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Tandoori Chicken

Ready in 1 hr 5 mins + waiting

Recipe by Mamtha Sunil Kumar 

The name Tandoori Chicken is derived from chicken baked in a clay oven named a "Tandoor". This oven originated in the northern Indian state of Punjab; a region renowned for great chicken dishes, and most are baked in the tandoor. However, since you probably don't keep a spare tandoor at home, we'll use a conventional oven for our Tandoori Chicken recipe.

Tandoori Chicken is one of those Indian dishes that you normally only get a chance to eat in an Indian restaurant but here, it is so easy, that you shouldn't hesitate to give it a go. It's perfect for the whole family - kids and adults alike - so feel free to increase the quantities and feed the whole tribe!

Preparation Time

20 Minutes + waiting

Cooking Time

45 Minutes

Ingredients for Tandoori Chicken

If you are not familiar with any ingredients, please check our International Cooking Terms page.
If you want to know more about Indian ingredients, check our Indian Spices and our Indian Pulses, Rice and Seeds pages.

Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements

To serve 4:

8 chicken drumsticks
1 teaspoon natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon tomato pureé (tomato paste)
about 1 inch fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground red pepper
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

How to Cook Tandoori Chicken

  1. Remove the skins from the chicken. Make several cuts in the flesh to allow the marinade to really flavour the meat. In a casserole large enough to hold the chicken legs, mix the yogurt and tomato pureé (tomato paste), then peel and finely chop the ginger and peel and crush (shred) the garlic and add those too. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add the white wine vinegar, salt, pepper and garam masala and stir well to mix. Marinate the chicken legs in this paste for 6 hours (preferably overnight), turning them occasionally so that they are well-coated in marinade.
  2. Preheat the oven to moderate (Mk 4 - 350ºF - 180ºC) and bake the chicken for 45 minutes until tender (baste with the residual marinade from time-to-time). Serve hot.
MAMTHA SUNIL KUMAR'S HOT TIP:
Lime squeezed on the chicken reduces the effect of the spices if necessary.