Tandoori Chicken

Last updated: May 5, 2023 · Recipes developed by Vered DeLeeuw and nutritionally reviewed by Rachel Benight MS, RD · This website generates income via ads and uses cookies.

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You probably don't own a traditional tandoor oven, but you can use your home oven to bake incredibly flavorful and succulent tandoori chicken.

The homemade result is surprisingly close to what you would get at a restaurant!

Oven-baked tandoori chicken garnished with parsley, served on a black plate with lemon slices.

I've been making this recipe quite often lately because it's super easy to make and all my family members love it.

I make chicken recipes often, so it's nice to find an interesting and highly flavorful way of cooking it. The Indian spices are phenomenal!

I was surprised and delighted to learn that you can bake a tandoori chicken in a regular home oven.

It comes out succulent and intensely flavorful, and leftovers are great too. So I no longer have to wait until we go out to eat to enjoy this very flavorful dish.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Expert tips
Frequently asked questions
Variations
Serving suggestions
Storing leftovers
Related recipes
Recipe Card

Ingredients

Here are my comments about some of the ingredients you’ll need when making this tasty recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full list and exact measurements.

Yogurt: It's best to use plain whole-milk yogurt in this recipe. You want the fatty yogurt to compensate for the fact that you're removing the skin from the chicken.
Fresh lemon juice: I highly recommend using freshly squeezed and not bottled lemon juice.
Minced garlic: Mince it yourself, or use the stuff that comes in a jar. Both work.
Spices: I use turmeric, ginger, cumin, paprika, and cayenne pepper. It's very important to make sure the spices are fresh. We're using a lot of them here, and a stale spice can easily ruin a dish.
Chicken: I use drumsticks, and I remove their skin. Watch the video to see how I do it.
Cilantro or parsley: Used mostly for garnish, although it does add an additional layer of flavor.

The ingredients needed to make oven tandoori chicken.

Instructions

The traditional recipe is prepared by marinating chicken in yogurt and spices, then roasting it in a tandoor, a traditional cylindrical clay oven.

But baking tandoori chicken in your home oven is easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:

First, prepare the marinade: mix plain yogurt with lemon juice, salt and pepper, and spices.
Now, add the chicken and toss to coat. Marinate it in the fridge for an hour.
Place the marinated chicken pieces on a greased roasting rack. Roast it until fully cooked and charred in spots, about 30-35 minutes at 475°F. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.

A six-photo collage showing the steps for making tandoori chicken in the oven.

Expert tips

Since we're removing the chicken's skin in this recipe, it's really important to coat it in a thick layer of a yogurt marinade to protect it from drying out, and it's important to use whole-milk yogurt. You want the fat content of the yogurt to help keep the chicken juicy, and fat also makes food more palatable. If you only have nonfat yogurt on hand, I suggest you mix in 1-2 tablespoons of oil.
For best results, set your oven to high heat (475°F) and roast the chicken until charred in spots. This will ensure juicy and flavorful chicken even without the traditional clay oven.

Frequently asked questions

Does tandoori chicken have skin?

No. It's usually made with skinless bone-in chicken pieces. The thick yogurt coating helps prevent the meat from drying out, even without the protection of the fatty skin.

Why is the chicken red?

Traditionally the red color comes from the spices used, including red chili powder and cayenne pepper. In the US, many restaurants and home cooks add a drop of red food coloring to achieve that enticing hue.

My personal choice is to allow the chicken to be dark orange in color rather than use food colors to make it appear red.

Can I use Greek yogurt in the marinade?

You could, but then I suggest mixing it with a little water. Greek yogurt is a bit too thick for a marinade.

Can I marinate the chicken for longer than one hour?

Yes, you can. But try not to marinate it for longer than 4-6 hours, or it could become slimy.

Variations

You can use boneless chicken thighs instead of drumsticks. Start checking on them after about 20 minutes - they might be ready sooner than drumsticks.
Parsley is an acceptable substitute for cilantro, but cilantro is more flavorful.

Serving suggestions

I usually serve this flavorful dish with sauteed cauliflower or with cauliflower rice. I also like to add a simple green vegetable such as steamed broccoli or sauteed spinach.