Oven-Baked Tandoori Chicken

Although you may not own a traditional tandoori oven, you can use your home oven to bake flavorful and succulent tandoori chicken.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Marinating 1

Total Time 1 45

Servings servings

Calories 284kcal

In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, and cayenne pepper.
Remove the chicken skin. It's easier to do if you pull on it with a paper towel.
Using a sharp knife, cut three slashes in each drumstick. These will help the yogurt marinade penetrate the chicken better.
Add the drumsticks to the yogurt marinade and rub the marinade onto them. Marinate for one hour in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 475°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy cleanup, fit it with a roasting rack, and spray the rack with nonstick spray.
Arrange the coated chicken pieces on the rack, not touching each other.
Roast the chicken until cooked through and charred in spots, about 30-35 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro and serve, if desired, with lemon wedges.

If using any salt other than Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, including Morton kosher salt, use half the amount listed.
You can use boneless chicken thighs instead of drumsticks. Start checking on them after about 20 minutes - they will be ready faster than drumsticks.
Since we're removing the chicken's skin, it's 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.
Traditionally, the red color of tandoori chicken 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 color. I choose to allow the chicken to be dark orange rather than using food colors to make it appear red.
You can marinate the chicken for longer than an hour, but try not to marinate it for longer than 4-6 hours, or it could become slimy.
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power. You can also freeze the leftovers for up to three months.