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!

Serving platter of tandoori chicken.

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.”

Mary

What You’ll Need To Make Tandoori Chicken

tandoori chutney ingredients
  • 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.

Wooden spoon stirring toasting spices in a pan.

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.

blended marinade in food processor

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.

slashing the drumsticks

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.)

chicken in marinade

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.

marinated chicken on rack

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.

broiled tandoori chicken

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Tandoori Chicken

This easy tandoori chicken recipe packs in bold, smoky flavors and crispy skin—no tandoor required!

Servings: 12 drumsticks, 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour
Total Time: 1 Hour 20 Minutes, plus a few hours to marinate

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.

Pair with

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • 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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Comments

  • Look, some or most conventional ovens maybe slow, but roasting chicken legs at 450f for 45 minutes is way too hot or too long unless you have a terrible oven. Do so many reviewers have terrible ovens? In my home combi, with full fan starting at only 410f , I had to open the door and take the temp down two more times to 365f… The meat was crawling up from the joint like 10 minutes on. Finally after 35 minutes I just turned the iven off… I finished the legs in a 600f RockBox. Flavor yes. Texture not bad. but juicy crispy, no. It was good but it didn’t seem authentic, but i may have messed up somewhere…

    • — fran on April 7, 2024
    • Reply
  • Not flavourful at all. Such a waste of ingredients and time. If you’re looking for big flavour, and if you’ve ever had tandoori chicken, before this will be a huge disappointment!

    • — Hope Springer on January 13, 2024
    • Reply
  • Hello! I made this and it was delicious….can this be made but instead cooked on a stovetop with a flat square griddle pan with the lines on it made with boneless chicken breast? If so should I change anything and what would be the cooking time….about 5-6 min each side? Thank you!

    • — Kim Motley on August 2, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Kim, Glad you enjoyed it! I wouldn’t recommend boneless chicken breasts here; I’m concerned the chicken would dry out.

      • — Jenn on August 2, 2023
      • Reply
    • This is the best tandoori chicken recipe you will find. It is definitely restaurant quality, or better.

      • — Mary on November 27, 2023
      • Reply
    • If I could give the 10 starts, I would. This is EXCELLENT. We love Indian food. The chicken is full of flavor. It is a regular at our house. We make it for guests and have always received great comments.

      • — Mary on February 8, 2024
      • Reply
  • Tried this recipe before and it was awesome! Trying whole 30 and thinking to substitute coconut milk…do you think the same volume would work?

    • — Jess on July 27, 2023
    • Reply
    • Glad you liked it! Yes, I’d use the same amount of coconut milk.

      • — Jenn on July 28, 2023
      • Reply
  • Greetings Jenn!
    Your recipe is exactly how I’ve been making Tandoori Chicken for years. So good, and great to see that you leave the skin on too! Congratulations on your amazing career. Love your website.

    • — Ben G. on July 27, 2023
    • Reply
  • I have tried numerous tandoori chicken recipes over the years, but this one is spot on! Thank you for the recipe. I did take the skin off.

    • — Sushmit Mazumdar on July 25, 2023
    • Reply
  • Should the drumsticks have skin on or no?
    LOVE LOVE LOVE YOUR WEBSITE! 🙂

    • — Jen on June 29, 2023
    • Reply
    • So glad you like the website! 🙂 Yes, the drumsticks do have skin. Hope you enjoy!

      • — Jenn on June 30, 2023
      • Reply
  • It is frequently too hot here in AZ to turn on the oven, how do you suggest cooking this on the grill? Over direct heat, then indirect? Thanks, Kathleen

    • — Kathleen on April 11, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Kathleen, I would actually start over indirect heat and crisp up over direct heat at the end. You can use my jerk chicken recipe as a guide. Hope you enjoy!

      • — Jenn on April 15, 2023
      • Reply
  • Hi Jenn! My neighbor gifted me with homemade yogurt. It’s quite thin but delicious. Do you think I could use that here without any modifications?

    • — L on February 22, 2023
    • Reply
    • Yep 🙂

      • — Jenn on February 23, 2023
      • Reply
  • Excellent! I used boneless chicken thighs. I didn’t have quite enough coriander so I added a bit more cumin and garam masala. Tasted just like tandoori chicken from our Indian restaurant. I will be making this again (and again)! Thank you!

    • — Debbie on February 20, 2023
    • Reply

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