Cook Like A Pro: Chicken Tandoori Simplified

Whether you are craving a spicy, savoury and smoky chicken or looking for a different chicken dish, no look further than this easy Chicken tandoori recipe. Chicken Tandoori is one of the most popular Chicken dishes worldwide and the most appealing too. This dish is not only a treat to your taste buds but also serves a healthy dish owing to its nutrient-rich ingredients.

What is chicken tandoori?

Chicken tandoori is a dish loved worldwide due to its authentic and bold flavour. This authentic chicken tandoori recipe includes a chicken marinated in yoghurt and spices and then roasted in a tandoor. But nowadays, having a tandoor is not as crucial as in olden times to prepare chicken tandoori at home. To enjoy a chicken tandoori restaurant style, you just need to have an outdoor grill, an oven, an air fryer or just a stovetop.

Difference between chicken tandoori and chicken tikka

Despite the main ingredient i.e. chicken being the same in both dishes, they differ from each other in many ways. When it comes to chicken tikka, it requires skinless and boneless chunks of chicken necessarily taken from the breast. Whereas, the chicken tandoori is usually made with legs, breasts, and wings of the chicken, as well as this delicacy does not require a boneless chicken and can be made with with half or full chicken.

Expert Hacks To Master The Chicken Tikka Recipe At Home

Chicken tandoori ingredients

To enjoy a tender and juicy Chicken Tandoori, have a look at the required ingredients:

1. ½ kg chicken
2. 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
3. ½ cup Hung curd
4. 1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste
5. 1 tablespoon garam masala
6. 1 tablespoon red chilli powder or cayenne pepper powder
7. ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
8. 1 tablespoon coriander or  cilantro powder
9. 1 /4 tablespoon of turmeric
10. 1 tablespoon kasuri methi
11. 1 and a half tablespoons mustard oil
12. 1 teaspoon of red food colouring
13. 1 tablespoon of red food colouring
14. Salt to taste

Chicken tandoori recipe

This weekend, delve into the smoky flavour of chicken tandoori with this authentic chicken tandoori recipe and enjoy a spicy chicken tandoori at home: 

1. Put the chicken pieces into a shallow dish, remove the skin and cut slits into the meat. Coat the chicken pieces with lemon juice and keep it aside for about 20 mins to marinate. 
2. Now, heat the oil in a pan to medium heat, you can use 1 and a half teaspoon of mustard oil over here (you can also use any other cooking oil, it's totally up to you). Now, add all your spices, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric, 1 teaspoon of black pepper powder,1 tablespoon of coriander powder,1 tablespoon of kasuri methi, 1 tablespoon of red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon of garam masala. Stir the mixture continuously until fragrant. Your chicken tandoori masala is ready. Let it cool completely.
3. Take a bowl, pour ½ cup of the hung card, add the chicken tandoori masala, 1 tablespoon of ginger garlic, 1 tablespoon of red food colouring (optional) and salt to taste. Mix well and your tandoori chicken marinade is ready to use.
4. Spread this chicken tandoori marinade over your chicken pieces, cover the dish and refrigerate it for 6 to 24 hours.
5. Now, these chicken pieces can be roasted in an outdoor grill, oven, air fryer or on a stovetop. Here, we are describing two different methods to cook Chicken Tandoori, one with an outdoor grill and another one with an air fryer.

Chicken tandoori with an outdoor grill

1. Firstly preheat the grill for medium-high heat.
2. Grease it with a generous amount of oil, now wipe off the extra marinade on the chicken pieces and put them over the preheated grill.
3. Let these cook for about 5 to 6 minutes then turn each piece, baste the marinade on the top side and turn them again after the next 5 minutes.
4. It takes about 30 to 35 mins to cook the chicken pieces completely, but this time can vary depending on the size of your chicken pieces.
5. If you are concerned about how to make sure that your meat has been fully cooked or not? There is a very simple trick, just place the meat thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken piece and cook until it shows 165° F or 75°C. Now, brush the chicken pieces with butter to get an authentic chicken tandoori.

Tantalize Your Taste Buds With Kung Pao Chicken, The Spicy Chinese Delight

Chicken tandoori with an air fryer

1. Preheat the air fryer to 390°F or 200°C. Place the chicken pieces on the basket to air fry them.
2. Here, you are required to air fry each side for 10 minutes or cook as late as the temperature of the internal chicken reaches 165°F or 74°C.
3. Once done, just brush the chicken pieces with marinade (prepared before) and air fry for the next 2 minutes. Can't skip to brush out these pieces with butter to enhance their rich flavour.
4. Serve with either vegetable or mushroom pulao, cucumber and mint raita, salad and garnish with coriander leaves and lemon wedges. Enjoy this spicy and juicy chicken tandoori with your family or friends which is so delicious yet nutritious!

Disclaimer: The details mentioned throughout this blog are sourced from publicly accessible platforms. At Zeezest, we intend to share factual and verified information. Should there be any inconsistencies or variances in the information provided, please understand that these are entirely unintentional and not meant to mislead.