This is tandoori chicken with a delicious difference! You’ve got to try this tandoori whole roast chicken recipe!
I developed this tandoori chicken recipe to demonstrate how having a jar of homemade tandoori paste on hand is a very good idea. You can make the marinade for this tandoori style chicken in seconds when you have the paste.
I like to marinate the bird for at least 48 hours. You could of course marinate it for as few as three hours but the longer marinating time takes tandoori chicken to a whole new level!
Boil the carcass when you are finished with some onions, carrot and your favourite spices for a very tasty chicken stock that can be made into soups or added to your chicken curries. It is simply too good to waste.
If you are interested in making some Indian restaurant classics, you could add the cooking stock to my base curry sauce recipe instead of water. Doing this will ensure your chicken curries better than you will find at most takeaways and restaurants.
If you love tandoori chicken, you owe it to yourself to try this recipe. You’ll love it. I promise.
The tandoori chicken roast is good for you too. As with most tandoori chicken recipes, all of the skin is removed before marinating.
So it is much lighter than most roast chicken recipe but still just as delicious.
If you enjoy this recipe, you might like to try the same marinade with different cuts of chicken or other meats. It is great used to make tandoori chicken tikka.
It is really good with lamb and beef.
Tandoori Roast Whole Chicken

Ingredients
- 1 x free range 2.5kl chicken (skinned)
- 3 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon tandoori paste (more or less to taste)
- Juice of one or two limes
Instructions
- Make the marinade by mixing all of the marinade ingredients. Rub some of the marinade inside the chicken.
- Make shallow incisions into the chicken breasts, legs and thighs a and truss it.
- Rub the remaining marinade all over the chicken ensuring that all of the incisions are covered in marinade. Allow to marinate for three to 48 hours.
- When ready to cook, pre-heat your oven to it’s highest setting. Place the chicken in a roasting pan and place in the oven for 40 minutes to an hour. Your chicken is ready when the juices run clear when you prick the thigh with a knife.
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You might even want to try the same style of cooking with different marinades.
I do this a lot and have yet to be disappointed with the results. You just don’t need all that fatty skin to make roast chicken awesome.
jim Peterson
Saturday 8th of September 2018
Can a roast chicken recipe, be converted to be cooked in a tandoori? Should veggies , potatoes, carrots, etc., be cooked in the tandoori, along with meat or chicken? Should/could you line the tandoori with metal foil?
Thanks, Dan. I really appreciate any help, jim
Dan Toombs
Wednesday 19th of September 2018
Hi Jim
I often cook this recipe in my tandoor. You can cook almost everything in a tandoor from meat to veg to breads. No need to line with foil.
Thanks, Dan
Ewa
Sunday 21st of January 2018
I'm making it tomorrow !!!! Will be done on Monday. Can't wait. Btw. Are you British? As I read it was British who first created curry and then it went to India and so one. If you are , then this well cooking must be in your blood
Dan Toombs
Monday 22nd of January 2018
Hi Ewa
Thanks for getting in touch. Hope you enjoy the recipe. I'm originally from the US but have lived in the UK for 25 years. I'm now British. :-) The curries we get here in the UK at curry houses were developed here. Curries, however did come from Indian.
Dan
ian henderson
Saturday 7th of October 2017
Hi Dan I was one of the first to pre order your book and have enjoyed the recipes. But I find in some of your recipes that you use pre cooked lamb or chicken. I feel that I am making the same curry twice and have no room in my freezer for base sauce or pre cooked meat. I am making your tandoori chicken again tonight it's fantastic
Dan Toombs
Tuesday 17th of October 2017
Hi Ian
Thank you very much for purchasing my book. The recipes you are referring to are the classic curry house recipes. It is done for speed but you could definitely adjust the recipes to taste. You can even add raw meat and let it cook longer. Hope this helps.
Thanks, Dan
pavitra
Tuesday 5th of September 2017
Amazing, I love roasted chicken. I tried it. Its delicious. Your recipes are superb. Thanks for sharing.
Dan Toombs
Thursday 7th of September 2017
Thank you very much Pavitra. :-)
dlora
Saturday 4th of March 2017
Hi this looks delicious! I just wondered what you would reccomend to put with this to make a full meal?
Dan Toombs
Sunday 5th of March 2017
Hi Dlora
Roast potatoes, salad, pretty much anything. Think of it as a Sunday dinner roast. You can use the veggie recipes from my site or just steam some up.
Thanks, Dan