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Tandoori chicken legs grilled to perfection, garnished with lemon slices, red onion, and chopped herbs on a blue plate.
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Tandoori Chicken Recipe

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.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Marinating time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 30 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Party Food, Starter
Cuisine: British-Indian
Keyword: BIR, Tandoori
Servings: 4 servings
Author Nicky Corbishley

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 chicken
    4 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

Nutritional information is approximate, per serving (this recipe serves 4).

Nutrition

Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 425mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g

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