Tandoori chicken wings make for a great appetizer or snack, as the bold & flavorful tandoori spices coating the chicken wings make it a real treat! And they are relatively quick & easy to make!
In this recipe for tandoori chicken wings, I’ve shared my special tandoori masala marinade to flavor the chicken wings, and 2 ways of making tandoori chicken wings – in the air fryer (perfect for family snacking) and the home oven (best for making bigger batches for parties etc).
These tandoori chicken wings are a family favorite! They are our go-to for family game nights as well as for taking to parties & get togethers!
As the bold & flavorful tandoori spices coating the chicken wings make it a real treat! You just have to try it to believe it. But I promise you, once you do, it’ll soon become one of your favorite flavorings for chicken wings, if not THE favorite.
And they are relatively quick & easy to make. Just one step marination & they are ready to go in the air fryer, oven, or even on the grill, if you prefer grilled chicken wings.
I usually go with the air fryer for smaller batches, and the oven for bigger batches. But I have shared both methods in this post, so you can pick whichever one you prefer.
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Ingredients for Tandoori Chicken Wings
Ingredient notes
- Chicken wings – Full chicken wings are usually cut in 3 pieces – flats (also known as wingettes), drums (also known as drumettes), and wing-tips (which are discarded).
The chicken wing pieces I have used for this recipe are wingettes and drumettes (as you can see above). So if you go by the exact quantity of the recipe card, that would be 33 wingettes and drumettes (about half and half of each), and not 33 full chicken wings.
Wingettes and drumettes can usually be bought pre-cut, which is what I have used – the pre-cut wings. But you can also cut the chicken wing at home into wingettes and drumettes, and discard the wing tips. - Tandoori masala marinade – As you see, I’ve used more spice powders than just tandoori masala powder to make the tandoori masala marinade. This blend of spices is what I’ve found to work really well together, in case you are using all store-bought masalas, like I am doing in this case.
I am still working on developing a recipe for homemade tandoori masala powder that I like enough to use just that along with yogurt, salt & oil. I’ll share it when it is ready, but until then you can use the blend of masalas shared in the recipe to make really good tandoori masala marinade, that you can adapt to suit several different tandoori recipes.
How to Make Tandoori Chicken Wings (Step by Step)
Prep the chicken wings
- Take 33 chicken wing pieces (wingettes & drumettes), wash them, and then pat them dry to ensure there is no excess liquid when the marinade is applied.
- Some prefer to not wash raw chicken at all, because of the possibility of cross contamination. I always prefer to wash, take care to avoid cross contamination, and then sanitize the surfaces. Either way, ensure the chicken wings are dry when the marinade is applied.
Make the tandoori masala marinade
- In a bowl, take ½ cup of yogurt, 4 tablespoon ginger garlic paste, 3 tablespoon kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tablespoon tandoori masala powder, 1 tablespoon garam masala powder, 1 tablespoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon chaat masala powder, 2 tablespoon kasoori methi, 1½ tablespoon corn flour, 2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice & 3 tablespoon oil.
- Mix everything together to make a smooth paste-like marinade.
Apply tandoori masala marinade to the chicken wings
- Apply the tandoori masala marinade to the chicken wing pieces, ensuring to coat them all well.
- Let the chicken marinate for at-least 4-6 hours in the fridge. Better if you can let it marinate overnight. But in a rush, 1-2 hours of marination will be enough too.
When done, always ensure to let the chicken thaw out at room temperature for at-least 15-20 minutes, after taking out from the fridge, and before cooking them. So that the chicken doesn’t get exposed to extreme temperatures in a matter of minutes.
Tandoori Chicken Wings in Air Fryer
- Pre-heat air fryer to 400 F ( ~204 C)
- Grease the air fryer basket, and then place the chicken wing pieces in it.
- Air fry tandoori chicken wings for 15-17 minutes, till done, ensuring to flip the pieces once at the halfway point.
Tandoori Chicken Wings in Oven
- Preheat oven to 400 F ( ~204 C)
- Take a baking tray, line it with parchment paper or foil (to catch the drippings), and place a wire rack in it.
- Grease the wire rack, and then place the chicken wing pieces on it.
- Bake tandoori chicken wings for 35-40 minutes, till done, ensuring to flip the pieces once at the halfway point.
What to Serve with Tandoori Chicken Wings
I personally love to eat these tandoori spiced chicken wings as is, usually pairing it with a drink. But you can pair these chicken wings with something like this green chutney or schezwan chutney or even ranch, based on what you prefer.
More Tandoori Chicken Recipes to try..
⭐️ Boneless Tandoori Chicken Bites
⭐️ Tandoori Chicken Legs
⭐️ Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks
⭐️ Whole Chicken Tandoori
As always, I hope you found this recipe useful. If you did, please let me know your rating ⭐️ and feedback 📲 in the comments below, or simply rate the recipe right on the recipe card. I’d really appreciate it. ❤️
📖 RECIPE
Tandoori Chicken Wings
Equipment
- Gourmia Air Fryer
Ingredients
Chicken wings
- 33 chicken wing pieces (weighing 3.5 pounds) *see notes
For tandoori chicken wings marinade
- ½ cup yogurt thick, full fat
- 4 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 3 tablespoon kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon tandoori masala powder
- 1 tablespoon garam masala powder
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon chaat masala powder
- 2 tablespoon kasoori methi
- 1½ tablespoon corn flour
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon oil
- ⅛ teaspoon red food color optional
Instructions
Prepping the chicken wings
- Take 33 chicken wing pieces (wingettes & drumettes), wash them, and then pat them dry to ensure there is no excess liquid when the marinade is applied.
- Some prefer to not wash raw chicken at all, because of the possibility of cross contamination. I always prefer to wash, take care to avoid cross contamination, and then sanitize the surfaces. Either way, ensure the chicken wings are dry when the marinade is applied.
Making the tandoori masala marinade
- In a bowl, take ½ cup of yogurt, 4 tablespoon ginger garlic paste, 3 tablespoon kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tablespoon tandoori masala powder, 1 tablespoon garam masala powder, 1 tablespoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon chaat masala powder, 2 tablespoon kasoori methi, 1½ tablespoon corn flour, 2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice & 3 tablespoon oil.
- Mix everything together to make a smooth paste-like marinade.
Applying tandoori masala marinade to chicken wings
- Apply the tandoori masala marinade to the chicken wing pieces, ensuring to coat them all well.
- Let the chicken marinate for at-least 4-6 hours in the fridge. Better if you can let it marinate overnight. But in a rush, 1-2 hours of marination will be enough too.
- When done, always ensure to let the chicken thaw out at room temperature for at-least 15-20 minutes, after taking out from the fridge, and before cooking them. So that the chicken doesn't get exposed to extreme temperatures in a matter of minutes.
Making tandoori chicken wings in air fryer
- Pre-heat air fryer to 400 F ( ~204 C)
- Grease the air fryer basket, and then place the chicken wing pieces in it.
- Air fry tandoori chicken wings for 15-17 minutes, till done, ensuring to flip the pieces once at the halfway point.
Making tandoori chicken wings in oven
- Preheat oven to 400 F ( ~204 C)
- Take a baking tray, line it with parchment paper or foil (to catch the drippings), and place a wire rack in it.
- Grease the wire rack, and then place the chicken wing pieces on it.
- Bake tandoori chicken wings for 35-40 minutes, till done, ensuring to flip the pieces once at the halfway point.
Serving Suggestion
- Serve tandoori chicken wings as is, or with a dip of your choice, and enjoy!
Notes
- Chicken wing pieces – Full chicken wings are usually cut in 3 pieces – flats (also known as wingettes), drums (also known as drumettes), and wing-tips (which are discarded). The 33 pieces I have used for this recipe are wingettes and drumettes (approximately half & half of each), and not 33 full chicken wings. Wingettes and drumettes can usually be bought pre-cut, which is what I have used – the pre-cut wings. But you can also cut the chicken wing at home into wingettes and drumettes, and discard the wing tips.
- Tandoori masala marinade – As you see, I use more spice powders than just tandoori masala powder to make the tandoori masala marinade. This blend of spices is what I’ve found to work really well together, in case you are using all store-bought masalas, like I am doing in this case. I am still working on developing a recipe for homemade tandoori masala powder that I like enough to use just that along with yogurt, salt & oil. I’ll share it when it is ready, but until then you can use the blend of masalas shared in the recipe to make really good tandoori masala marinade, that you can adapt to suit several different tandoori recipes.
Nutrition
Video Recipe
This recipe was first published in May 2021, and has been republished with updated instructions, notes & tips, step images as well as video in Jul 2022.
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