No need for clay ovens with this Tandoori Chicken in Oven recipe inspired by the original Asian Indian dish. Get ready for flavor-packed tandoori chicken that's fork tender and simply delicious.
Prep Time: 20 minutesmins
Cook Time: 25 minutesmins
Servings: 16
Ingredients
16chicken legs, or 3 lbs other bone-in chicken pieces such as chicken thighs
¼cupfreshly squeezed lime juice, about 2 limes + extra wedges for garnish
2 ½tsptable salt
Instructions
Thoroughly dry chicken pieces. Using a fork, deeply pierce each piece well, on all sides. Set aside while you make the marinade.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in ginger, garam masala, paprika, cumin, and chili powder. Cook 30 seconds longer.
Transfer half of garlic mixture to a medium bowl, stir in the yogurt, and add 2 TB fresh lime juice. Stir until creamy. Set sauce in a medium bowl in fridge until ready to use.
In a large bowl, combine remaining garlic mixture, remaining lime juice, and salt. "Loosen" mixture a bit with a couple dashes of olive oil. Transfer pierced chicken to this large bowl and rub mixture onto chicken until all pieces are evenly coated. Cover tightly and put in fridge for 2-4 hours. Remove from fridge 1 hour before you're ready to cook, so it has time to get close to room temp.
Adjust oven rack to upper middle position and heat to 325F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil.
One at a time, work yogurt mixture into each chicken piece so that each piece is thickly coated, including underneath the skin. Place chicken onto baking sheet and pour any remaining yogurt mixture over the chicken. Roast chicken 20-25 minutes, depending on size of pieces (125-130 degrees if using meat thermometer.)
Remove chicken from oven, and adjust oven rack 6 inches from top heat broiler. Return chicken to oven rack, and broil until chicken is lightly charred in spots, about 8-12 minutes. Each oven is different and chicken pieces vary in size, so watch carefully to ensure chicken does not burn.
Transfer chicken to serving plate, tent loosely with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with Basmati rice and lime wedges.
Notes
This Tandoori Chicken recipe does not use red food coloring, which is often added for that reddish hue you may recognize with other Tandoori Chicken recipes. Add food coloring if you must, but we prefer ours without it. The flavor is not at all affected by omitting food coloring.
We highly recommend sticking with dark meat such as chicken legs or thighs, as these cuts are much more forgiving when it comes to tenderness.
If desired, you can place chicken on a wire rack set on top of baking sheet, rather than directly on baking sheet.
This dish is wonderful for meal prep, as you can make a large batch at the start of the week and enjoy it for several days. It reheats well.