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 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!
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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So excited, currently have this marinade and chicken drumsticks setting in the fridge. Will be making it for dinner tomorrow. I have a quick question, I made the exact same mix of spices except used one fresh chillie as well, my marinade tastes quite bitter – is that normal? Just worried about it 🙂 I will find out when I cook it tomorrow!
Hmmm… maybe the lime is giving it a strong tangy flavor? Did you use the amount the recipe called for? If you’re concerned, you could always add a bit of agave nectar or honey to the marinade. Let me know how it turns out!
Today I made the tandoori chicken drumsticks to rave reviews from my husband, son and daughter-in-law. I followed the recipe as written and found it easy and fun to prepare. I also made the recommended side dishes which were all relished by my family, especially the naan. Thanks for a great recipe and accompanying menu suggestions.
This chicken is delicious. This recipe is worth 10 stars my family all ate seconds
I made this for dinner and it was tasty, but I only marinated the chicken for the minimum amount of time. I think the flavor could have been richer so next time I will adhere to the recommended time to marinate the chicken. This recipe is certainly worth making again.
i have never tried this, but we make drumstick chicken all the time. this looks absolutely amazing and my mouth instantly started to water lol.Thank you so much for sharing this and i will be sure to try this sometime next week.Can’t wait.i probably will try it sooner than later lol
Hi
I make tandoori chicken all the time…I tried yours and it came out real good.I added green chili,coriander and mint pastes too for that added flavour and heat.Also I serve my tandoori chicken with cucumber,dill and cumin seeds raita.Tastes yum!-Renu- Auckland-NZ.
Anyways,great recipe.
Yum, yum, yum
wonderful flavor, stopped me from downing a burger and I feel good good good!!!
Klyn
These drumsticks are delicious! I’ve made them several times now. Even my picky eater loved them. Having it with the naan is a must.
Jen is it okay to de-skin the drumsticks prior to making this dish? In the past whenever I’ve made Tandoori chicken that’s what I’ve done so making it with the skin on is a new concept for me. Wasn’t sure! Thanks!
You can Alka, but the crispy skin is the best part of this recipe :).
Hello,
This recipe sounds amazing and Ido like to try it soon. I recently visited a spice souk while traveling through Abu Dhabi and I picked up tandoori spice. I have a pretty large bag of seasoning and haven’t the slightest clue on how to use it. Using your recipe, since the spices seem to already be blended, would not just start from the garlic and ginger step, adding my tandoori to the yogurt blend? Thank you!
That should work, Victoria, but keep in mind that your tandoori spice will taste different than the blend I came up with here.
Thanks so much Jenn, Im going to try it on Sunday and I will come back and let you know! I cant wait to try the drunken french toast next weekend when my sisters are in town! I’ll review that as well! 🙂
I finally made these tandoori drumsticks the week before Christmas and I have been getting request for some more ever since! I used tandoori spice that I picked up in the UAE and followed the steps from hearing the spices on…I only marinated for about 5 hours, but the flavor was EVERYTHING! I also made naan and basmati rice. The naan was do easy and tasted amazing! I’ll be making more soon! (I wish knew how to post pics on here!)