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!!!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Keyword baked tandoori chicken, oven tandoori chicken, tandoori chicken

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Resting time 8

Servings 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.

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

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

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

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

Nutrition