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Punjab / Delhi / North India · Indian

Tandoori Chicken

The smoky, scarlet-edged chicken that launched a thousand restaurant menus: yogurt-and-spice marinated, charred hard, and finished with butter and lemon. A home oven or grill stands in for the tandoor.

By Table & Traditions Editors

Published July 18, 2026

Charred scarlet-edged tandoori chicken legs on a platter with charred onion, lemon wedges and a bowl of green mint chutney, smoke rising.

Tandoori chicken in its modern form was popularised at Moti Mahal in Delhi after Partition, where Punjabi cooks adapted the clay-oven (tandoor) traditions of the northwest. It became the ancestor of an entire family of dishes — chicken tikka, butter chicken — and a symbol of Punjabi restaurant cooking worldwide.

Yield
Serves 4
Prep
20 min (plus 4–8 hr marination)
Cook
30 min
Total
About 1 hr active
Difficulty
Intermediate

Tandoori chicken is the smoky, scarlet-edged showpiece of Punjabi restaurant cooking — yogurt-and-spice marinated chicken charred hard in a blazing clay oven, then finished with butter and lemon. Popularised at Delhi’s Moti Mahal after Partition, it became the root of a whole dynasty of dishes, from chicken tikka to butter chicken.

Two marinades, one juicy bird

Great tandoori chicken is built in layers. Skin and deeply slash the chicken, then rub it with an acidic first marinade of ginger-garlic, lemon and chili to season the meat to the bone. The second layer is thick hung yogurt spiced with garam masala, cumin, coriander and Kashmiri chili — thick enough to cling instead of sliding off, and a tenderiser that keeps the inside juicy through a fierce cook.

High, dry heat — and a trick for smoke

You don’t need a tandoor. A maxed-out oven with the chicken on a rack, a broiler, or a charcoal grill all char the surface beautifully. For that unmistakable smoky note, use the dhungar method after cooking: a lump of lit charcoal in a small bowl, a drizzle of ghee, and a lid for two minutes.

The restaurant finish

A baste of butter near the end, then a squeeze of lemon and a dusting of chaat masala off the heat — that’s the bright, tangy lift you taste at the best places. Serve with raw onion and mint chutney as a starter, or alongside butter chicken and naan. For the techniques behind it all, see the guide to North Indian cooking.

Ingredients

Serves
4

For the chicken

  • 1 kg bone-in chicken, skinned and slashed Legs and thighs stay juiciest; deep slashes let the marinade penetrate.

For the first marinade

  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder, 1 tsp salt

For the second marinade

  • 1 cup thick hung yogurt Strained/hung yogurt clings to the chicken instead of sliding off.
  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric, salt
  • 1 tbsp mustard or other oil
  • 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

To finish

  • melted butter or ghee, lemon wedges, chaat masala, sliced onion

Method

Tap a step’s number to check it off as you go.

  1. Slash the skinned chicken to the bone and rub with the first marinade (ginger-garlic, lemon, chili, salt). Leave 20–30 minutes.

    Why: Skinning and slashing lets the marinade reach the meat; this acidic first rub seasons deeply and starts to tenderise before the yogurt layer goes on.

  2. Coat thickly with the hung-yogurt second marinade and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.

    Why: Hung yogurt is thick enough to cling and its acidity and enzymes tenderise the meat. A long marination is what gives tandoori chicken its deep flavour and juicy interior.

  3. Cook hot and fast — on a grill over charcoal, or in an oven at its maximum (240°C+) on a rack, or under a broiler — turning and basting, until charred at the edges and cooked through (about 25–30 minutes).

    Why: High, dry heat chars the surface and renders the yogurt coating into the signature crust. A rack lets heat circulate so the chicken roasts rather than stews in its juices.

  4. Baste with melted butter in the last few minutes. Rest, then finish with a squeeze of lemon and a dusting of chaat masala.

    Why: Butter adds gloss and richness (the tandoori-to-makhani link), while lemon and chaat masala at the end give the bright, tangy lift restaurants are known for.

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Variations

  • Chicken tikka

    Use boneless cubes on skewers, same marinade, shorter cook — the boneless cousin and the base for chicken tikka masala.

  • Smoky (dhungar)

    After cooking, place a piece of lit charcoal in a small bowl in the pan, drizzle with ghee, and cover for 2 minutes to add tandoor-like smoke at home.

  • Paneer / cauliflower tikka

    Use the same marinade on paneer or cauliflower florets for a vegetarian grill.

Serving & Storage

Serve hot off the grill with sliced raw onion, lemon wedges and mint-coriander chutney. It's a classic starter, or pair with naan and dal for a full meal.

Pairs with: Mint-coriander chutney, Naan, Sliced onion and lemon, Dal makhani.

Storage: Keeps 2–3 days refrigerated. Reheat in a hot oven to keep it from drying out. Marinated raw chicken can be frozen for up to a month.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 serving)

Calories
380
Protein
42 g
Carbs
6 g
Fat
21 g
Fiber
1 g
Sugar
3 g
Sodium
780 mg

Notable micronutrients: Protein, Calcium, Vitamin B12

Estimated using standard ingredient data. Values vary with brands and substitutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get tandoori chicken red without food colouring?

Use Kashmiri red chili powder, which is mild but intensely red, and let the surface char properly. Most restaurants use colour for the neon look, but a deep natural red-orange comes from Kashmiri chili plus a good char.

Can I make tandoori chicken without a tandoor?

Absolutely. A very hot oven (240°C+) with the chicken on a rack, a broiler, or a charcoal grill all work well. For the smoky note, use the dhungar method — a piece of lit charcoal and ghee under a cover after cooking.

Why use hung yogurt?

Regular yogurt is too watery and slides off, leaving the chicken pale. Hung (strained) yogurt is thick, clings to the slashed meat, and tenderises it while forming the characteristic crust.

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