Tandoori Chicken — Yogurt Marinated
Experience the magic of North Indian cuisine with this easy tandoori chicken recipe. The overnight yogurt marinade creates tender, flavorful chicken with a smoky char.
20 min active, minimal dishes
Tandoori Chicken — Yogurt Marinated
Experience the magic of North Indian cuisine with this easy tandoori chicken recipe. The overnight yogurt marinade creates tender, flavorful chicken with a smoky char.
20 min active, minimal dishes
Key move
Marinate the chicken overnight for maximum flavor penetration and tenderness.
Cook mode keeps your place
Larger text, ingredients in reach, and saved step progress while you cook.
The Setup
- Large Bowl
- Baking Sheet
The Mise en Place
5 of 9Your prep station before cooking begins
The Protein (0/2)
The Aromatics (0/1)
The Spice Blend (0/3)
Chicken is not cooking evenly.
Ensure chicken pieces are of similar size and thickness. Rotate the baking sheet halfway through cooking.
Marinade is too thick.
Add a tablespoon or two of water to thin the marinade.
Chef's Notes
Pat chicken dry before marinating for better adherence and browning.
For a smoky flavor without a grill, broil chicken on high heat, turning once.
Marinate chicken up to 24 hours ahead for deeper flavor.
Serve with cooling raita, fresh mint chutney, and warm naan.
The Method
MIX
Prep aheadIn a large bowl, combine yogurt, ginger-garlic paste (2 tbsp), tandoori masala (3 tbsp), lemon juice (2 tbsp), garam masala (1 tsp), Kashmiri chili powder (1 tsp), and salt (1½ tsp).
Uneven coating: Lumpy yogurt prevents the spices from penetrating the meat evenly.
Yogurt mixture is smooth and well combined.
ADD
Prep aheadAdd chicken (1500 g) pieces to the marinade and ensure they are well coated.
Uneven coating: Dry spots on the chicken will result in bland, rubbery patches after roasting.
Chicken pieces are evenly coated with the marinade.
COVER
Time-sensitivePrep aheadCover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.
Cross-contamination: Ensure the bowl is tightly sealed to prevent leaks and raw chicken contact.
Bowl is covered and chicken is marinating in the refrigerator.
PREHEAT
Preheat oven to 450°F (232°C).
Uneven airflow: Avoid overcrowding the oven with other trays, which can block heat circulation and prevent proper browning.
Oven is preheated to the correct temperature.
GREASE
Grease a baking sheet with vegetable oil (1 tbsp).
Uneven coating: Pooling oil can cause the chicken to fry unevenly or stick in dry patches.
Baking sheet is lightly greased with oil.
ARRANGE
Arrange the marinated chicken (1500 g) pieces on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
Overcrowding: If pieces touch, the chicken will steam and fail to develop the characteristic charred crust.
Chicken pieces are arranged in a single layer on the baking sheet, not overcrowded.
BAKE
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken (1500 g) is cooked through and the skin is nicely charred.
Dry chicken: Overcooking will cause the yogurt solids to break down and the meat to dry out.
Chicken is cooked through with nicely charred skin.
BROIL
Time-sensitiveBroil for the last 2-3 minutes to enhance the char, watching carefully to prevent burning.
Rapid burning: The high sugar content in the yogurt marinade causes it to turn from charred to burnt in seconds.
Chicken skin is deeply charred but not burnt.
REST
Let the chicken (1500 g) rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Soggy skin: Trapping steam during the rest will ruin the texture of the charred skin.
Chicken has rested for 5 minutes.
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