Tandoori Chicken (Oven Method)
تندوری چکن (اوون میں)
Real tandoori chicken is cooked in a clay tandoor at very high heat, but a home oven turned up as far as it goes, plus a few minutes under the grill, gets you remarkably close. Leg quarters are slashed to the bone, marinated twice, first with lemon and salt, then with spiced yogurt, and roasted on a rack so the hot air reaches every side.
- ⏱ Total: 1 hr 5 min
- Prep: 25 min
- Cook: 40 min
- Easy
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Make three deep cuts, right down to the bone, across each piece of chicken. Rub in the lemon juice, half the salt and half the chili powder, and leave for 20 minutes.
Whisk the yogurt with the ginger, garlic, garam masala, cumin, coriander, kasuri methi, food colour (if using), oil and the remaining salt and chili. Coat the chicken, working the marinade into the cuts, cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
Heat the oven to 220°C, or as high as it goes. Set a rack over a foil-lined tray and lay the chicken on the rack, cut side up, leaving space between the pieces.
Roast for 30–35 minutes, turning once halfway, until the juices run clear when the thickest part is pierced.
Brush with melted butter and put the tray under the oven's top grill for 3–4 minutes, until the edges char in spots.
Rest for 5 minutes, then serve with naan, green chutney, onion rings and lemon.
Kitchen notes
The rack matters. Chicken roasted directly on a tray sits in its own juices and steams instead of charring.
Kashmiri chili gives the deep red colour without too much heat, which is why many cooks skip the food colour altogether.
From the tandoor to the home oven
The tandoor, a deep clay oven heated with wood or charcoal until its walls glow, is used across Pakistan for naan and roti, and in restaurants for chicken. Temperatures inside reach far higher than any home oven, which is how tandoori chicken gets its blistered, smoky outside while staying juicy within. At home you can’t match that heat, but a rack, a very hot oven and a final blast under the grill come surprisingly close.
The two marinades
The first marinade, of lemon, salt and chili, seasons the meat deeply and tenderises the surface. The second, of yogurt and spices, forms the coating that chars in the oven. Cutting deep slashes to the bone lets both marinades reach the centre of the thick leg pieces, and helps them cook evenly.
Getting colour without a tandoor
Three things give the characteristic look: Kashmiri chili for colour, thick yogurt so the coating clings rather than dripping onto the tray, and butter under the grill at the end to blister the surface. Smoky flavour? Give the finished chicken a few minutes of in a covered pot.
Serving
Serve tandoori chicken with naan, raw onion rings dressed with lemon and chaat masala, and green chutney. Leftover meat shredded off the bone makes a quick filling for chicken paratha rolls.
Questions people ask
Can I cook tandoori chicken on a charcoal grill?
Yes, and it's even better. Grill over medium coals for 25–30 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, and baste with butter at the end.
Why remove the skin?
Skin blocks the marinade from reaching the meat and stays rubbery in the oven. Tandoori chicken is traditionally skinless.
What's the difference between tandoori chicken and chicken tikka?
They use similar marinades. Tandoori chicken is usually whole leg quarters, while tikka is smaller pieces, often grilled on skewers and finished with chaat masala.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 370
- Protein
- 42 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 5 g
