Juicy spiced masala chicken tandoori with creamy sauce and perfectly tender oven-baked chicken meat – an amazing Indian-style dinner for families.
If you are not big on spicy food but want some great flavors, I made this recipe easy to whip up even on a weeknight and without a real tandoor.
Gina’s Recipe Rundown:
Texture: Masala Chicken Tandoori is super moist, and juicy, with perfectly cooked skin, and it is smothered in creamy spiced sauce.
Taste: Tandoori masala chicken tastes just like Indian on the plate: vibrant with warm spices like ginger, masala, and paprika, with a little tang from lemon juice and yogurt, and very comforting.
Ease: The easy chicken meal you can make without the real tandoor in the oven or over-preheated grill.
Why I love it: It is a delicious meal with Asian-inspired flavors and it just might be better than butter chicken.
My trick to make tandoori chicken taste authentic is to use an array of traditional spices and yogurt-based marinade for the most moist chicken.
If you love Indian food, it is a must-try, just like my slow cooker chicken with curry sauce, ghee roasted chicken, or chicken curry with pumpkin.
What is Masala Chicken Tandoori?
Masala tandoori chicken is a rich flavorful dish, traditional for Indian cooking, and usually made in a clay oven called tandoor.
Masala is both a tandoori spice blend and a special cooking paste, the word itself literally means spice mix.
The garam masala spice mix usually contains cumin, cardamom, dried ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves, asafoetida, star anise, and more spices depending on the region.
What Is The Difference Between Tikka Masala And Tandoori Masala?
Tikka masala chicken is usually cooked with tomato-based creamy sauce or gravy in the pan, while the tandoori chicken is grilled or cooked in a special cylindrical clay oven called tandoor.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A burst of flavors without the dish being too spicy
- No need for food coloring, authentic tandoori chicken has a beautiful red color without it!
Ingredients Notes
See the exact quantities for the tandoori mix and the step-by-step instructions on the recipe card below.
- Boneless chicken thighs or chicken drumsticks. Chicken leg quarters work amazingly too just make sure pieces are relatively equal to allow for all of them to cook at the same time.
- Plain yogurt. Don’t use homemade yogurt for tandoori chicken, as it isn’t thick enough and will make the sauce watery.
- Lemon juice or lime juice
- Spice blend: ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, smoked paprika, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, cayenne pepper (optional for heat), a pinch of ground nutmeg (optional for depth), minced garlic cloves, grated ginger, and salt. Make sure all the spices are fresh.
- Vegetable oil. I prefer neutral oil like avocado oil, but using olive oil is totally fine too. If you want to stick to traditional Indian cooking, you can use mustard oil (if you find it!).
Kitchen Equipment
- Mixing bowl – large bowl
- Small bowl
- Sharp knife
- Baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. (baking tray)
- Wire rack, optional (see tips)
How To Make Tandoori Chicken Masala
1: Prepare Chicken Marinade
- Mix the yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne pepper (if using), nutmeg (if using), kosher salt, ginger, and garlic in a large mixing bowl (it has to fit all the chicken). Mix well.
- Taste the marinade, and adjust the salt in the spice mix.
2: Marinate Chicken Thighs
- Place the chicken and toss to coat evenly.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight for more flavor).
3: Bake Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment. Set aside.
- Once the chicken is marinated, transfer it to the prepared baking sheet, shaking off the excess marinade. Brush with cooking oil.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the chicken is fully cooked through and has a slightly charred exterior. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes to achieve the best taste.
- Serve hot and enjoy.
Serving Suggestions
This tandoori masala chicken pairs wonderfully with basmati rice, white rice, brown rice, fresh green salad, Raita, flat bread, and naan or pita bread. Making a nice chutney to go with the chicken thighs is a great idea too.
Use Toppings like chopped cilantro, sliced onions, dollop of sour cream, and lime wedges.
Storage
Store leftover masala tandoori chicken refrigerated in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
To reheat, cover the chicken with aluminum foil and warm up in the oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes.
You can also freeze cooked chicken once it is cooled completely for 2-3 months.
To make ahead you can keep marinated chicken refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Substitutions & Variations
- If you can, add authentic spices to the tandoori marinade – Kashmiri chili powder (special red chili powder), fenugreek, or curry leaves. You can use store-bought ginger and garlic paste too.
- For deeper flavors and caramel color, add some brown sugar.
- You can use skinless thighs if you don’t like the texture of the skin.
- Swap plain yogurt with Greek yogurt or any thick strained yogurt. You can also use coconut milk.
- Add tomato paste or tomato sauce to the marinade to add a little acidity.
- Air fryer tandoori chicken. Place marinated chicken in the air fryer basket and air fry it for 18-22 minutes at 380 F.
Expert Tips To Make The Best Masala Tandoori Chicken Recipe
- For best results, make your own spice blend to adjust the level of heat.
- Check the doneness of the chicken with a meat thermometer (it should be at least 165F).
- You can use the remaining marinade to baste the chicken pieces and broil them.
- I prefer using chicken thighs as the dark meat is tenderer. Chicken breasts tend to get a bit rubbery. You can use bone-in chicken but it takes longer to cook. Boneless skinless chicken meat cooks the fastest.
- During summertime, you can cook tandoori chicken in the outdoor grill over medium-high heat. You can imitate the grilling in the oven by cooking the chicken over the baking rack.
- Smoke the chicken for extra flavor. Set the stove to high heat, heat a chunk of charcoal for 3-4 minutes, then place it in an aluminum cup and that cup in the skillet or baking sheet. Add some oil to the coal, place the chicken around on the sheet, and cover it with foil. The smoke will get infused in the meat. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
If you love this chicken recipe, you’re going to love these other baked chicken dinners too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
Pair This Chicken With These Recipes
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Masala Chicken Tandoori
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs – boneless, or drumsticks
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper optional for heat
- Pinch ground nutmeg optional for depth
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp ginger grated (about ONE 1" piece of ginger root)
- salt to taste
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- Mix the yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne pepper (if using), nutmeg (if using), garlic, ginger, and salt. Mix well.
- Add the chicken and toss to coat evenly.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight for more flavor).
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment. Set aside.
- Transfer the marinated chicken to the prepared baking sheet. Brush with cooking oil.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through and has a slightly charred exterior.
- Serve hot with rice or naan and enjoy.
Nutrition
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Created by Gina Kleinworth
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