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    Tandoori Chicken

    Updated March 4, 2025 / By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    Warm spices like ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and cumin mixed with yogurt make the marinade for this simple, whole roasted tandoori chicken recipe.

    A whole roasted tandoori chicken served with warm pita bread and a side of creamy raita for dipping.
    Photography by Gayle McLeod

    Why People Love Our Recipe 

    Whether you need a show stopper for company, or just a weekly rotation refresh, give Tandoori Chicken a try! Since we first shared this recipe, our readers have shared their reactions — if you don’t believe us that this recipe rocks, just take it from them: 

    • “The Tandoori sauce is the bomb! Served with the raita, basmati rice and naan. Thank you! I didn't know I could make Indian food as good as my favorite takeout.”
    • “Best tandoori chicken recipe I have ever tried. The flavours are incredible and the chicken is so tender and juicy. I will be making this for my family many years to come!”
    • “This is amazing! It was out of my comfort zone to prepare a chicken in this manner, but I’m so glad I gave it a try. The marinade is delicious. Definitely a hit and will be making again!”
    Ingredients for tandoori chicken: vibrant spices, yogurt, garlic, cilantro, pita bread and raita laid out in bowls

    What is Tandoori Chicken? 

    A tandoor is a coal-fired clay oven that is commonly used for cooking bread — like Indian naan — and meat in Middle Eastern and South Asian countries. So, tandoori chicken means chicken that is cooked in a tandoor oven. If you don’t have a tandoor oven lying around at home (and we’re betting you don’t) you can still make really delicious tandoori-style chicken, because a regular oven works just fine. Much of what we all love about the tandoori chicken that we order in restaurants is all about the uniquely spiced yogurt sauce and marinade. Tender and juicy, our roasted tandoori chicken recipe approximates the smoky heat of a traditional tandoor oven by slowly roasting a whole spatchcocked chicken that’s been slathered in Indian spices and cooling, creamy yogurt. 

    yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chili powder, cayenne, cinnamon, cumin, cilantro, salt & pepper in a bowl
    yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chili powder, cayenne, cinnamon, cumin, cilantro & salt mixed in a bowl

    Good To Know: Key Ingredient Notes 

    • Yogurt marinade: Yogurt and lemon juice make for a pretty magical marinade, and by magical we mean scientifically interesting! Yogurt has lactic acid, which works beautifully to gently tenderize meat. The keyword here is gentle! It will yield unbelievably tender, moist chicken. The lemon juice, meanwhile, has citric acid which breaks down the meat more quickly. The two together balance each other out and work to make the chicken really tender and flavorful, pretty quickly. 
    • Spices: Fresh garlic and ginger, plus ground turmeric, chili powder, cayenne powder, cinnamon, cumin. 
    • Chicken: To ensure super even cooking, and lots of roasty, crispy flavorful bits of skin you’ll want to spatchcock the chicken. It’s our favorite trick for cooking a whole chicken really evenly — in grilling season, try our Spatchcocked Grilled Chicken, too!  It can be a little intimidating the first time you do it, but it’s not hard. Good-quality kitchen shears are helpful. If you really don’t want to do it yourself, oftentimes friendly butchers will do it for you — doesn’t hurt to ask! 
    the spine of a raw chicken being cut out on top of parchment paper
    a whole chicken marinated with yogurt and vibrant spices on a rack lined baking sheet

    How To Make Tandoori Chicken

    1. Whip up the tandoori-spiced marinade: yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chili powder, cayenne powder, cinnamon, cumin, cilantro, salt and pepper
    2. Spatchcock your chicken. (click here to learn how to spatchcock a chicken).
    3. Using your hands or a pastry brush, coat the whole chicken entirely in the tandoori-seasoned yogurt mixture.
    4. Lay the whole chicken, with the meaty side up, on a baking sheet—ideally, one that is lined with a cooling rack. This will help the chicken skin to develop a beautiful crispyness that mimics the kind of crispy skin that chicken cooked in a tandoor oven would develop.
    5. Roast! For a little over an hour. Your spatchcocked, roasted tandoori chicken is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (but not touching bone) reads 165° F. 
    a whole roasted tandoori chicken on a metal rack lined baking sheet
    A whole roasted tandoori chicken served with warm pita bread and a side of creamy raita for dipping.

    What To Serve With Tandoori Chicken 

    Rusty hued and bursting with the scent of the best Indian restaurant you could dream up, we love to serve this whole roasted tandoori chicken as a really dramatic centerpiece for a dinner party. Simple, with bold flavors and a gorgeous, roasty crispy crust, all it needs are some delicate, perfect sides. Serve it with: 

    • Raita. A simple, herb-flecked condiment made of yogurt and cucumber, homemade Raita served on the side takes this chicken dinner over the top. If you don’t want to make it yourself, you can often find it in specialty stores, too. Look in the refrigerated section, near where you’d find the hummus.
    • Naan. It’s pretty easy to buy good naan, many stores carry it. You could even order it from your favorite restaurant early in the day, and warm it in the oven right before dinner.
    • Rice. You could serve plain basmati rice, or make it fancy! Lemon rice, Coconut Rice or even Cilantro-Lime Rice would all make really nice sides. 
    A whole roasted tandoori chicken served with warm pita bread and a side of creamy raita for dipping.

    Other Indian-Inspired Recipes To Try

    So, Are You Convinced? 

    For more recipe inspiration, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest or order our cookbook. We love when you share your meals. Tag us on Instagram using #themodernproper, and we’d love to hear what you think of this recipe in the comments below. Happy cooking!

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    Tandoori Chicken Recipe

    Updated March 4, 2025

    By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    • Serves:  6
    • Prep Time:  15 min
    • Cook Time:  1 hr 25 min
    • Calories:  265
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    Ingredients

    • ½ cup whole milk Greek yogurt
    • 3 tablespoons lemon juice, (from 2 lemons)
    • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
    • 4 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
    • 1 tablespoon chili powder
    • ½ teaspoon cayenne powder
    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
    • ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
    • 1 (5 pound) whole chicken

    For serving (optional)

    • Lemon Rice, https://themodernproper.com/lemon-rice
    • Raita, https://themodernproper.com/easy-raita

    Method

    1. Preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the center position. Set a metal cooling rack inside of a large rimmed sheet pan. 

      Ingredients for tandoori chicken: vibrant spices, yogurt, garlic, cilantro, pita bread and raita laid out in bowls

    2. In a medium sized bowl combine the yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chili powder, cayenne, cinnamon, cumin, cilantro, salt and pepper. 

      yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chili powder, cayenne, cinnamon, cumin, cilantro & salt mixed in a bowl

    3. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place on a large cutting board, breast side down with the neck facing toward you. Using good-quality kitchen shears, hold the neck and cut along one side of the spine, separating it from the ribs. Be sure to cut as close to the spine as possible. Repeat on the other side of the spine. If you are having difficulty, rotate the bird so the tail faces you and cut from the other side. Flip the chicken breast-side up. Using the palms of your hands, press along the breastbone; you might hear a crack. This should flatten the chicken completely.

      the spine of a raw chicken being cut out on top of parchment paper

    4. Coat chicken all over with the yogurt mixture.

      a whole chicken marinated with yogurt and vibrant spices on a rack lined baking sheet

    5. Arrange the chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Alternatively, you can set the chicken into a roasting pan. 

      a whole roasted tandoori chicken on a metal rack lined baking sheet

    6. Bake the chicken for 15 minutes per pound, about 1 hour 25 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 165°F on an instant read thermometer. 

      A whole roasted tandoori chicken served with warm pita bread and a side of creamy raita for dipping.

    7. Serve the chicken over the lemon rice sprinkled with cilantro with raita alongside, if using.

      A whole roasted tandoori chicken served with warm pita bread and a side of creamy raita for dipping.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 265
    • Protein 29 g
    • Carbohydrates 4 g
    • Total Fat 15 g
    • Dietary Fiber 1 g
    • Cholesterol 3 mg
    • Sodium 1210 mg
    • Total Sugars 2 g

    Tandoori Chicken

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Leslie

      Was thinking to spatchcock, dry brine and air dry overnight in fridge? Thoughts?
      Thank you, looks delish!

      Would probably be awesome. Hope you enjoy Leslie!

    • Maria

      Do you put the marinade under the skin as well or just on top of it?

      We just do on top. Hope you enjoy!

    • Sarish

      What if it is marinated more than 24 hours?

      Chicken can break down and have a funny texture if you marinade it more than 24 hours.

    • Iris

      Someone also asked if boneless chicken breasts could be substituted and you gave cooking time and temp adjustments. How much chicken breast would you recommend for this recipe? I’m just cooking for myself so I don’t want to make a lot.

      Well we would probably use about 5 chicken breasts to replace an entire chicken. you would want to trim down other measurements if you use less than that.

    • Ann

      Should the chicken marinate in the yogurt mixture and if so how long can it go? 4 hours? 6? Overnight?

      Yes, you can marinate it. Just don't go longer than 24 hours.

    • Kristin

      This chicken is absolutely delicious!! We have made it both in the oven and on the smoker. If you smoke it - do NOT be discouraged by the color the yogurt turns. It is still absolutely delicious!

      Thanks Kristin, so glad you loved it!

    • Lee

      Amazing. So much flavour, especially when paired with the Modern Proper Raita.

      YAY! Glad you loved it Lee!

    • Liz

      This is amazing! It was out of my comfort zone to prepare a chicken in this manner, but I’m so glad I gave it a try. The marinade is delicious and the raita is a great addition. I also made yellow garlic rice. Definitely a hit and will be making again!

      Thanks LIz, so happy you loved it!

    • Sarah

      This recipe was so good. I used chicken thighs instead and cooked as instructed below in the comments. The salt in the recipe is definitely too much but overall incredibly tasty!

      Thanks Sarah, glad you enjoyed it!

    • Sue

      OMG! My first authentic Indian dinner. I used boneless, skinless, thighs - but the Tandoori sauce is the bomb! Served with the Raita, basmati rice and naan. Thank you for the inspiration! I didn't know I could make Indian food as good as my favorite takeout.

      Thank you Sue, we are so happy you loved it!