Why You’ll Love This this Homemade Tandoori Chicken
This tandoori chicken brings all those bold, warming spices right to your kitchen without needing a fancy clay oven or a trip to your favorite Indian restaurant. The yogurt marinade works its magic to keep every bite incredibly tender while those spices – ginger, cumin, paprika, and just a hint of cloves – create layers of flavor that’ll have you wondering why you ever ordered takeout. Plus, at just 45 minutes in a regular oven, it’s weeknight-friendly enough that you can satisfy those tandoori cravings any time the mood strikes.
Ingredients List
You’ll need just a handful of pantry staples and fresh chicken to create this restaurant-quality tandoori at home.
- 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
- 8-10 drops red food coloring
- 1 (2 1/2-3 lb) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Here’s what makes this ingredient list pretty darn good for you:
- The yogurt acts as a natural tenderizer while packing in probiotics and protein
- Most of these spices are anti-inflammatory powerhouses, especially turmeric-cousin cumin and ginger
- You can easily skip the red food coloring if you’re trying to avoid artificial additives – the paprika gives plenty of color on its own
- Chicken provides lean protein, and since you’re not deep-frying it, you’re keeping things relatively light
- The spice blend means tons of flavor without relying on excess salt or sugar
Step by Step Directions
Making authentic tandoori chicken at home is surprisingly straightforward and requires just basic oven cooking. For an even more authentic experience, consider using an outdoor clay tandoor which provides the traditional high-heat cooking method that gives tandoori dishes their distinctive flavor and texture.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Combine 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, 2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce, and 8-10 drops red food coloring in a medium-sized bowl.
- Mix the marinade ingredients thoroughly until well combined.
- Coat all 8 pieces of the 2 1/2-3 lb chicken completely with the yogurt marinade mixture.
- Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the coated chicken pieces on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, checking that juices run clear and no pink remains before serving.
Substitutions and Variations
- Ground cardamom makes an excellent substitute for cloves – use the same amount, and you’ll get that warm, aromatic flavor without the intensity.
- Chicken thighs instead of a whole cut-up chicken will give you juicier results, though they might need an extra 10-15 minutes in the oven.
- Buttermilk can pinch-hit for regular yogurt if you’re in a bind, but add an extra pinch of salt since buttermilk’s tangier.
- Fresh ginger, grated fine, trumps ground ginger – use about a tablespoon of fresh for every teaspoon of ground, assuming you don’t mind the extra prep work.
- Garam masala can replace the individual spices if you’ve got it – use about 2 teaspoons and skip the cumin, coriander, cloves, and black pepper.
Additional Things to Serve With This Dish
This tandoori chicken practically begs for some friends on the plate, and trust me, you’ll want to round out this flavor-packed meal with the right companions.
- Basmati rice or naan bread – because you need something to soak up that gorgeous, spiced yogurt marinade that’s bound to drip everywhere.
- Cucumber raita – just diced cucumbers mixed with yogurt, a pinch of salt, and maybe some mint if you’re feeling fancy, which cools down the heat beautifully.
- Simple roasted vegetables like cauliflower, bell peppers, or zucchini tossed with olive oil and salt, since they won’t compete with those bold tandoori flavors.
- A fresh green salad with lemon vinaigrette cuts through all that richness, plus it makes you feel like you’re being healthy while demolishing an entire chicken leg.
- Pickled onions – slice a red onion thin, toss with vinegar and a bit of sugar, let it sit for 20 minutes, and boom, you’ve got that tangy crunch that makes everything better.
- Mango chutney or any fruit chutney adds a sweet contrast that plays beautifully against the smoky spices, though store-bought works just fine if you’re not in the mood to get all fancy.
Cooking Tips & Tricks (Chef’s Notes)
A few insider secrets can turn your tandoori chicken from decent to absolutely divine, and honestly, some of these tricks took me way too long to figure out.
- Score the chicken pieces with shallow cuts against the grain – this lets the marinade penetrate deeper and prevents that rubbery texture nobody wants.
- Marinate for at least 4 hours, but overnight is your best friend because those spices need time to work their magic, and patience pays off big time here.
- Pat the chicken completely dry before marinating since wet chicken just dilutes your beautiful spice blend, and we’re not making chicken soup here.
- Use a meat thermometer instead of guessing – 165°F in the thickest part means you’re golden, because nobody wants to serve pink chicken at dinner.
- Let it rest for 5 minutes after baking so those juices redistribute instead of running all over your cutting board the second you touch it.
- Broil for the last 2-3 minutes if you want that slightly charred, authentic tandoori look, but watch it like a hawk because burnt chicken is nobody’s friend.
- Save some of the marinade before adding raw chicken if you want to drizzle extra sauce on top, because food safety rules aren’t suggestions, and cross-contamination is real.
- Line your baking sheet with foil unless you enjoy scrubbing burnt-on yogurt from your pans, which I’m guessing you don’t.
Nutritional Facts
This homemade tandoori chicken delivers impressive nutrition with bold flavor, packing plenty of protein while keeping calories reasonable.
- Calories per serving (2 pieces): Approximately 285-320 calories
- Protein: 42-45 grams per serving, making it excellent for muscle building and satiety
- Total fat: 8-12 grams, primarily from the chicken skin and minimal amounts from yogurt
- Saturated fat: 2-3 grams per serving
- Carbohydrates: 4-6 grams, mostly from the yogurt marinade and spices
- Fiber: Less than 1 gram per serving
- Sugar: 3-4 grams from natural lactose in the yogurt
- Sodium: 450-550 mg per serving, depending on salt used and chicken preparation
- Calcium: 8-10% of daily value from the yogurt marinade
- Iron: 6-8% of daily value from the spices and chicken
- Vitamin A: 15-20% of daily value, boosted by paprika and red food coloring
- Potassium: 350-400 mg per serving from chicken and spices
- Cholesterol: 85-95 mg per serving from the chicken
Fun “Did You Know?”
While tandoori chicken’s signature red color comes from food coloring in most home kitchens, traditional recipes achieve that vibrant hue through a natural spice called annatto or cayenne pepper mixed with yogurt that’s been strained for hours.
I find it fascinating that authentic tandoori cooking requires clay ovens reaching temperatures of 900°F – much hotter than your home oven!
The word “tandoor” actually means “oven” in Persian. Originally, this dish was cooked by Punjabi cooks in the Mughal courts.
Today’s version adapts perfectly to conventional ovens while maintaining those bold, smoky flavors you’ll love.
