My Indian Tandoori Chicken recipe is juicy, vibrant, and full of flavours; chicken thighs are infused with Indian seasoning and baked until golden brown. Easy, right? It goes well with many sides and is perfect for a family dinner.
Indian Tandoori Chicken Recipe
I really like Indian-style dishes; most of them are easy and flavorful, which is all I need in a chicken dish.
SO simple dish to make at home; this dish is made in less than 45 minutes. I used chicken thighs as they don't get dry easily when cooked in the oven, and they keep juicy. This dish has a vibrant colour because of the added seasoning.
The chicken is juicy and is seasoned with Sriracha and Worcestershire sauce along with some spices tasting delicious in every bite. In my opinion, the seasoning is what makes this baked tandoori chicken flavourful.
Talking about the seasonings, I used ground black pepper, tandoori spices mix, onion powder, paprika and garlic powder.
Personally, I didn't marinate the chicken; however, if you have some time or if you want to make this chicken dish ahead, you can marinate and keep it in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
I also find it easier to cook this chicken tandoori in the oven instead of the stovetop.
Ingredients
Note: This is an overview of the ingredients. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Chicken: I used chicken thighs with bones and skin.
Olive oil: I used olive oil; however, vegetable oil works well too.
Sriracha sauce: The sriracha sauce makes a great hot sauce for this dish.
Worcestershire sauce: This sauce adds a great flavour to the dish. It gives a pleasant savoury taste.
Seasonings: Salt, ground black pepper, tandoori spices mix, onion powder, paprika and garlic powder.
How to Make Baked Indian Tandoori Chicken?
Preheat the oven at 200C / 390F.
One: Wash the chicken well, then pat them dry with a paper towel.
Two: In a large bowl, mix all the marinade ingredients, then toss the chicken in, and mix until all the chicken cover well with the mixture.
Pro Tip: Make sure each chicken is fully coated, and rub in between the slits. You can also make deep cuts on the chicken thighs, so the seasoning is infused well.
Three: After that, bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
Pro Tip: If you don't like any juices around the chicken, you can place a wire rack on top of a baking tray, arrange the chicken on the wire rack, and then bake it in the oven.
Four: Garnish with some chopped basil (optional), then serve warm.
Top Tips!
- Make sure to remove the chicken from the refrigerator an hour before you cook.
- I highly recommend using bone-in thighs because they stay moist under the heat, making them juicy, moist and flavourful.
- Place the chicken over the grill rack, leaving space between each piece so the chicken is cooked well.
- To get the dark red colour like in restaurants, you can use red food colour, although it is optional.
- You can broil during the last 3-5minutes for extra colour.
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Serve It With
Serve this dish with Turmeric Rice, Fish Rice and Mushroom Fried Rice for a delicious Indian style meal.
Cilantro Garlic Sauce and Bagel Dip pair well with the chicken tandoori.
A regular/butter naan or Gyro Bread is the best side to almost every Indian dish.
My favourite way of serving this dish is with Roasted Green Beans and Carrots or Baked Sweet Potatoes in Foil.
Recipe FAQs
While you bake it, make sure to coat it with butter which will help keep the chicken moist.
The dark red color in tandoori chicken is because of the food colour that is added. Adding food colour is optional, but you can substitute this with adding paprika or chilli powder, as I did in this recipe, to attain the red colour.
Yes, you can. Preheat the air-fryer and brush it with little oil or butter. Then, add the chicken and air-fry it for about 20-30minutes or until charred.
This popular Indian chicken dish is traditionally made in a tandoor which is a cylindrical shape oven made with clay/metal.
More Chicken Recipes
- One pan chicken and potatoes recipe
- Roasted chicken with herbs and butter
- Crispy fried chicken recipe
- Oven-baked BBQ chicken
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Indian Tandoori Chicken Recipe
Equipment
- Baking pan
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 750 g chicken thighs , with bones and skin
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worchester sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Tandoori
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Wash the chicken well, then pat them dry with a paper towel.750 g chicken thighs
- In a bowl, mix all the ingredients, then toss the chicken in, and mix until all the chicken cover well with the mixture.¼ cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce, 1 tablespoon Worchester sauce, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon Tandoori, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- After that, bake for 30-35 minutes at 200C or until golden brown.
- Garnish with some chopped basil (optional), then serve warm.
Notes
- Make sure to remove the chicken from the refrigerator an hour before you cook.
- I highly recommend using bone-in thighs because they stay moist under the heat, making them juicy, moist and flavourful.
- Place the chicken over the grill rack, leaving space between each piece so the chicken is cooked well.
- To get the dark red colour like in restaurants, you can use red food colour, although it is optional.
Ryna says
I marinated the chicken for a whole day, and the result was lovely.
Stella says
Lovely, I like Indian food, and this chicken tastes so good.