Authentic Tandoori Chicken Recipe (in Oven) (2024)

Published: Sep 16, 2019 · Modified: Jan 10, 2024 by Maria Doss · This post may contain affiliate links · 5 Comments

Authentic tandoori chicken recipe is easy, super flavorful and is fabulous made intodifferent meals. The best tandoori chicken recipe!

Jump to Recipe

Today, we are going back to basics.The basic yet classic tandoori chicken without a tandoor.

I dream of owning my own tandoor oven built in the backyard where I can cook naans, kulchas, tandoori chicken, paneer tikka to my heart's content. A girl can dream, right?

As of now, it is the outdoor grill or oven to the rescue!!

This has been my go to tandoori chicken recipe for as long as I can remember. It is a HUGE HIT every single time like the chicken tikka kebab.

Why is this the best authentic tandoori chicken recipe?

Easy
Authentic
Spicy
Healthy
Moist
Flavorful
D-E-L-I-S-H

( This chicken recipe first appeared here. It was time for a face lift with better pictures)

What ingredients are in tandoori chicken?

Chicken - My choice of chicken is boneless skinless chicken thighs. They cook so juicy, moist and tender when compared to chicken breast.

Yogurt - I use greek yogurt, since it so thick and delicious. But, any plain thick yogurt will work. '

Lime juice - Or lemon juice. The acidity is one of the main ingredients in making a tender chicken

Spices - Coriander and cayenne pepper powder

Ginger, Garlic - The "mirepoix" of Indian cooking

Kasoori methi - Dried fenugreek leaves which contributes a unique buttery flavor and is a MUST in making an authentic tandoori chicken recipe. It can be found in all Indian grocery store and Amazon. However, if you cannot get hold of kasoori methi then here is a good substitute - 2 tablespoons of finely minced fresh cilantro and 2 tablespoons of finely minced fresh mint.

Orange food color - It is used to give the tandoori chickenthe iconic deep orangish - red color. This is purely optional.

How to make authentic tandoori chicken at home?

Step-1: Make marinade - Mix all marinade ingredients together, until thoroughly combined

Step-2: Toss boneless skinless chicken thighs along with the marinade and refrigerate overnight.

Step-3: Broil in oven or cook on a outdoor grill

Done and DONE.

How easy was that?

Expert tips:

Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs for moist, tender cooked tandoori chicken.

Greek yogurt makes a thick marinade. If you are using regular yogurt, then try using thick variety.

I will highly recommend using kasoori methi to make an authentic tandoori chicken in oven. However, look for substitute in the recipe notes.

Tandoori chicken REQUIRES the overnight marination for all the flavors to infuse into the chicken. Do not try to cut short the marination time.

This recipe is great on the outdoor grill. Follow the instructions below to grill-

Make authentic tandoori chicken marinade. Marinade chicken (follow the recipe)
Preheat grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F to 425°F)
Brush grill grates with oil.
Place the chicken on the grill over direct heat and cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and grill until the second side is browned, 5 minutes more, or until cooked through and internal temperature is at least 165F.
Remove from grill and set aside, covered, for 5 minutes.

To make ahead - Leftover cooked and cooled tandoori chicken can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen in a zip lock bag.

Serving instructions?

With someCashew Mint Chutney
Made into aTandoori Chicken Sandwiches
Made intoTandoori Chicken Naanwich
Made into Tandoori Chicken Salad

Frequently asked questions:

Why is tandoori chicken red?

Tandoori chicken is originally made with ground deep red hued chilly pepper which gave the iconic reddish orange color. However, orange/red food color along with the red pepper are more commonly used in present times.

How healthy is tandoori chicken?

Tandoori chicken is one of the healthy chicken preparations, since it is marinated with an array of spices along with yogurt & lime juice and cooked in a tandoori oven or grill. It is very low in fat.

Authentic Tandoori Chicken in Oven

Authentic tandoori chicken recipe is easy, super flavorful and is fabulous made into different meals. Tender cooked chicken with the MOST delicious tandoori chicken marinade made with yogurt, lemon juice, spices, ginger, garlic, kasoori methi and a dash of food color for that iconic look. THE BEST TANDOORI CHICKEN RECIPE EVER!!!

3.8 from 26 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Resting time: 8 hours hours

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 191kcal

Author: Maria Doss

Ingredients

▢ ½ cup plain yogurt
▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
▢ 1 tablespoon lime juice
▢ 1 tablespoon dry fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi), optional refer notes
▢ 2 cloves garlic, grated
▢ ¼ inch piece ginger, grated
▢ 2 teaspoons coriander powder
▢ 1 and ½ teaspoons salt
▢ 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
▢ ⅛ teaspoon orange food color, optional
▢ 4 to 5 boneless skinless chicken thighs

Instructions

Add all tandoori chicken ingredients (except chicken) in a medium bowl and mix well.
Add chicken and toss around, to coat well with the marinade. Cover bowl with a plastic wrap and let marinade in refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Position an oven rack about 6 inches from heat element and turn on broil.
Place a oven-safe wire rack on a baking sheet ( this will allow all excess moisture drip down) and place chicken thighs on the wire rack.
Place baking sheet in the oven (6-inches from heat element) and broil for about 20 minutes, until slightly charred and cooked. (Alternatively, you can cook chicken on an outdoor grill - refer notes)
Remove baking sheet from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

To grill tandoori chicken:

Make authentic tandoori chicken marinade. Marinade chicken (follow the recipe)
Preheat grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F to 425°F)
Brush grill grates with oil.
Place the chicken on the grill over direct heat and cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and grill until the second side is browned, 5 minutes more, or until cooked through and internal temperature is at least 165F.
Remove from grill and set aside, covered, for 5 minutes.

Useboneless, skinless chicken thighsfor moist, tender cooked tandoori chicken.

I will highly recommend usingkasoori methito make an authentic tandoori chicken in oven. However, look for substitute in the recipe notes.

Orange food coloris used to give the tandoori chickenthe iconic deep orangish – red color. This is purely optional.

Tandoori chicken REQUIRES theovernight marinationfor all the flavors to infuse into the chicken. Do not try to cut short the marination time.

Nutrition

Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @KitchenAtHoskins or tag #kitchenathoskins!

Some ofthelinks above are affiliate links, which pay me a smallcommission for my referral at no extra cost to you!I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.Thank you for supportingkitchenathoskins.com

All contents and images are my original work, unless and otherwise mentioned. Please do not use my recipes or images without linking back to www.kitchenathoskins.com. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite in your own words and don’t forget to include a link back to the original recipe.