Tandoori chicken is going to take your taste buds on an adventure with its rich and smoky flavors. Brace yourself! A lot of love, some simple ingredients, and some traditional cooking methods—that is my cooking philosophy, and it shows in this dish. Every dinner is an homage to history and taste in my kitchen. For me, making Tandoori chicken is about more than just following directions; it’s about honoring the rich history that has informed my food choices. If you make this dish at home, I hope you’ll feel just as enthusiastic and delighted as I did when I made it.
Whether you’re whipping up a meal for a crowd or simply for one, remember that when you use my recipes, you’re really bringing a little bit of my kitchen into yours. Together, we can create something truly remarkable, savouring each mouth-watering flavor!
How to make tandoori chicken.
There are two parts to this marinade.
Step 1. Place the chicken in a large bowl. To the chicken, add the lemon juice, ginger and garlic paste, Kashmiri red chili powder, and salt. Mix well, and set aside.
Step 2. Combine the tandoori paste ingredients in a bowl, whisk until smooth, and set aside. Now its time to marinate extremely well. Cover and set aside for 2 to 3 hours, or this process can be done overnight.
To fry, add some vegetable oil to a non-stick pan. Heat oil; the oil must be hot enough to start placing the chicken. Cook on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, and now you can cook on low.
Once the chicken is done, place it in a flat pan, using a lid. Use a thick piece of foil and light a piece of coal, adding a few drops of vegetable oil and place it in the centre of the pan and cover. Leave the coal for 15 to 20 minutes and remove. Now you have the charred tandoori chicken.
Ingredients needed.
This recipe calls for very simple ingredients and pantry spices. Besides the chicken itself, you’ll likely have everything on hand. Here is what you’ll need:
- Chicken. I prefer using chicken leg quarters for this recipe because they are fatty, flavorful, and have the bone intact. You can also use a mix of chicken legs and drumsticks. If you want boneless chicken, opt for chicken thighs.
- Yogurt. Plain Greek yogurt or natural yogurt. It goes without saying but please do not use flavoured yogurt.
- Lemon juice. Fresh lemon juice.
- Ginger and garlic. Freshly minced. Fresh ginger and garlic give the chicken Asian notes and add great flavor. Use fewer or more garlic cloves, depending on your preferences.
- Spices. The spice blend I prefer using for my tandoori chicken recipe is listed . While you can customize the spice blend for tandoori chicken, I recommend you never skip the tandoori masala, as it gives the dish an authentic Indian feel.
- Red food coloring
- Salt. To taste.
10 Chicken leg quarters. Rinse thoroughly and place in a colander. Make 4 to 5 slits on the chicken quarters.
Tip!
Since we’re removing the chicken’s skin in this recipe, it’s really important to coat it in a thick layer of a yogurt marinade to protect it from drying out, and it’s important to use full cream yogurt. You want the fat content of the yogurt to help keep the chicken juicy, and fat also makes food more palatable. If you only have non-fat yogurt on hand, I suggest you mix in 1-2 tablespoons of oil.
About this stovetop tandoori chicken recipe.
This recipe will give you excellent results, and if you use my charcoal smoking method below, it will taste deliciously smoky, just like what you get at your favourite curry houses.
Allow the chicken to cook through, turning randomly, for about 20 minutes or until nicely charred. 20 minutes is usually enough but please check that the chicken is completely cooked through.
Tandoori chicken is at its best when served with hot, fluffy naan bread or aromatic basmati rice, and the chicken is juicy and smoked. Chilled cucumber raita and a zesty salad of chopped tomatoes, cilantro, and onions dressed with lemon juice make a refreshing appetizer. For an extra burst of flavor, top the chicken with some fresh coriander and squeeze some lime.
Which chicken cuts?
I have used chicken leg quarters in this recipe. You cut into bite-sized tikka, but you can use any chicken pieces you like.
If you want to cook a starter of tandoori chicken legs and/or thighs on the bone, this recipe is the best for that too.
Whatever you are trying to achieve, this recipe will work. Small chicken tikka for curries or large pieces on the bone—it’s your choice.
What do I need to make this chicken tikka?
You will need a pan with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe if using the charcoal smoke method below. This is optional, however.
Forward Preparation
You could get away with just marinating the chicken for about 30 minutes.
That said, you will get much better results if you allow the tandoori chicken to marinate. I marinated the chicken overnight, and it really does taste absolutely delicious!
Will this stovetop cooking method work with your other chicken tikka recipes?
You bet! I wanted to show you how this is done on a stovetop. But any of my chicken tikka recipes can be cooked in this way.
So are you ready to give stovetop tandoori chicken tikka a try? Go for it! These delicious chicken is so good served with homemade stovetop naans.
How long can you keep leftovers in the fridge?
You should be able to keep any leftovers in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, wrapped tightly.
If you do have leftovers, you might like to try this mighty tandoori chicken burger!
Can you freeze leftovers?
Yes, and this chicken freezes really well for up to 3 months.
Wrap it tightly and label. Date it so you know what it is later.
Simple and delicious!
Visit my channel. “Cooking with Shams”