Authentic Tandoori Chicken Recipe
Learn how to make authentic Tandoori Chicken at home with this easy recipe. No special equipment needed! Discover the secrets to juicy, tender chicken with a perfectly spiced marinade. Perfect for a weeknight dinner or a special occasion.
Author: Sheeba
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 chicken leg quarters 250 grams or 9 ounces each
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil or cooking oil of your choice
- 1 teaspoon butter to baste
Tandoori chicken marinade
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
To serve
- 1 Carrot shredded
- 1 onion thinly sliced
STEP BY STEP IMAGES
Scroll back to find detailed recipe photos!
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients for the tandoori marinade in a small bowl.
- Make small cuts in the fleshy parts of the chicken legs using kitchen scissors. Coat the chicken with the tandoori marinade.
- Marinate in the refrigerator overnight or for a minimum of 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 230°C / 446°F.
- Place the chicken legs in a roasting pan or sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Set the oven to "roast" mode and cook for 15 minutes. Flip the chicken legs and baste with the pan juices. Cook for another 15 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Baste the chicken legs with butter.
- Change the oven setting to "broil" and return the sheet pan to the oven. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until browned to your satisfaction.
- Remove the tandoori chicken from the oven and let it stand for 5 minutes.
- Serve your perfectly browned tandoori chicken legs with restaurant-style green chutney!
Video
Notes
- This recipe uses chicken leg quarters which are drumsticks with thighs attached. The measurements and cooking time are based on the size of chicken legs as mentioned in this recipe.
- You can also use individual pieces of drumsticks or thighs. Decrease the roasting time and broiling time by 5 minutes each. So it would be 25 minutes of total roasting time plus 10 minutes of broiling.
- Marinate the chicken legs overnight, or at least for 2 hours. The longer you marinate, the better.
- Make-ahead option: The marinated chicken legs can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days or frozen for a week. Thaw the frozen legs overnight in the refrigerator. Leave the chicken legs out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
- Kashmiri chili powder gives the Tandoori chicken its characteristic bright red color. It looks a few shades darker than chili powder, but without the heat.
- Do this for a 'smoky' tandoori flavor (restaurant-style) and even brighter color: Heat 2 teaspoons of mustard oil and mix it with Kashmiri chilli powder. Cool it completely before adding to the marinade. Proceed as per the instructions.
- One more tip for an authentic tandoori chicken recipe: Smoke the tandoori chicken legs with cinnamon after taking them out of the oven. Check out how to do it in tandoori chicken tikka recipe (click here).
- Basting the chicken legs with a little butter before broiling gives perfectly browned tandoori chicken.
- Smoked paprika can be used instead of Kashmiri chili powder.
- Cayenne pepper can be used instead of chili powder.
The nutrition information assumes that all of the marinade is consumed. However, apparently, it is not the case.