This tandoori chicken recipe brings all the bold flavours of your favourite Indian takeaway into your own kitchen — no fancy tandoor oven required! With its juicy, charred edges and tender meat, marinated in a gorgeously spiced yoghurt mix, it’s one of those dishes that feels a bit special. Whether you’re cooking it up for a midweek treat or firing up the bbq for a weekend feast, this recipe is a proper flavour bomb — and easier than you might think.
Nicky’s Recipe Notes
I’ve had a soft spot for tandoori chicken cooked on the BBQ, It’s one of those dishes that looks and smells amazing. It’s also surprisingly simple once you crack the marinade.
Now, I don’t have a clay tandoor oven in my back garden (if only!), so this recipe is all about getting that smoky, spiced flavour at home with tools we’ve all got — your oven, BBQ, or even an air fryer. The trick is in the marinade: spiced yoghurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger… it tenderises the meat and packs it full of flavour.
Why I LOVE this recipe:
✅ Big flavour, minimal effort – the marinade does all the heavy lifting while you relax.
✅ Versatile cooking – oven, grill, or air fryer… it’s brilliant every way!
✅ Crowd-pleasing – whether it’s a Friday night fakeaway or summer BBQ, it always gets devoured.
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients
In order to make this easy tandoori chicken you’ll need:
The best cut of chicken for Tandoori Chicken?
Tandoori chicken traditionally uses bone-in, skinless chicken legs (the drumsticks and thighs). These dark meat pieces stay juicy and flavorful when marinated and cooked in the high heat of a tandoor oven, Grill (broiler) or BBQ.
If you wanted to you could also use a full spatchcoked (butterflied) chicken
The KEY steps for making Tandoori Chicken
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***
How to prepare the chicken
Use a bit of kitchen roll to help you grip the skin — it can be slippery and stubborn otherwise! Start by loosening the skin at the thick end of the chicken leg, then grip it with the kitchen roll and gently pull down toward the narrow end, it should come off in one go.
You want to score the chicken with deep cuts, that’s going to let the marinade penetrate deeper for even more flavour and help it cook evenly.
The Tandoori marinade
The tandoori marinade is made up of:
- Yoghurt – I use Greek Yoghurt because it tenderises the meat beautifully thanks to its natural acidity, without making it watery like some thinner yoghurts can. Plus, it holds up well during cooking, helping you get that luscious, slightly charred coating we all love in a good tandoori chicken.
- Lemon juice
- Ghee (or oil)
- Garlic & ginger
- Spices including; garam masala, ground coriander, kashmiri chilli powder, cinnamon, paprika, salt & pepper.
Then you need to mix the marinade thoroughly and rub it all over the chicken and into the cuts you’ve made in the meat.
Note on the Kashmiri Chilli Powder
Kashmiri chilli powder gives you that gorgeous deep red colour with a gentle warmth, whereas regular chilli powder tends to be much hotter and lacks the same vibrant hue — just look at the difference in the image below!
Pro Tip
Bring your marinated chicken to room temperature before cooking — it makes a real difference.
Through years of testing in my home kitchen, I’ve found that allowing the chicken to sit out for 30 minutes before it hits the heat ensures a more even cook. If it’s too cold, the outside risks overcooking before the centre is done, which can lead to dry patches. This little step helps keep the meat beautifully juicy from edge to centre — just like you’d get from a proper tandoor oven.
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Tandoori Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 100 g (1/2 cup) Greek yoghurt
- 1 tbsp ghee (or neutral oil)
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tbsp garlic paste (or 3 minced cloves of garlic)
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground coriander (cilantro powder)
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- juice of a lemon
The chicken
- 4 chicken legs (see notes)
To Serve
- fresh coriander
- lemon slices
- sliced red onion
Instructions
Marinade the chicken
- In a large bowl mix together the marinade ingredients until thoroughly combined.100 g (1/2 cup) Greek yoghurt, 1 tbsp ghee, 1 tbsp minced ginger, 1 tbsp garlic paste, 1 tbsp garam masala, 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, juice of a lemon
- Make some fairly deep slices in the chicken4 chicken legs
- Add in the chicken and massage in the marinade in. Cover and leave to marinade for 6 hours or upto 24 hours.
Cooking on the BBQ
- Preheat your BBQ to a fairly high heat.
- Brush the bbq grill with oil to help prevent sticking
- Add the chicken to the BBQ grill and cook over a direct heat (above the coals) for 25 minutes turning over a couple of times during cooking.
- Remove the chicken to rest once the it has hit an internal temperature of 80–85°C (175–185°F).
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving sprinkled with some fresh coriander (cilantro).fresh coriander
Cooking under the grill (broiler in the US)
- Preheat your grill (broiler) to high heat (around 240°C / 460°F)
- Line a baking tray with foil and place a wire rack on top (optional, but helps with air circulation and charring). Place the marinated chicken on top of the wire rack.
- Place the baking tray in the oven on the middle shelf (not too close to the heat) and cook for 25 minutes, turning over once halfway through.
- Remove the chicken to rest once the it has hit an internal temperature of 80–85°C (175–185°F).
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving sprinkled with some fresh coriander (cilantro).fresh coriander
Cooking in the Air Fryer
- Spray the air fryer basket with spray oil. Add the chicken legs in in a single layer (you may need to work in two batches, depending on the size of your air fryer).
- Air fry for 20 minutes, turning the chicken over halfway through the cooking time. The chicken should be piping hot and no longer pink in the middle with an internal temperature of 80–85°C (175–185°F).
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving sprinkled with some fresh coriander (cilantro).
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Different Cooking methods
Cooking the chicken under the grill or in the air fryer is of course the easiest way and it’s not weather-dependant. However, my FAVOURITE way to cook tandoori chicken is on the barbecue. The smoky flavour and that rich marinade results in an unbeatable flavour. If you’ve got time to fire up the BBQ then please give it a go!
🍽️ How to serve with Tandoori Chicken?
I love to serve up those delicious, slightly charred, chicken legs with some lemon wedges, sliced red onion and a sprinkle of fresh coriander, then serve alongside:
- Indian Mint Chutney and/or some Raita
- Pilau rice
- Chapati or Garlic Naan
🍲 More fantastic Indian Chicken Dishes
? Frequently Asked Questions
Not overly! The beauty of homemade tandoori chicken is you can control the heat. I use Kashmiri chilli powder which adds that gorgeous red colour and gentle warmth without setting your mouth on fire. If you’re cooking for little ones or spice-shy eaters, you can reduce the chilli powder — it’ll still be packed with flavour from the other spices in the marinade.
That signature deep red colour you often see in restaurant-style tandoori chicken traditionally comes from Kashmiri chilli powder — it’s a mild spice that adds vibrant colour without too much heat. In some restaurants they might add a touch of red food colouring. Personally, I skip the food dye and rely on the natural colour from the chilli and paprika – and it still looks gorgeous and feels a bit more home-cooked and honest.
Yes, and it’s actually even better when you do! Marinating the chicken the night before gives the spices and yoghurt plenty of time to work their magic — tenderising the meat and infusing it with flavour. I often prep it the evening before a BBQ or dinner party, then simply pop it in on the BBQ or under the grill (broiler) when I’m ready. Just be sure to store it in the fridge in a sealed container and bring it to room temperature before cooking for the best results.
For maximum flavour and juiciness, I always recommend bone-in, skinless chicken legs. They hold up beautifully to the high heat and long marination.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
