Tandoori chicken has been my favorite childhood food and now I pass it on to my kids. Cooking tandoori chicken might sound like a daunting task. Try this easy oven-baked tandoori chicken recipe with delicious cilantro chutney. I promise it won't disappoint you!
My Pappa(father) used to bring tandoori chicken for us from a local store in our town in Gujarat. The combination of succulent, juicy, and absolutely tender Tandoori chicken with green chutney tasted out of this world delicious.
This isn't an authentic tandoori chicken recipe. This recipe is my quick and easy take on Tandoori chicken for busy days. There is nothing wrong with taking shortcuts to create authentic-tasting recipes to make your life easier ;).
What is Tandoori?
If you are searching for the term tandoori chicken, I am pretty sure you have tried tandoori food in a restaurant or a friend's place and now you are wanting to give it a go at home as well :). I am happy you stopped by. The term "tandoori" translates to "cooked in a tandoor" (Indian clay oven) in Hindi. Masala(spices) to season tandoori food is made from all common Indian spices used for daily cooking.
So basically, anything cooked in a clay tandoor oven is tandoori ;). Be it bread, vegetable, or meat. I guess I gave you enough to tickle your brain.
Ingredients for Baked Tandoori Chicken
Literally, just five ingredients and you are ready to whip up some delicious and succulent tandoori chicken in your oven. you may choose to grill or cook on a stovetop. All good!
- Chicken: I am using chicken drumsticks for this recipe because that's all I had on hand when I did the photoshoot for Tandoori chicken :). This recipe can be used with chicken breasts, thighs, leg quarters, wings, or chicken tenders. Cooking time may vary for bone-in and boneless chicken.
- Tandoori Masala: I am using a tandoori spice blend created by me in collaboration with Rumi Spice. It is made with all clean ingredients. You may purchase my tandoori masala or use your favorite brand.
- Lemon Juice or Yogurt: a combination of strained yogurt and lemon juice helps cook juicy tandoori chicken. Either yogurt or lemon juice is fine as well. At least use one of the ingredients though.
- Oil: any neutral cooking oil is great for cooking and marinating the chicken.
- Food coloring or Saffron: I am not a fan of food coloring. I like to add saffron if I have it on hand. You may use ¼ teaspoon of red food coloring if you like.
How to Make Oven-Baked Tandoori Chicken?
- Clean and pat dry chicken with a paper towel. Combine chicken, tandoori masala, lemon juice, strained yogurt, and oil in a large prep bowl.
- Massage the marinade on the chicken well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. If you have a grill rack place it over a lined baking sheet.
- Place marinated chicken over the rack. Leave about half an inch of space between each chicken piece.
- Bake tandoori chicken for 30 minutes then turn the chicken pieces over. Brush it with oil or any leftover marinade you have in a bowl. Bake for another 15 minutes.
How to Serve Baked Tandoori Chicken
We love making quick and easy oven-baked tandoori chicken quite often for weekly meals. I like to serve it with a generous amount of cilantro chutney and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Serve it with plain basmati rice or naan and salad for a full meal.
More Indian Chicken Recipes
How to Clean Chicken Drumstick
- Pull the skin down until you are at the end to remove the skin from each drumstick.
- Trim all the excess fat if you like with kitchen scissors.
- Make a small cut right around the ankle of a chicken drumstick, to pull out the rubbery tendon.
- Remove Gamey Flavors & Smell: soak the cleaned drumsticks in salt and vinegar or lemon water for 10 minutes then rinse them well with cold water to eliminate the gamey smell.
- Wash and clean the kitchen and sink surfaces with hot water and soap after rinsing the chicken. Wash your hands with soap after handling raw meat.
Indian Curry Recipes
Easy Oven Baked Tandoori Chicken Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Tandoori Chicken
- 3 pounds bone-in skin removed chicken drumsticks (see notes for boneless chicken) , or chicken thighs or leg quarters
- 1 packet tandoori masala , or 4 tablespoons or less for mildly spiced chicken
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ½ cup strained yogurt
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 teaspoon salt (do not add if tandoori masala contains salt) , or to taste
Cilantro Sauce
- 1 small bunch of cilantro , cleaned and washed
- ½ small green bell pepper , washed and chopped
- ½ jalapeno , optional
- 2 small garlic cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin , optional
- juice of half lemon
- ½ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt , or to taste
Garnish
- 1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Clean and pat dry chicken with a paper towel and transfer it to a large prep bowl. Set them aside. (see blog notes for cleaning chicken drumsticks)
Marinade the Chicken
- Whisk strained yogurt with a fork in a medium prep bowl until smooth. Add tandoori masala, lemon juice, and oil to the yogurt and mix until well combined.
- Massage the yogurt marinade on the chicken really well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes. For the best taste, marinate the chicken for 12 to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
Bake the Tandoori Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. If you have a grill rack place it over a lined baking sheet.
- Place marinated chicken over the rack or lined baking sheet. Leave about half an inch of space between each chicken piece, it will help all sides of bone-in chicken cook evenly.
- Bake tandoori chicken for 30 minutes then turn the chicken pieces over. Brush it with oil or any leftover marinade you have in a bowl. Bake for another 10 minutes.
Indian Cilantro Sauce for Tandoori Chicken
- Combine all the listed cilantro sauce ingredients in a blender or a chopper. Blend until your desired consistency for a sauce.
Garnish and Serve
- Transfer baked chicken to a serving platter. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve it warm with Indian cilantro chutney and a generous squeeze of lemon with basmati rice, naan, or salad.
Notes
Boneless Tandoori Chicken
- Use 2-pound boneless chicken breast or tenders instead of 3-pound bone-in chicken.
- Follow the same cleaning and marinating the tandoori chicken instruction from the recipe card.
- Bake the boneless chicken for 10 minutes at 400 F then turn over the chicken and bake for an additional 10 to 12 minutes.
Shri says
This recipe is amazing. The perfect blend of spice and tang! What a great show-stopping dish! You've outdone yourself Safiya! <3
FeastwithSafiya says
Thank you so much for your kind feedback, Shri! <3