Tandoori chicken is a delicious Indian dish that is tender, juicy, and flavourful. This baked chicken dish is traditionally made in a tandoor which is a cylindrical shape oven made with clay/metal.
Wash the chicken well, then pat them dry with a paper towel.
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients, then toss the chicken in, and mix until all the chicken cover well with the mixture.
After that, bake for 30-35 minutes at 200C or until golden brown.
Garnish with some chopped basil (optional), then serve warm.
Notes
Wash the chicken thighs well and pat dry the chicken meat.
You can make deep cuts on the chicken thighs, so the seasoning is infused well, making it perfect and juicy.
Make sure to remove the chicken from the refrigerator an hour before you cook.
It is always best to use bone-in thighs and legs because they have enough fat to stay moist under the heat. Using chicken breasts may dry out easily. Using chicken legs and thighs has higher fat content making it juicy, moist and flavourful.
Make sure to serve the tandoori chicken as soon as it is cooked.
Mix all the ingredients and make sure each chicken is fully coated, and rub in between the slits.
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 also use a charcoal grill or gas grill if you like.
You can broil during the last 3-5minutes for extra colour.
Recipe Variations
You can use chicken breasts or drumsticks instead of thighs. This recipe works well with both but may not absorb as much flavour.
Make it in the classic Indian style using yoghurt, paprika, lemon, ginger-garlic, coriander and turmeric powder, etc.
You can marinate the chicken and refrigerate it for a couple of hours.
You can turn this recipe completely vegetarian by using cauliflower or paneer/tofu instead of chicken.