Tandoori Chicken
Updated May 22, 2024
- Total Time
- 9 hours
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 45 minutes, plus at least 8 hours’ marinating
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 4bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters (about 2 pounds), skin removed
- Salt
- ⅓cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)
- 4garlic cloves
- 1(2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled
- 1cup plain yogurt
- 1tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder
- 1teaspoon garam masala
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- ½teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2tablespoons melted ghee or butter
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
471 calories; 35 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 30 grams protein; 760 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Using a knife, make 3 to 4 small (½ inch) incisions into each piece of chicken, about ½-inch deep. Place the chicken legs into a medium bowl and rub all over with 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt. Add the lemon juice, coating the chicken in it. Let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, place the garlic and ginger in a food processor with 3 tablespoons of water. Purée until a paste forms, then add to a small bowl with the yogurt, paprika, chile powder, garam masala, cumin and cardamom. Mix to combine, then pour over the chicken and mix, tossing the chicken to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours, or overnight, and up to 48 hours.
- Step 3
Set the oven to broil. Line a sheet tray with aluminum foil and fit it with a rack. Remove the chicken from the marinade, brushing off and discarding any excess marinade. Place the chicken on the rack and brush with the ghee. Put the tray under the broiler and cook the chicken for 25 to 35 minutes, flipping the legs halfway through, until they’re lightly charred and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165 degrees. Alternatively, light a grill. Brush the chicken with the ghee and cook, flipping once halfway through, until charred and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165 degrees, about 17 minutes.
- Step 4
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes before serving with lemon wedges, if desired.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Priya
If I may suggest a tip for people making Indian food, any Indian food. Get a jar of ginger-garlic paste from the Indian store. Yes, it’s not the ‘purest, freshest’ way but if you make Indian food often, it’s the most convenient. Even my mom scoffs at it but by the end of her visit, she’s dipping into it. Fewer bits and bobs to clean up each time.
nm
Some of the respondents seem to have difficulty with reading comprehension. The recipe very clearly calls for bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters, with *skin removed* as part of the prep. (If you can find skinless, bone-in leg portions, go for it.) Maybe read the whole recipe more than once prior to commenting.
roostahktchn25471
I don't trust everything that Cook's illustrated cooking techniques or tips. I use ginger alot in my cooking and never cross my mind or experience that it makes the meat mushy. In this recipe use alot of lemon juice for 2 lbs of chicken legs besides a cup of yogurt, these ingredients definitely will break down the protein and can result mushy if marinated too long. So the focus should be these acidic ingredients. I would suggest to cut back lemon juice or add it about 1 hr before cooking ...
CharlieWilson
I am originally from India and due to my lactose intolerance found a lot of recipes useless until I discovered vinegar. I have used it with lamb and beef alike for several years by now and the food turns out equally flavorful (and actually tenderer). I haven't made Tandoori Chicken in a while due to dairy issues. I will try with vinegar and report the results.
Sarah
Usually most spices can be ordered from Kalustyans in New York City. The shop is a cornucopia of flavors and they ship!
Jess
The Tandoor (tannur) came from Iran - Harrapan civilization. Chicken in tandoor with spices was more recent. It originated in the Punjab region of India & Pakistan.
Laura
Made quickly with 2 tablespoons garlic ginger paste from a jar, forgot to rub the chicken with salt or let it sit in the lemon juice for 20 minutes. Didn't have the Kashmiri chili powder - used 1/2 teaspoon cayenne and 1 teaspoon plain chili powder (like you use to make Chili). Just threw the marinade together, skinned and slashed the chicken. Sat for 8hrs, grilled, turned out great, really flavorful. Will make again and probably up the cayenne if I still don't have the Kashmiri chili powder.
Passion for Peaches
Acid cancels enzyme in ginger. From Wired: “Ginger…is full of a powerful enzyme called zingibain, which acts as a meat tenderizer---leaving you with mushy, soggy junk that falls off the skewer or in between the grill rack. You can deactivate the enzyme…by heating up the ginger first…the enzyme quits at 158 degrees Fahrenheit, which takes about 60 seconds in a microwave.” IMO, 48 hours is too long. Overnight to 24 hours, optimum.
Passion for Peaches
A@yespat, you can tandoori all parts of bone-in chicken.
Elk
The intent is to use fresh ingredients--fresh ginger, whole cloves of garlic--not powdered ingredients. They cannot be substituted in a dish like this.
Jeff
Made this many times. One ingredient that I suggest adding is a beet into the marinade. The beat imparts both sugar, color and that earthy taste that is often missing in Tandoori recipes. Btw. I got the tip about the beet. From a NYT tandoori recipe. I’ve used red or golden beets.
Shawn
How far below the broiler should the chicken be, and is it low or high broil?
Brushjl
Fabulous, great marinade leading to a moist tasty chicken.
Bob
the recipe says: "4bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters (about 2 pounds), skin removed"
tessa
the first line "...with skin removed..."
Dorothée
Wonderful and easy! Though I confess, I was afraid to broil that long fearing it would be a charred mess, so I baked at 400 and then broiled briefly on each side - YUM!
cv
many american chickens are soft compared to those that actually run around, might be part of discrepancy in breakdown of protein to “mushiness” as some report. Quality of chicken might be a component.
Carla
followed other comments and doubled the spices. I'll make it again. good flavor
Steve
I don't get why buy skin on if you're going to remove it? Why not buy skinless?
JenaJ
Skinless generally equals boneless. Skin on is still bone-in.
3steps
Buy skinless if you can... but I can't buy bone in/skin off unless I special order if from the butcher. It's easy enough to peel the skin off myself and much cheaper.
Name mollyh
Much loved and enjoyed! Larger pieces take 2x longer than cook time stated. We grilled outdoors and after both sides were grilled, and starting to blacken out a piece of Tim foil over the lot and let the heat reflect to finish them off. Serve skin side down as the underside is prettiest! I added parola to the ghee to add more color. Could double every ingredient in the marinade and use 3 tbs of lime juice not water.
Joe
What's the secret to getting juicy Tandoori chicken? I've had TC at 4-star Indian restaurants with beautiful ovens as the centerpiece of their dining scene. Every time, I got dry...and I mean so dusty dry chicken that if you hit it with your fork, powder would rise.
BerkeleyBoy
Yes, I read the recipe wrong and bought boneless, skinless chicken; marinated for 6 hrs. and grilled the meat and noticed the mushiness a few speak of. Next time, I’ll hold the lemon juice and use bone-in chicken with the skin off to see if it was the lemon juice that caused the mushiness. From what others have said, it could be the ginger that over-tenderized the meat. All that said, the final product was delicious.
Deedee
Absolutely divine! Tender, juicy, flavorful. I had trouble making the garlic and ginger paste. My blender mush it. I used a mortar and pestle and it worked better. Priya, below, recommends purchasing a jar of preserved ginger-garlic paste. I'll give that a try next time and there will be a next time. It's a keeper for sure.
Vanessa Charles
I made this with skinless boneless breasts, marinated 12 hours or so (no lemon juice due to long marination) and cooked in air fryer. (For garlic and ginger, I used the little Dorot frozen cubes -- available at Trader Joe's and I'm sure elsewhere -- which I love.) Very flavorful. Thought it was great.
Dana
Can someone explain what distinguishes Kashmiri chile powder. Does it refer to a particular variety of chile, or is it a blend or masala like Mexican style chile powder?
lumu
No coriander powder? It usually goes hand in hand with cumin powder in tandoori chicken recipes. I have personally never used cardamom powder except in sweet dishes
Philip Sharatchandra
@CharlieWilson, Fage makes a nice lactose-free plain Greek yogurt called “BestSelf.” You’ll want to think it a little for standard plain yogurt, but it works fine as a chicken marinade and other Indian dishes.
Jeff Fields
A way to emulate the intense heat of a tandoor using an outdoor grill: With the cover down let the heat rise to 600 degrees+! Put the thighs on the top rack - not the grill grate - put the cober down, and cook 20 minutes or so until the skin is dark, golden brown and crisp. Try it.
Barbara
nm's sarcasm was unnecessary and self-serving. A simple reminder to remove the skin would have sufficed.
wgh
17 minutes on a grill doesn’t seem like enough time to cook chicken leg quarters, unless the are VERY small. I would cut the legs from the thighs so they will cook more evenly and faster. Even then 17 minutes might not be enough time on a grill.
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