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Tandoori Chicken

Updated May 11, 2020Published Aug 7, 2018 By Julia 11 CommentsThis post may contain affiliate links.

Summary:
This Indian dish may be traditionally made in a tandoor clay oven, but you can easily make this at home using your oven and everyday ingredients. Chicken is infused with flavor from a richly spiced yogurt marinade, then broiled or baked until crisp with delicious blackened bits. Keto friendly and low carb.
close up view of tandoori chicken

Tandoori Chicken

4.7 from 6 votes
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Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Marinate: 6 hrs
Yield: 3 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed (Note 1)

Rub:

  • 1 lime, juiced (1-2 tablespoons)
  • 3/4 teaspoon table salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Marinade:

  • 1 (7-ounce) container plain greek yogurt (Note 2)
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne (Note 3)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Marinate Chicken: Rub salt, pepper, and lime juice over all surfaces of chicken thighs; set aside. Stir together all marinade ingredients in large bowl until well-mixed. Add chicken thighs to bowl one at a time, using tongs to stir them around until smeared with marinade before adding another. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours.
  • Prepare: Position oven rack in center of oven. Turn on broiler, set to high. If broiler is not available, plan to bake instead (Note 4) by preheating oven to 450 F. Prepare baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper, optionally fitted with greased wire rack (Note 5). Use tongs to transfer marinade-covered chicken thighs to baking sheet, spreading out each thigh to lay it flat without touching others. Discard excess marinade in bowl.
  • Cook Chicken: Place baking sheet in oven, cooking until chicken appears mostly dry on top with a few blackened tips, 15 to 20 minutes. Take out baking sheet, flip chicken thighs, and return to oven. Cook until chicken appears dry and is cooked through, about 10 minutes, monitoring frequently to avoid burning. Serve (Note 6).

NUTRITION

Makes 3 Servings (Note 7)
Amount Per Serving:
Calories 340 (43% from fat)  
Total Fat 16g 25%
   Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol 189mg 63%
Sodium 930mg 39%
Net Carb 5g  
Total Carb 6.5g 2%
   Dietary Fiber 1.5g 5%
   Sugars 2.5g  
Protein 44g  
Vitamin A 29% · Vitamin C 2% · Calcium 11% · Iron 28%

PHOTOS

close up view of tandoori chicken
stirring chicken with spiced yogurt marinade
yogurt marinade covered chicken thighs on baking sheet
tandoori chicken with spinach served on white plate

NOTES & TIPS

(1) Chicken. About 6 chicken thighs. Depending on your personal preference, you may want to trim off excess fat. I use fresh chicken; if yours is frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge beforehand. Chicken breasts should also work well — cut each breast into 3 pieces so that each piece is approximately the same size as a thigh.
(2) Greek Yogurt. Greek yogurt is used because of its thick consistency; don’t use American yogurts, which would result in a watery marinade. Select a Greek yogurt with at least 2% fat, plain flavor, and unsweetened. I use the Fage brand. Don’t substitute with sour cream or other dairy products.
(3) Cayenne. This amount yields medium spiciness. Adjust as needed to match your preferences.
(4) Baking Option. Broiling is recommended because it gives a nice charred appearance to the chicken, and the yogurt marinade dries easily, baking into the surface of the chicken. If you choose to bake instead, the resulting chicken will taste equally delicious, but will have a less crisp finish and won’t look as attractive as the photos shown here.
(5) Wire Rack. Using a wire rack allows the cooked chicken juices to fall through instead of pooling around the chicken, and allows heat to evenly circulate. This is optional; in my tests, the results were pretty similar whether or not I used a wire rack. If you decide to use a rack, use a nonstick rack or a well-greased one so that the chicken doesn’t stick to it.
(6) Serving. Serve while warm. Since tandoori chicken is very flavorful, it’s well-complemented by a mild side dish, like fried cauliflower rice, sauteed spinach, or steamed asparagus. If you’re serving this alongside other Indian main dishes, I recommend low carb cauliflower curry, chicken tikka masala, or butter chicken. Tandoori chicken leftovers can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days, and reheated in the microwave.
(7) Adjusting Yield. You can halve or double the ingredients proportionally. Since the baking time may need to be adjusted, follow the visual tests for doneness given in the instructions.

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Filed Under: Low Carb, Mains: Poultry, Per Serving: 5-10g Net Carbs Tagged With: cayenne, chicken thighs, cumin, garlic, ginger, gluten free, lime, more10ingredients, more60min, oven, paprika, turmeric, yogurt

About Julia

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julia is a recipe developer and the founder of Savory Tooth. Since 2015, she has been sharing simple recipes for tasty dishes, mostly low carb and gluten free. Learn more.

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newest oldest most voted
Olivia

This is the best chicken but you must try adding garam masala to the spices and it makes it perfect!

Vote Up2Vote Down  Reply
1 year ago
Regina

Could this be grilled on a bbq instead of broiled or baked?

Vote Up1Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Julia

Yes, grilling would work nicely for tandoori chicken.

Vote Up1Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Samantha Miller

I zoomed through the instructions and accidentally put the lime juice and salt and pepper in with the marinade, so the texture of the marinade came out a little cakey. Also only marinated for 5 hours, so it’s likely extra contents would have been absorbed had it marinated longer. Will also premix the spices so they are evenly mixed so flavor is not bitter in any way.

It smelled amazing and had I followed the instructions it would’ve come out delicious. Will def try again!

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4 months ago
Sheryl

This was delicious and so easy to make. Unfortunately I didn’t have any yogurt so I just added 2 T olive oil and it turned out quite good, although I’ll be sure to use yogurt next time I make it. Family loved it! Thanks for sharing

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4 months ago
Beth

Has anyone tried this in the air fryer?

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1 year ago
Kat

Easy to make and very flavorful. Will marinate for 24hrs next time.

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Rachel Matthews

Could this be frozen as raw chicken in the marinade?

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Julia

I haven’t tried that, but I think it could work out. Only potential issue is that the yogurt in the marinade might split once you thaw and cook the chicken.

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
2 years ago
Lisa Long

Loved the chicken, easy to make. I will add more spice next time.

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
3 years ago
Jane Robinson

Great recipe, but not everyone has an oven with a ‘broiler’ (a grill in the UK). I ended up cooking in the oven and then grilling to blacken up the chicken, which is probably not quite the same but at least I could give it a go!

Vote Up0Vote Down  Reply
4 years ago

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