Easy Oven Baked Tandoori Chicken Recipe

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 want 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 the common Indian spices used for daily cooking.

So basically, anything cooked in a clay tandoor oven is tandoori ;). Be it bread, vegetables, 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 the 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.

How to Clean Chicken Drumsticks

• Pull the skin down until you reach the end to remove it 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.

More Indian Chicken Recipes

• Sheet Pan Chicken and Potatoes
• Indian Chicken Curry Recipe
• Easy Chicken and Potato Curry
• Chicken Biryani Recipe

Indian Curry Recipes

Easy Oven Baked Tandoori Chicken Recipe

Safiya

Tandoori chicken is a popular Indian dish and one of my favorites. I often make it at home and it's always a hit. Try this east Tandoori chicken marinated in yogurt, spices, and herbs with Indian cilantro sauce.

4 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Indian

Servings 6

Calories 225 kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients 

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• 3 lb chicken drumsticks (bone-in) , or 2 lb boneless chicken breast or chicken tenders

Yogurt Marinade

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2-3 Tablespoons tandoori masala
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice , freshly squeezed
• 2 Tablespoons oil (vegetable, avocado, or olive oil)
• Salt , to taste (if tandoori masala is not already salted)

For Baking

• Aluminum foil or parchment paper
• Oil , for brushing (about 1–2 tbsp)

Get Recipe Ingredients

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

• Bake the boneless chicken at 400°F for 10 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces, then continue baking for another 10–12 minutes, or until fully cooked and lightly charred at the edges.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 6g ,Calories: 225kcal ,Carbohydrates: 0.9g ,Protein: 22.8g ,Fat: 13.9g ,Saturated Fat: 2.6g ,Cholesterol: 68mg ,Sodium: 553mg ,Potassium: 189mg ,Sugar: 0.9g ,Calcium: 26mg ,Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is sourced from a third-party application and should be considered as approximate figures for reference purposes only.

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