Spicy chicken marinated in yogurt, kashmiri red chili powder, fresh ginger-garlic, garam masala, and then grilled to perfection! Tandoori chicken is a classic Indian dish that is healthy, easy to cook, and a definite crowd-pleaser. Whenever I have to take a dish to a summer party, this is the dish that comes to mind.
My boys LOVE tandoori chicken. For years, we ate it in restaurants, our fingers got red from the food coloring they used. Every time we went to India we would enjoy my mom's Tandoori chicken on her terrace mini-tandoor and it was so much more flavorful and bright red without any artificial coloring. The secret when I asked her was the mild kashmiri chili powder that gave her tandoori chicken the bright hue.
I finally got her recipe and realized how easy it was to make tandoori chicken at home. Before we knew it was on our repeat list. It is also my go-to dish when I have guests over and for those warm summer evening get-togethers. In addition to yogurt, fresh ginger, and garlic the other key ingredient to this recipe is the homemade garam masala.
I usually use chicken breasts for most of my recipes, however tandoori chicken is an exception. I feel drumsticks are a must for this recipe.
After de-skinning the drumsticks, make 3-4 slits across each drumstick. Then I whisk together grated ginger-garlic, garam masala, red chili powder, yogurt, lemon juice and salt to make the marinade.
Apply the marinade evenly on the chicken pieces and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 5-6 hours or up to 24 hours. The longer you marinate the more flavorful the chicken will be.
Take the chicken out of the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to grilling. Baste the chicken with some cooking oil and arrange it on a grilling pan or on the outdoor grill.
You can grill it on an outdoor grill for 20 mins. Alternatively, bake it at 450 F in an oven for 15 mins, followed by 5 minutes of broiling to get some perfectly grilled charred marks.
Serve Tandoori Chicken with Mango Salad or Fiesta Quinoa Salad. I often make Vegetable Biryani to serve with Tandoori chicken as it makes a hearty meal.
Don't forget some easy drinks! Try the soothing mango lassi, watermelon juice, or refreshing ginger lemonade!
Tandoori Chicken
Ingredients
- 8-10 de-skinned chicken drumsticks
- ½ cup plain regular or low fat yogurt
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1-2 tablespoon kashmiri or any other mild red chili powder
- 1-2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Make 3-4 slits across each drumstick. Whisk together ginger-garlic, garam masala, red chili powder, yogurt, lemon juice, and salt to make the marinade. Apply evenly to the chicken pieces and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 5-6 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Preheat the grill or oven at 450 F. Take the chicken out of the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to grilling. Baste the chicken with some cooking oil and arrange it on a grilling pan or on the outdoor grill.
- You can grill it on an outdoor grill for 20 mins or until the juices run clear. Alternatively, bake it in an oven for 15 mins, followed by 5 minutes of broiling to get some perfectly grilled charred marks.
- Serve with fresh lemon wedges and sliced onion.
Nutrition
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Aayushi Manish says
Yummylicious ?
Archana says
Thank you Aayushi!
Hans Susser says
Ahhh,
another winner 🙂
Cheers !
Hans
http://www.ChefsOpinion.org
Archana says
Thank you Hans!
Monika says
Looks so so so awesome!!
Archana says
Thank you Monika!
Leyla says
One of my favorite Indian dishes! Yummmmm 🙂
Archana says
Thank you Leyla!
Love Served Daily says
Delicious
Archana says
Thank you Ritu!
dishdessert says
looks delicious!
Archana says
Thank you!
tastefullysimplewithjohn says
Looks so good. 🙂
Archana says
Thank you!
9recipes says
Looks so delicious!
Archana says
Thank you!!
Sheela says
Hello, what kind of yogurt and how much of it? Can't wait to make it!
Archana says
Hi Sheela, regular plain full fat yogurt works well for this recipe. Let me know how you like it
Sheela says
Thank you Archana! Is there a particular amount of yogurt I should use? I want to make sure the spices are not overwhelming (or underwhelming!) Thank you!
Archana says
Hi Sheela! I just updated the recipe with the yogurt amount. Sorry it was missed before. Please let me know how you like it!
Din says
Would it be okay to leave the skin on the chicken when marinating? Or would it not permeate as well? I was thinking I could get a crisper chicken if I did that. Also, would that change the cooking times?
Archana says
You. An absolutely leave skin on. Just make some small slits so the marinade can go in. With instant pot the marinade also stays on the food so you have all the flavors intact