Tandoori Chicken
When I was living in Toronto, I had a couple of East Indian friends, Tony and Siva. They were both fun to hang out with. We sure had a lot of good laughs together. Although they were westernized in their way of dressing and thinking, they still kept their culture and tradition… When you really think about it, we all do…
One thing that was fun to do especially with Tony was to go out. We always tried new places, new food, and new neighborhoods. Tony also helped me to discover more about Indian cuisine by going out to his favorite spots. Now if his mother was coming as well, we were assured that this particular evening would turn into a “party”… she was absolutely amazing!
As much as the Brampton area outside of Toronto has a high concentration of East Indian, Pakistanis and other cultures from the Middle East, so does Delta and Surrey in British Columbia. It’s great because finding ingredients is much easier.
I enjoy their cuisine for many reasons; it’s spicy, flavorful and generally quite easy to make. Besides my Indian Butter Chicken, I couldn’t resist sharing another one of my takes on an Indian recipe… my Tandoori Chicken. I love this dish! It’s straight forward, spicy, easy to prep and the results are incredible!
The traditional Tandoori Chicken is prepared in a cylindrical clay oven and obviously I don’t own one nor am I thinking of getting one. The next best thing to get pretty close to the real thing is to oven bake the chicken. By the time the drumsticks are cooked perfectly and the skins darken, the results are very delicious!
I won’t lie to you and say that this dish isn’t spicy but it’s also packed with incredible flavors. I like to serve my Tandoori Chicken with rice like my Indian Basmati with Dry Fruits and some Indian Naan Bread to tame down the heat. Don’t be afraid to give this dish a try… your taste buds will definitely thank you.
Bon Appétit!
Check out these other Indian inspired recipes…
– Lamb Keema
– Indian Naan Bread
– Chicken Tikka Masala
– Indian Masala Chai
– Chicken Chapli Kebabs
– Indian Basmati with Dry Fruits
– Mughlai Chicken
and for even more poultry recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Poultry
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Tandoori Chicken
Hover to scale
Ingredients
- 8 large drumsticks
- 1 1/2 cups plain Balkan-style yogurt
- 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice tips & tricks
- 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp. garam masala
- 1/2 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tbsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tbsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp. ground Himalayan sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
Directions
- Make small slits into the drumsticks; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add all the marinade ingredients and whisk until well incorporated.
- Add the drumsticks and toss until well coated. Cover and transfer to the refrigerator for 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 425ºF.
- Lightly grease a baking sheet lined with foil and place a rack on it.
- Transfer the drumsticks on the rack and lightly brush on the marinade where there are patches without it.
- Transfer them to the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, flip them over and brush on the marinade. Return to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
- Remove once again from the heat and brush the drumsticks with the remaining marinade.
- Turn the oven to broil and cook the chicken for 3 to 5 minutes or until they start to darken. Remove again, flip them over and return to darken the other side.
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