Best Recipe for Baked Tandoori Chicken

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Tandoori chicken is an extraordinary baked chicken dish bursting with color and flavor; all of which is in the secret marinade recipe.

What is Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori chicken is chicken that is placed in a special marinated consisting of a combination of yogurt and spices for an extended amount of time and then cooked in a high heat oven.

Tandoor is actually a type of oven, most commonly made out of clay. It is used for cooking foods at extremely high temperatures up to 900° F.  There is no need to worry about having a special oven because I will share with you exactly how to achieve the same flavor as the traditional Tandoori chicken.

I first fell in love with the flavor of Tandoori Chicken in the early 1990’s at a local trendy restaurant in Missouri. That’s when I knew this would be a dish I had to conquer. I searched all over for the perfect marinade. I tried many store-bought versions of prepackaged spices and liquid marinades but it just wasn’t the same so I decided to create my own spice blend. See my Tandoori Spice Blend recipe below.

If you aren’t into the spices maybe you’d like my other one pan dandy recipe for baked chicken and rice.

Jump to Recipe

Baked Tandoori Chicken Recipe

Tandoori Chicken Spice Blend Ingredients

Combine the following spices together in a small glass prep bowl and set aside.

• 1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
•  5 Whole Cloves (crushed)

It should look something like the picture below. Isn’t it just gorgeous? And the aroma….ahh…smells wonderful!

Tandoori Chicken Ingredients:

• Tandoori Spice Blend
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 Tablespoon garlic minced
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup plain yogurt (make sure it is PLAIN and not flavored)
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1 lemon served sliced for garnish (optional)
• Chicken (recommend 4 thighs, 4 drumsticks, and 2 breasts)

If you are looking for a recommendation for a side dish to serve with this recipe I highly recommend making a box of Near East Couscous Mediterranean Curry.

Prepare Chicken

Rinse chicken under cool water and pat dry with paper towel. Carefully score each piece as noted in picture below. Scoring chicken allows the marinade to penetrate deeper for a more robust flavor.

Prepare Marinade

In a large gallon bag add chopped onion, garlic, lemon juice, yogurt, Tandoori Spice Blend, olive oil, pepper, salt and chicken. Seal up the bag and gently knead all ingredients together. Be careful not to break the seal on the bag or you will have a genuine mess on your hands. 

Refrigerate

Place bag into the refrigerator to marinade for up to 2 hours or overnight if desired.

After the chicken has marinated remove from the refrigerator and preheat oven to 500° Fahrenheit. This is the first meal that I had ever cooked a dish in the oven at 500°. I never even knew the oven temperature would go that high but it does!

Prepare Pan

Prepare a 9×13 pan by lining with aluminum foil. Remove chicken from the bag and arrange in pan like so. You can put the remaining marinade in the pan with the chicken or discard. Fold foil over and make a tight seal.

Bake

Bake chicken for 1 hour covered. Then remove cover and continue baking for 30 minutes longer or until chicken is browned evenly on top. Serve and enjoy!

I AM EXCITED YOU ARE VIEWING JETT’S RECIPE FOR TANDOORI CHICKEN AND WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HOW IT TURNS OUT SHOULD YOU DECIDE TO MAKE IT!

***Please come back and share your comments and tell my readers how you like this recipe.***

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