Tandoori Chicken (Air Fryer & Oven Recipe)

two tandoori chicken legs in a plate, along with laccha pyaaz, a couple lemon wedges & chopped coriander leaves.

Tandoori Chicken (Air Fryer & Oven Recipe)

This Tandoori Chicken recipe makes authentic tasting tandoori chicken that is slightly crisp & charred on the outside, while being tender, juicy & succulent on the inside. And all without a tandoor! As this recipe shares how to make tandoori chicken in the air fryer or the home oven.

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 1492kcal

Author Shantala Shenoy Nayak

Equipment

Gourmia Air Fryer
Baking Tray + Rack

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken legs (see notes)

First marination (for tenderizing the chicken)

2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt

Second marination (tandoori masala marinade)

½ cup yogurt
2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1½ tablespoon kashmiri chilli powder
½ tablespoon tandoori masala powder
½ tablespoon garam masala powder
½ tablespoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon cumin powder
½ teaspoon chaat masala powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon kasoori methi
½ tablespoon corn flour
1½ tablespoon oil

Instructions

Prepping the chicken

Take 2 pounds of chicken legs.
Clean them, and then pat them dry, using a paper towel, to get rid of any excess water.
Make small gashes across the chicken legs, so that they can be filled with the marinade later.

First marination (for tenderizing the chicken)

In a small bowl, take 2 tablespoons of lemon juice & 1 teaspoon of salt, and mix them together till they are well combined.
Apply this lemon & salt mix to the chicken legs, ensuring to coat them well.
Let the chicken soak in this mix for about 15-20 minutes, and then strain off the excess liquid.
It's important to strain off all excess liquid from the lemon salt mix before applying the tandoori masala marinade to the chicken.

Second marination (tandoori masala marinade)

In a bowl, take ½ cup of yogurt, 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste, 1½ tablespoon kashmiri chilli powder, ½ tablespoon tandoori masala powder, ½ tablespoon garam masala powder, ½ tablespoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon chaat masala powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon kasoori methi, ½ tablespoon corn flour & 1½ tablespoon oil.
Mix them all together to form a smooth paste-like marinade. The tandoori masala marinade is ready.
Apply the tandoori masala marinade to the chicken legs, ensuring to coat them well, and also filling in the marinade inside the gashes made earlier.
Let the chicken marinate for at-least 4-6 hours. Ideal if you can marinate for longer, for about 12-24 hours.

Tandoori Chicken in Air Fryer

Pre-heat the air fryer at 400 F ( ~204 C).
Grease the base of the air fryer basket with some oil, and place the chicken legs in the air fryer basket.
Air fry at 400 F ( ~204 C) for 18-20 minutes till done, flipping the chicken once at the halfway point.
Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the chicken to ensure it’s done. It should be at-least 165 F ( ~74 C). Checking the temperature & turning off the air fryer when it’s at 165 F – 170 F also helps to ensure to not overcook the chicken, which can dry it out.

Tandoori Chicken in Oven

Pre-heat the oven at 425 F ( ~218 C).
Take an oven tray, and line it with parchment paper or foil (to catch the drippings), and place a wire rack in it.
Grease the rack using some oil, and then place the chicken legs on it.
Bake the chicken at 425 F ( ~218 C) for 35-40 minutes till done, flipping the chicken once at the halfway point.
Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the chicken to ensure it's done. It should be at-least 165 F ( ~74 C).

When done..

Tandoori chicken should be slightly crispy and charred on the outside, especially the edges, and still tender, juicy & succulent on the inside.

Serving Suggestion

Serve tandoori chicken with some laccha pyaaz (indian spiced onion rings), lemon wedges, and pair it with a green chutney dip, and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Best Cut of Chicken for Tandoori Chicken - I have used chicken legs for this tandoori chicken recipe, as it's usually the most popular cut of meat when it comes to tandoori chicken, at-least in Indian restaurants. But you can use the tandoori masala marinade to flavor any cut of chicken you prefer, like whole chicken tandoori, tandoori chicken wings, boneless tandoori chicken bites & tandoori chicken drumsticks.
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.
Red Color - I usually avoid adding food coloring to most of the homemade dishes. But you can add a few drops of red food coloring to the tandoori masala marinade, if you prefer, to give the tandoori chicken the bright red color that is common in tandoori chicken available in most restaurants.

Nutrition