Tandoori Chicken has drumsticks marinated in yogurt and a homemade tandoori masala spice mix then grilled or baked to perfection.
Tandoori Chicken
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
Tandoori Chicken is my recipe of the day with the blogging group From Our Dinner Table. We get together on Sundays to post on a variety of topics. This week is chicken.
If you like Tandoori chicken, at least restaurant style, this recipe is for you. For years I have been using Rajah tandoori masala spice which I love so I never bothered to crack the recipe.
Infamous Red Color
Then they took out the red color and I don’t mind the red because I don’t eat it that often. But it meant if I wanted it I had to add red myself, and if I went that far, I should just open the can of spice and sort things out. Which I think I did.
You can get all the spices at any Indian or Pakistani market, or online. Don’t skip over any.
This tastes remarkably like the Indian restaurants around here. And while I do like eating out sometimes, I can keep that to getting goat curry and cooking chicken at home. It will be fresh and hot and juicy.
You can do this in the oven or on the grill (I will always prefer charcoal grill) and you can skip the red color if you like. But the flavor is all there.
But this is among the best of my recipes and one I now consider to be signature. Don’t forget to pin it or use the recipe box. And enjoy. I know we will.
Favorite Chicken Recipes
- Baked Buffalo Chicken Nuggets by Books n’ Cooks
- Chicken Fajitas by That Recipe
- Cream Cheese Spinach Stuffed Chicken by Making Miracles
- Creamy Artichoke Chicken Breast by Art of Natural Living
- One Skillet Chicken and Noodles. by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Oven Fried Chicken Thighs by Cheese Curd In PAradise
- Panko-Crusted Chicken with White Wine & Thyme Cream Sauce by Sweet Beginnings
- Pesto Crusted Oven Fried Chicken by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Sheet Pan Chicken with Sourdough Croutons and Bacon by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy by Blogghetti
- Tandoori Chicken by Palatable Pastime (You are Here!)
- Teriyaki Chicken Fried Rice by The Freshman Cook
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Tandoori Chicken
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Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori Chicken
Equipment
- Charcoal grill
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 5 pounds chicken drums skin removed
- 1 cup plain thick yogurt
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon Swad brand powdered red food coloring as desired optional; for red color
Tandoori Masala Spice (1/4 cup):
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 teaspoon ground fenugreek
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon mango powder amchur
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground bay leaves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Serving accessories:
- Slices onion green bell pepper, lemons
Instructions
- Use paper towels to easily grip skins and pull off from chicken.
- Marinate chicken 6 hours or overnight in the mixture of masala spice, yogurt, water and Swad coloring.
- Drain chicken from marinade.
- Grill over a moderate charcoal grill, offset from heat until 165F or juices run clear.
- Alternatively, bake at 400F for about 35-40 minutes or until centers are 165F or the juices run clear. Time depending on the size of the drums so check with a probe thermometer please.
- Griddle or bake the veggies just until charred.
- Serve chicken with vegetables and lemon to squeeze over.
Notes
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I have maybe 5 or 6 of the spices listed – can you recommend a good existing spice mix for the Tandoori Masala Spice?
The mix I have here is my clone version of Rajah tandoori masala spice.
This looks so good. Absolutely loved it, I am definitely tried it out. I have been experimenting with Indian cuisine during the lockdown. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
First, thanks for sharing at First Monday Favorites, and second thank you for the recipe, Tandoori Chicken is one of my faves, when I used to eat out at my favorite Indian restaurant, in the good old days. I just need some fenugreek powder, and some mango powder. And I know where to buy them.
Mango powder can be got around with lemon but the fenugreek is very important. I have ground cracked fenugreek and sifted it out before, but much easier having it already done. So whichever of that you can find.