Degchi
Tandoori Chicken
Serves 4 · Total 270 min · Prep 240 min · Cook 30 min
Photo: kspoddar / CC BY-SA 4.0
Chicken marinated overnight in spiced yogurt and roasted hot and fast in a clay tandoor (or a home oven) until charred outside and juicy inside. A Punjabi classic that gave rise to butter chicken itself.
Quick answer: 270 min in total · serves 4 · main ingredients: Chicken, Yogurt, Lemon, Ginger · amounts in metric and US
Ingredients
- 1 kg 2.2 lb Chicken, cut into pieces, skin scored
- 200 g 0.8 cup Yogurt
- 2 tbsp 2 tbsp Lemon, juice
- 1 tbsp 1 tbsp Ginger, paste
- 1 tbsp 1 tbsp Garlic, paste
- 2 tsp 2 tsp Red chilli powder
- 1 tsp 1 tsp Garam masala
- 2 tbsp 2 tbsp Cooking oil
- 1.5 tsp 1.5 tsp Salt, to taste
- 1 tsp 1 tsp Chaat masala (Optional)
- 2 tbsp 2 tbsp Butter, melted, for basting (Optional)
Steps
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- Score the chicken pieces with shallow cuts so the marinade soaks in deeply.
- Mix yogurt, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste and all the spices into a thick marinade.
- Coat the chicken well with the marinade and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.⏱ Marinating · 240 min
- Preheat the oven or grill to its highest setting.
- Arrange chicken on a rack and roast at 230 °C / 450 °F for about 25 minutes (bone-in thighs up to 35), turning once, until charred at the edges and cooked through (74 °C / 165 °F).⏱ Roasting chicken · 25 min
- Baste with melted butter halfway through for extra char and juiciness.
- Rest for 5 minutes, sprinkle with chaat masala if you like, squeeze over fresh lemon and serve with mint chutney and onion rings.⏱ Resting the chicken · 5 min
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Frequently asked questions
How long does Tandoori Chicken take?
270 minutes in total: about 240 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of cooking.
Is Tandoori Chicken hard to make?
Degchi rates it medium. The method has 7 steps, and 3 of them have a timer you can start on this page.
How many people does Tandoori Chicken serve?
This recipe serves 4. Use the toggle above the ingredient list to see the amounts in metric or US measures. For more or fewer portions, scale every amount in the same proportion, or use the servings control in the Degchi app.
Is Tandoori Chicken halal, vegetarian or eggless?
It is marked halal in our recipe data. It is not vegetarian. It has no egg. It has no beef. Check the labels on any packaged ingredients for your own needs.
What will I probably need to buy for Tandoori Chicken?
Everyday staples that Degchi counts as pantry basics: red chilli powder, cooking oil, salt. Spice-box items: garam masala. Fresh items you will probably need to buy: chicken, yogurt, lemon, ginger, garlic.
Any tips for making Tandoori Chicken?
A longer overnight marinade gives much deeper flavour and a more tender bite than a quick 1-hour soak.
Notes and questions
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This recipe in other languages
Used in these posts
"Chicken Tikka Masala From Leftover Tikka in 25 Minutes"
"Leftover tikka makes a better masala than raw chicken does, because the char is already built in. The sauce takes about 25 minutes."
"Tandoori Chicken Red Without Food Colour: Does It Work?"
"Restaurant tandoori is bright red because of dye. Home tandoori can be a deep rusty orange from spices, if you set expectations and use the right chilli."
Tandoori Chicken vs Chicken Tikka: Which to Make
Both are yogurt-marinated and charred, so they get mixed up. The cut, the marinade time and the oven setting are where they differ. A side-by-side with real numbers.
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Malai boti should be pale, soft and just cooked, nothing like a charred tikka. Marinade timing, grill heat and the cream mistake that makes it split.
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A tandoor is just very high, dry heat. Your oven can get close if the marinade is thick and the chicken is dry. Here is the recipe from our library and what to do on a grill pan.
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Cooking terms in this recipe: Dahi marinade
