorite chicken recipes. SO full of flavors! Definitely a party in the mouth.
This is the most flavorful chicken I have ever had. It was so delicious and the chutney was a great addition. I love all of Jenn’s recipes. This summer I went to help care for my new grandson and family. I cooked through many of her recipes for three weeks and loved all of them. Her site is my go to when I’m looking for a good recipe.
Delish – great flavor. I didn’t have ground turmeric but I got creative and used 2 of my turmeric capsules that I take as a daily supplement. The leftovers were excellent, looking forward to trying the Tikki Masala. I really enjoy your site Jenn – easy to follow recipes.
Make this regularly to rave review from teenage boys! Have frozen marinading chicken with oddly little adverse effect (would have thought yougut would do poorly, but fine.) Love the mango chutney, but in a pinch (including cost) apricot jam or duck sauce make reasonable substitutes.
One of my all time favorite recipes on the blog. I usually double or triple the marinade and freeze it so you can make it easily a second time. This recipe is super flavorful and a crowd pleaser, even with kids. Simply omit the cayenne or use 1/8 a tap if you’re serving anyone who is sensitive to spice.
This chicken tandoori is one one our favorite recipes. So flavorful. Especially nice with the mango chutney, basmati and naan. It’s not the quickest recipe, but much is hands off. We often make it with neatly bone-in thighs. They just need a few minutes more in the oven. So love this recipe.
This sounds yummy. Do you have a mango chutney recipe?
I don’t have one of my own – sorry! I will add it to my list of recipes to potentially develop. Hope you enjoy the chicken if you make it. 🙂
Great recipe! Can I use ginger garlic paste in place of the fresh ginger and garlic? If so, how much? Would I still need to blend with masalas in a blender since I’m using paste?
I don’t recommend it, Sk – sorry!!
Epic, fabulous. Definitely make again!
I made this recipe last night. It was absolutely delicious! I woke up thinking about it which is always a good sign. I tried both the chutney and and the cilantro shallot sauce from Food and Wine. They were both wonderful – very very different but both nice additions and very complimentary to the chicken.