Easy Oven Baked Tandoori Chicken Recipe
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.
Ingredients
- 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)
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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