Roasted or Grilled Tandoori Chicken

Serves six.

To learn more, read:
Make Chicken Tikka Masala at Home
by Suneeta Vaswani
from Fine Cooking
Issue 81
Last Edit Date: 3/6/2013 4:29:36 PM

Tandoori chicken is the first step to making Chicken Tikka Masala, but it's also a classic Indian dish on its own. If you plan on making the tikka masala, use the roasting method below; the meat will stay moister. But if you're serving the tandoori chicken on it's own, use the grilling method instead; the meat will have better flavor.

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12 bone-in chicken thighs
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 medium lemons)
1 Tbs. peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
1 Tbs. finely chopped garlic
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. garam masala
1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1 lemon, cut in half

Tip:

Restaurants use food coloring to give this chicken its traditional red color; if you like, add a few drops of red and yellow food coloring to the marinade.

For serving the tandoori chicken on its own:

4 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1 lemon, cut into small wedges
1 small sweet onion, sliced into into rings

Marinate the chicken:

Remove the skin and trim excess fat from the chicken. With a sharp chef’s knife, cut three or four long, diagonal slits on each thigh against the grain, almost to the bone.

In a large, shallow bowl, mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, garam masala, kosher salt, and cayenne. Add the chicken, turning to coat and making sure that the marinade gets into all of the slits in the chicken. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator, at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.

To roast the thighs for Chicken Tikka Masala:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375ºF. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Transfer the chicken from the marinade to the baking sheet, spacing the thighs evenly. Discard any remaining marinade. Roast until the juices run clear when the chicken is pierced and an instant-read thermometer in a meaty part of a thigh registers 170°F, about 45 minutes.

Squeeze the lemon halves over the chicken. Let it cool before using in the Chicken Tikka Masala recipe. Refrigerate if making ahead.

To grill the chicken and serve on its own:

Heat a gas grill to medium high. Oil the grill liberally. Remove the chicken from the marinade and lay the chicken on the grill. Discard the marinade. Cover and cook until grill marks appear, 5 to 7 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken and continue to cook until the second side has grill marks, about 5 minutes more. Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, flipping occasionally, until it is no longer pink near the bone (cut into a thigh to check), 10 to 15 minutes for small thighs, 15 to 20 minutes for large. Transfer the chicken to a platter and let it rest for 5 minutes.

Brush the chicken with the melted butter and squeeze lemon halves on top. Garnish with the lemon wedges and the sliced onion.

nutrition information (per serving):
Size : based on six servings; Calories (kcal): 230; Fat (g): 11; Fat Calories (kcal): 100; Saturated Fat (g): 3; Protein (g): 28; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 4.5; Carbohydrates (g): 2; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 2.5; Sodium (mg): 170; Cholesterol (mg): 100; Fiber (g): 0;

Photo: Scott Phillips

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by jdmorris, 6/6/2012I hadn't intended to rate this recipe because I was using the tandoori chicken for the chicken tikka masala dish, but my boyfriend kept eating it when he was helping me cut it off the bone to use in the chicken tikka masala dish. He liked it so much that I'm pretty sure we were down a chicken thigh or two by the time I got to the chicken tikka masala recipe. I used low fat yogurt instead of non-fat and marinated it for about 6 hours. I definitely recommend checking on the temperature of the chicken during cooking (I oven roasted it). After waiting 45 minutes, the chicken was 185 degrees.

by ValArt, 8/25/2011Definitely make fresh garam masala.

by Christene, 10/18/2010I made the roasted version of this recipe this weekend for the Chicken Tikka Masala and it was fantastic! I'm planning an Indian dinner party next weekend, so was testing this weekend. The marinade is so simple, especially when compared to many other Indian marinade recipes. Unfortunately I didn't plan very well and only had two hours to marinate the chicken. Also, my thighs roasted quicker than the 45 minutes in the recipe, so I know to check them earlier next time. Still, short on marinade time and slightly over-cooked they were still great. (I couldn't help stealing bites as I was tearing the chicken to put into the tikka masala sauce!) I can't wait to make this for my friends next weekend and also look forward to trying the grilled version. Thanks Fine Cooking!

by m2violin, 8/8/2010One of the best Tandoori recipes I've tried. The chicken was moist and quite flavorful. I grilled my chicken on a charcoal grill, and the grilling really added to the flavor. However, it will still be good in the wintertime roasted in the oven.

by spoley, 3/1/2008

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Roasted or Grilled Tandoori Chicken

more about:

Tip:

For serving the tandoori chicken on its own:

Marinate the chicken:

To roast the thighs for Chicken Tikka Masala:

To grill the chicken and serve on its own:

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