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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This chicken is absolutely delicious!!!
Served it with naan bought from a local restaurant and the basmati rice pilaf from this site. I didn’t think I’d care too much for the almonds in the rice but to my surprise they added a very nice bit of crunchy texture to the dish. Also, I really appreciate the pictures that accompany all of the recipes here. Well Done!!!
This recipe is simple and incredible! Made it twice in one week. Used thighs and drumsticks. Served it with the basmati rice pilaf as recommended! My family loves And appreciates all of your wonderful recipes. My 1 year old son is crazy about your potato leek soup and is part of the reason why the tandoori chicken with rice was made twice!
Hello, I loved that she has used real Indian spices. And whoever eat chicken in India, likes this dish the most. But we don’t cook chicken with its skin. Use Garam Masala if you like spicy, that we offenly use for some dishes.
Some suggestions for Chutney : Instead of using Mango Chutney,
1. Chutney made from Corriander made from Carriander,Cayene Paper, salt,Lime(Spicy and tangy)
or
2.Schezwan Chutney
These both chutney fits and tastes real good with “Tandoori Chicken”
Loved the recipe!!!! I was uncertain about what to expect, seeing how I’ve never eaten anything Indian……if this is classified as an Indian dish. I followed the recipe as stated, the one thing i changed was, i made a homemade jalapeño mango chutney. I have to say, this meal was fantastic. My wife really enjoyed as well! One to go in the recipe box for sure!
Hello, I am not any professional Cook but I can give you some suggestions for this dish. I am an Indian so I hav eaten this kind of dish hundred of times. I liked this recipe but I didn’t like that it is baked with chicken skin. In India no one eat Chicken with its skin. I would say if you make Schezwan chutney or Corriander Chutney(both should be a bit spicy and Corriander chutney should be a bit sour too) and serve, it will taste real good.
Have a good day.
Absolutely fabulous, and good home-cook tandoor recipes are hard to find. I find most Indian restaurants’ tandoor is too dry. The recipe still requires a pretty robust spice cabinet (nothing I didn’t have on hand), but thanks for not using some of the most esoteric Indian spices, which are hard to find unless you live near an Indian grocery! I would say to readers to use smaller thighs or legs so there is more surface area for the marinade. I prefer skin-on thighs, but I tried this with (egads!) large skinless chicken breasts cut into 3 inch hunks, poked them with a fork and marinated in a zip seal bag for 24 hours. Cooked at 450 degrees but cut cook time down to 20 minutes followed by broiling both sides. Appropriately dry and lightly crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, and the marinade really permeated the meat. Can’t wait to repeat with thighs. My wife doesn’t like skin, and I think this would work well with skinless thighs.
This was very tasty and not difficult to prepare. Between my husband, my 9y/o, 6y/o and 4y/o sons, all 12 legs were gone within 30 min. I have 2 questions. I like to season meats overnight to make it flavorful, so chose to marinate for 24hr. By doing this, is slicing the chicken necessary? Also, would you recommend a cream-based or yogurt-based dipping sauce instead of mango chutney?
Hi Renee, So glad your family enjoyed the recipe. You could definitely skip slicing the chicken if marinating 24 hours. You might like a raita with it. This is a good one.
Fantastic recipe! Made this for dinner tonight and served with chapatis and salad and the overwhelming review from my four daughters and wife was ‘please make this again!’ Drumsticks are cheap and this took very little effort.
This chicken recipe looks amazing, going to try it tomorrow night.
I have to say I have never found a cooking blog or site where every recipe is fabulous. You’re truly a talent.
This chicken is absolutely amazing!
Made these last night, and they were fantastic. One of the best chicken recipes I’ve made, to be honest. The only modifications to the recipe I made included using chicken quarters (which are always moist and provide plenty of meat). I didn’t have any fresh ginger (which would have been optimal), but I did have dried ginger on hand, so I added a bit of that to the spices. As I was also roasting vegetables, I cooked the chicken at 400 degrees for an hour (45 minutes uncovered, then 15 minutes with foil lightly draped on top). Chicken was perfect and we loved it! Will be making again soon. Could eat this weekly.