You don’t need a tandoor to make mouth-watering tandoori chicken.
If you ever order tandoori chicken legs as a starter at your local curry house, you might be surprised at how easy it is to make at home.
The simple marinade in this recipe will get you restaurant quality results. You can use it on chicken legs, chicken tikka or a whole chicken. This is a tandoori chicken recipe you need to know!
Abut this tandoori chicken recipe
You will probably know that there are many recipes for tandoori chicken. I have quite a few on my website in my books.
You need this recipe to make the most popular version of tandoori chicken. This is the one you find at most curry houses and it might even be the only tandoori chicken recipe they use. You can use the same marinade to make chicken tikka for your curries or to cook a whole roast chicken.
Although it is ‘tandoori’ chicken, the chicken at restaurants is rarely cooked in a tandoor these days. Instead, you cook it over fire. That said, you could also cook this tandoori chicken recipe in you oven at about 200°C/400° for about 40 minutes or until cooked through and nicely charred.
Why is the tandoori chicken bright red?
I’m afraid that is completely down to food colouring. You do not need to add it but a lot of people like the fiery hot look it gives to the chicken.
There is red chilli powder in the recipe so even if you don’t use red food colouring, it will still have a natural red tone to it. The red food colouring adds no flavour so it really is a personal thing whether you use it or not.
How do you make this tandoori chicken recipe?
- Removing the skin: Remove the skin from the chicken legs and score it in several places on both sides.
- Using food colouring: Red food colouring powder is often added at restaurants. To do this, mix the powder with a little lime juice to make it a liquid. Then rub it all over the flesh of the chicken.
- Applying the first marinade: Mix the chicken with all of the ingredients in the first marinade and let it sit for about 20 minutes. This give the marinade time to soak in.
- Apply the second marinade: In this case, the second marinade is just yoghurt. Rub this into the meat so that it is evenly coated. Marinate for 30 minutes to 48 hours, the longer the better.
- Cook: Cook the chicken over hot coals on a cooking grate or skewers. This can also be done in an oven set to 200°C/400°F for about 40 minutes. The tandoori chicken recipe is ready to serve when the internal temperature reaches 74°C/165°F.
Why are there two marinade?
This is quite standard with Indian tandoori cooking. The idea of the first marinade is to get the flavour of the lime juice, garlic and ginger and the spices right into the flesh of the chicken.
The second marinade, which often has more ingredients in it than just yoghurt such as garlic and ginger paste and lime juice is used to tenderise the meat. It also works to counter the effects of the lime juice.
Lime juice is a natural tenderiser but if it is left on the meat too long, it can make it rubbery and not very nice. The yoghurt counters this so you get perfectly tender chicken that is full of flavour.
Why do you add the red food colouring powder directly to the meat?
You might know that you are not supposed to add food colouring directly to meats. It actually states this on most food colouring powder containers.
The reason you do it is because that’s the way it’s done! If you were to add it to the yoghurt instead, you would get pink yoghurt and your chicken would look pink instead of bright red.
So you aren’t supposed to use food colouring this way but that is what is done at every curry house I have visited. If at all concerned, just leave it out.
How long can you store leftovers in the fridge?
This tandoori chicken recipe is best served hot, right off the grill. That said, if you do have any leftovers you can store them, covered in your fridge for at least 3 days.
The leftovers can be served hot or cold. If you want to serve your tandoori chicken legs hot, just place them in your microwave for a couple of minutes or better, place them in an air fryer set to 200°C/400°F for about 5 minutes or until heated through.
Step by step photographs.
Get all your ingredients measured out and ready before starting. It’s easier that way.
Remove the skin from the chicken legs and score them in a few places on both sides.
If using red food colouring powder, rub it right into the chicken with a little lime juice and the salt.
Pound the chillies and coriander (cilantro) to a paste with the lime juice. Then stir in the garlic and ginger paste.
Rub the paste and the ground spices into the chicken and leave it for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, add the yoghurt to the chicken and rub it right into the flesh. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes to 48 hours. The longer the better.
If using skewers, skewer the chicken by weaving the skewer lengthwise through the chicken legs.
Place the chicken on skewers or on a cooking grate over the hot coals.
Turn the chicken regularly. When it is almost cooked through, begin basting the chicken with melted ghee from time to time.
Your tandoori chicken recipe is ready when the meat is cooked through and you have a nice char on the exterior.
Serve hot. I like to serve mine over a bed of sliced onions and chillies that have been fried in ghee.
If you like this tandoori chicken recipe, be sure to try out some of the other barbecue recipes on my site.
How to Make Easy Tandoori Chicken
I prefer cooking this recipe on the barbecue but the oven works well too. If cooking in the oven, set your oven to the highest heat. Place the chicken pieces on a rack and cook for about 25 minutes. Turn the pieces half way through the cooking time. The chicken is ready when the juices run clear when pricked with a fork and the edges are blackened slightly.
Ingredients
- 4 large chicken legs with thigh attached
- FOR THE FIRST MARINADE
- Juice of two lemons or limes
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp red food colouring (optional)
- 2 - 3 green finger chillies, finely chopped
- 1 bunch of coriander (cilantro) leaves, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 210g (1 cup) Greek yoghurt
- TO FINSIH
- 3 tbsp melted ghee for basting
Instructions
- Remove the skin from the chicken thighs.
- Using a sharp knife, make three slits in each thigh. This is done so that the marinade gets right into the flesh.
- Squeeze the juice of one lime all over the chicken thighs and sprinkle with the salt and let sit while you make the marinade. You can also add about a tsp of red food colouring powder at this time but that is optional.
- Place all the first marinade ingredients, including the juice of the remaining lime in a food processor or pestle and mortar and grind to a fine paste. Cover the chicken pieces with the marinade and rub it with your hands deep into the flesh of the chicken. Let the chicken soak up this marinade for 20 minutes.
- Rub int the yoghurt and allow to marinate for 30 minutes or up to 48 hours - the longer the better.
- When ready to cook, build a charcoal in your barbecue. The flavour of the burning charcoal together with the marinated chicken is phenomenal! You can however, place the chicken in an oven set to 200°C/400°F until cooked through, turning once. This will take between 25 and 40 minutes.
- You are ready to grill when you find it unbearably hot to hold your hand at cooking height for longer than 2 seconds.
- Cook the tandoori chicken turning occasionally until the chicken is cooked through and the edges are blackened. When the chicken is almost cooked and charred in places, baste it several times with the melted ghee.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 606Total Fat: 45gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 300mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 4gSugar: 17gProtein: 76g
Lacy
Saturday 20th of April 2024
I'm new to cooking Indian dishes. I have a couple questions. The yogurt, is it Greek? And chilies, what kind of that exactly, jalapeño? Will I have the same success with the dish if the chicken thighs are not on the bone?
John Meyer
Saturday 27th of July 2024
@Dan Toombs, Hi, great to see you answering everyone's questions. I respect that and know everyone else does too. I will try this receipt. There is a restaurant on young street in Toronto called Naan Kabob. I had their Waziri Tandoori and it was great unreal. Excited to try yours today. Bye the way, what nationality are you?
Dan Toombs
Thursday 25th of April 2024
Yes, use full fat Greek yogurt. If you can find the thin green bird’s eye chillies use those. If jalapeños are all you can get go ahead and use those. Yes, you can use off the bone thighs but bones add more flavour. Thanks Dan
Trent
Wednesday 1st of November 2023
have an issue when I cook boneless tandoori chicken. I put it in the oven at 180 celcius fanbake for 18 minutes for it to be properly cooked through however most of the marinade has slid off despite me putting no oil. The marinade that is in the tray tastes good but what's left on the chicken has become tasteless. The chicken is not even charred. If I put oil in the marinade the marinade slides off worse. If I use cornflour the marinade cakes and also becomes tasteless. The marinade tastes and smell good before putting on the raw chicken. If I only put in the oven for 14 minutes more marinade stays on the chicken and is flavourful but the chicken is barely cooked. I already put slashes in the thin boneless chicken thighs. I alreay toast the spices. How can I resolve this and what is causing this?
Dan Toombs
Monday 6th of November 2023
Usually when I cook in the oven I leave the yoghurt out of the marinade. This intensifies the flavour of the spices and other ingredients on the chicken. Tandoori chicken is of course best when grilled over fire or in a tandoor oven where the heat is intense. I recommend cooking the chicken in the oven until 90% cooked then place under a grill to char to your liking. Hope this helps. Dan
Gemma
Thursday 8th of June 2023
Does the leftover lemon juice mix go in the marinade?
Dan Toombs
Friday 9th of June 2023
Yes you can add that to the marinade. Thanks Dan
kj
Tuesday 28th of March 2023
what is red food coloring , where to buy it
Dan Toombs
Sunday 2nd of April 2023
You can buy this in most Asian grocery stores in powder form. It is also available on line. Thanks Dan
Sab
Wednesday 12th of October 2022
Hi Dan, I have cooked this recipe many times and it's a winner,as you say best done on a barbecue but I have had good success doing it under the grill. I like to serve it with yellow slit pea dhal and basmati rice. This one will really impress your friends, just don't tell how easy it is... Thanks Dan
Dan Toombs
Thursday 13th of October 2022
Thanks for your comments and agreed it works well cooking under the grill too.
Dan