Indian

Serving

Tandoori Chicken

Name: Tandoori Chicken
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken (cut into 8 bone-in pieces; skinless); 1 cup thick plain yogurt; 2 tbsp lemon juice; 2 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder; 2 tbsp Tandoori masala; 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste; 1 tbsp mustard oil or vegetable oil; 2 tbsp melted butter, for basting; salt, to taste; sliced onions and lemon wedges, for serving

Chicken dish prepared by roasting chicken marinated in yogurt and spices in a tandoor.

60 minutes

Serves 4

Dinner/Snack

21 min prep

33 min cook

Contains common allergens

Dairy mustard

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Instructions

6 steps

1
First Marinade: Make deep diagonal slashes in the chicken pieces. Rub thoroughly with the lemon juice, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder. Let it rest for 20 minutes to absorb the tangy flavor.
2
Second Marinade: Whisk the yogurt, ginger-garlic paste (1 tbsp), Tandoori masala, remaining chili powder, and 1 tbsp mustard oil (or vegetable oil). Massage this mixture deeply into the chicken cuts.
3
Refrigerate: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight for maximum flavor penetration.
4
Preheat Oven: When ready to cook, preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C). For the best results, use a wire rack placed over a baking sheet lined with foil to allow air circulation.
5
Roast: Place the chicken pieces on the rack. Roast for 25-30 minutes, basting once with melted butter halfway through, until the juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).
6
Broil for Char: Switch the oven to broil for the final 2-3 minutes to get those authentic blackened edges. Serve hot with mint chutney, sliced onions, and lemon wedges.

Tandoori Chicken — plated and served — Serving moment. How Tandoori Chicken looks plated and ready to eat — a representative photo, not a step in the recipe.

Listahan Family Score™

60/100

Works for many families

Allergen-friendly 80

Kid-friendly 27

Weeknight-easy 54

Budget-friendly 70

Great leftovers 87

Pantry-friendly 45

Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.

Nutrition

per serving

Calories

7 g

Protein

6 g

Carbs

1 g

Fat

Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.

Listahan cooking guide

Chef notes & practical guide

Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.

Cultural context

Tandoori chicken was popularized in the mid-20th century at Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi, where Kundan Lal Gujral — a Punjabi restaurateur who had fled Partition — adapted traditional village clay-oven cooking for an urban clientele. The dish became India's first modern restaurant food and was served to dignitaries including Jawaharlal Nehru and later Richard Nixon. The name refers to the tandoor, a cylindrical clay oven that reaches temperatures a home oven cannot replicate, making the char achievable at home only through a combination of marinade chemistry and broiling technique.

Listahan note

This version uses a two-stage marinade — an acid-only first stage to tenderize, followed by a spiced yogurt second stage — which is the approach that produces deep color and flavor penetration in a home oven.

Technique cues

Score the chicken deeply through to the bone in 3-4 places on each piece — the marinade only penetrates where the skin is opened, and unscored chicken tastes seasoned only on the surface.
Marinate in the second spiced-yogurt marinade for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight in the refrigerator — the lactic acid continues to work slowly and the spices penetrate further than a 30-minute marinade.
Elevate the chicken on a wire rack set over a foil-lined tray and broil as close to the heat element as your oven allows — the goal is dry, radiant heat that chars the surface fast before the interior overcooks.

Kitchen flow

Parallel prep: Apply the first lemon-salt marinade and let sit while mixing the yogurt marinade — the two stages can overlap so preparation takes under 15 minutes of active time.
Make-ahead: Score and apply the full yogurt marinade up to 24 hours ahead; the chicken is at peak flavor at the 12-hour mark and the marinade continues to work beneficially up to 24 hours.
Leftover move: Slice cold leftover tandoori chicken off the bone and use in wraps with raw onion and mint chutney, or dice and stir into a butter chicken sauce for a shortcut second dish.
Cleanup rhythm: Line the roasting tray with heavy-duty foil before cooking — the dripping marinade burns and caramelizes onto bare metal and requires soaking; foil makes cleanup a matter of folding and discarding.

Ingredient brief

Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.

bone-in chicken pieces (legs and thighs)

protein

Purpose: Dark meat withstands the intense dry heat needed for proper charring without drying out the way breast meat does.

Handling: Remove excess skin and score each piece to the bone so marinade and heat penetrate evenly.

Adaptation: Whole spatchcocked chicken works well; breast pieces need 8-10 minutes less cooking.

plain full-fat yogurt

marinade base

Purpose: Yogurt's fat and proteins create the coating that chars and forms the characteristic crust while simultaneously tenderizing the meat.

Handling: Strain through a cheesecloth for 30 minutes to remove excess water — a thin yogurt marinade slides off and produces a pale, uneven char.

Adaptation: Coconut yogurt for a dairy-free marinade; the charring behavior and flavor are comparable.

kashmiri red chili powder

color and mild heat

Purpose: Kashmiri chili gives tandoori chicken its vivid orange-red color with a warmth that is noticeable but not overpowering.

Handling: Use generously in the second marinade — this is the primary source of color and any deficit is visible in the finished dish.

Adaptation: Sweet paprika plus a small amount of cayenne produces similar color and heat.

lemon juice

first-stage tenderizer

Purpose: Lemon juice in the initial marinade penetrates the scored cuts and begins breaking down the surface proteins before the yogurt layer is applied.

Handling: Apply directly to scored surfaces and rub into the cuts; rest 30 minutes before applying the yogurt marinade.

Adaptation: White wine vinegar in the same quantity produces a similar acid tenderizing effect.

garam masala

warm spice finish

Purpose: Garam masala adds the aromatic warmth that makes tandoori chicken smell as compelling as it tastes.

Handling: Add to the yogurt marinade along with coriander and cumin; using fresh-ground garam masala produces noticeably better results.

Adaptation: A mix of ground cardamom, cloves, black pepper, and cinnamon approximates the blend.

Technique notes

Brush the pieces once with neutral oil just before they go under the broiler — the oil helps the yogurt coating set into a crust rather than sticking to the rack and tearing off.
The chicken is done when the juices run clear and the skin is charred in places but not fully blackened; internal temperature should reach 165°F, though the dark meat texture improves at 175°F.
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice and thinly sliced raw onion at the table are not garnishes — they are the palate-cleansing counterpoint that makes each subsequent bite taste fresh.

Ingredient swaps

Dairy-free direction: Use full-fat coconut yogurt strained through a cloth to remove excess liquid; it chars and seasons similarly to dairy yogurt.
Charcoal grill direction: Cook over a hot charcoal fire for the nearest home-kitchen approximation of a tandoor — the smoky char and heat-blister char marks are difficult to replicate any other way.

Serve alongside

mint chutney
sliced raw onion with lemon
naan or roti
cold Kingfisher lager
mint lemonade
mango lassi

Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.

Storage & reheating

Refrigerate cooked pieces in a sealed container for up to 3 days; the flavor deepens as the spiced char permeates the meat further.
Reheat under a broiler for 4-5 minutes to restore some of the char texture; microwaving makes the skin soggy and removes the characteristic dry surface.

Equipment

wire rack set over a foil-lined baking tray for even air circulation
instant-read thermometer for safe doneness
broiler-safe baking pan or cast-iron skillet as a heat shield

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