Tandoor classic · Home oven

Tandoori Chicken Recipe (Oven or Grill)

Deep slashes. Two marinades. Very hot heat.

Recipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchen

Tandoori chicken is yogurt-marinated chicken cooked in a fierce tandoor until charred outside and juicy inside. At home it comes out pale and dry. The fix is deep slashes, a lemon-salt first marinade, a thick yogurt second marinade overnight, and the hottest oven or grill you have.

Prep20m

Cook35m

Servings4

kcal / serving360

LevelEasy

Jump to the method

The 3 laws of tandoori chicken

Why this recipe works

Slash deep

Whole pieces

Marinade reaches the bone.

Two marinades

One quick rub

Acid then yogurt gives tender, flavourful meat.

Max heat

Moderate oven

Charring needs 240 C or more.

Shopping and prep list

Ingredients

Servings

Tap items as you gather them · 0 of 0 ready

Chicken

chicken legs, skinless
lemon juice, salt, Kashmiri chilli

Yogurt marinade

thick yogurt
ginger garlic paste
Kashmiri chilli, cumin, coriander, garam masala
kasuri methi, salt
mustard oil or oil
Butter for basting, chaat masala and lemon to serve

The NineFoods tandoori gauge

Is it done?

Pierce the thickest part near the bone.

Tap a stage to see what to do.

Method · 4 stages

Step by step

First marinade

No heat · 20 min

Slash chicken to the bone.
Rub with lemon, salt and chilli.

Look for: chicken coated.

20:00

Yogurt marinade

Fridge · 4 hours or overnight

Mix yogurt marinade and coat well.
Chill.

Look for: thick red coating.

240:00

Roast

Oven 240 C · 25 min

Roast on a rack over a tray, turning once.
Use the gauge above.

Look for: charred edges.

25:00

Char and baste

Grill · 5 min

Baste with butter and grill until charred.
Sprinkle chaat masala and lemon.

Look for: glossy, charred chicken.

05:00

Chef's troubleshooter

What went wrong? Pick the symptom

Why

Oven not hot.

Fix next time

Preheat to the maximum and finish under the grill.

Why

Too long or breast used.

Fix next time

Use legs and check with the gauge.

Why

Thin yogurt.

Fix next time

Hang yogurt to thicken it.

Why

Short marinade.

Fix next time

Slash deep and marinate overnight.

Swap smart

Ingredient roles and substitutes

Ingredient	Job in the dish	Swap with
Chicken legs	Juicy	Whole chicken, cut into quarters
Mustard oil	Authentic flavour	Any oil
Kashmiri chilli	Red colour	Paprika
Oven	Home tandoor	Charcoal grill

After the meal

Serve, store, reheat

Serve with

Mint chutney, onion rings, lemon and naan.

Store

Fridge 3 days.

Reheat

Oven 180 C, 10 minutes, brushed with butter.

How we tested this recipe

Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio

Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.

Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 4 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
Every one of the 4 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
The doneness check (is it done) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.

Read our full testing process

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