Tandoori Chicken prepared to perfection!
Tandoori chicken is a classic Punjabi snack prepared with chicken thigh, marinated in spiced yogurt, and grilled in the clay oven called tandoor. With our step by step by recipe instructions, you can make this dish that is not only delectable in taste but can also be prepared in the comfort of your home.
Unlike in restaurants that use clay ovens for this purpose, we will use an air-fryer and some charcoal to infuse the same smoky flavor and aroma. As a result, it will be an equally tender, juicy, and outrageously delicious dish.
Here I’ll share a spicy version of this recipe, but you can easily modify it to suit your taste buds. We’ll also not be using any food colors as I am not a huge fan of using them until it’s absolutely necessary. But don’t worry about it yet, as our grilled chicken will be roasted to perfection until it turns naturally red in color.
I am confident that once you start making tandoori chicken at home and realize how good it tastes, you’ll never want to return to those fancy restaurants again.
How Do You Make Tandoori Chicken in Air-fryer?
To make this dish, we gather all the ingredients listed in the recipe for the first-layer marination.
And for this, We’ll need some Kashmiri red chili powder, ginger-garlic paste, salt to taste, lemon juice, and three slit chicken leg pieces with thighs.
Then, ensuring everything is well combined, we will set it aside for a few minutes and proceed towards preparing the second layer of marination.
Look at the image below to get an idea of every ingredient we need.
Now, combining all these ingredients with the chicken marinated earlier, we’ll give it an overnight soak in the marinade.
TIPS: Marinating the chicken for an extended period will always make it more juicy and flavorful. And so, you should always aim for an overnight marination whenever possible. However, if time is a factor, try marinating the meat for at least 2 hours.
Afterward, we will use burning charcoal topped with ghee to infuse that appetizing smoked flavor into the marinated chicken. Follow along the directions provided in the recipe card for detailed step-by-step instructions.
Once this is done, the air fryer is preheated, and the marinated chicken is ready to be roasted.
What to serve with Tandoori chicken?
When it’s ready, sprinkle chaat masala over the top before serving.
And a side of mint chutney (pudina chutney), some sliced onion rings, and a few lemon wedges.
Now, without further waiting, let’s get into its detailed preparation:
Tandoori Chicken in Air Fryer
Course: Starter, AppetizersCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Beginner3
servings20
minutes25
minutes789
kcalTandoori chicken is marinated chicken thighs with legs grilled in a clay oven called a tandoor.
Ingredients
- For first marination
600 gms 600 chicken leg pieces with thighs
Salt to taste
1 tbsp 1 lemon juice
2-3 tbsp 2-3 Kashmiri red chili powder
1 tbsp 1 ginger-garlic paste
- For final marination
1 cup 1 hung curd
1 1 medium sized onion paste
1 tsp 1 ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp 1/2 turmeric powder
2 tsp 2 red chili powder
4 tsp 4 Kashmiri red chili powder
1/2 tsp 1/2 homemade garam masala
1/2 tsp 1/2 roasted cumin powder
1 tsp 1 black pepper powder
1/2 tsp 1/2 black salt (optional)*
2 tsp 2 chaat masala
2 tsp 2 tandoori chicken masala
1 tbsp 1 lemon juice
1/4 cup 1/4 mustard oil
1 pinch 1 orange-red food color (optional)*
100 gms 100 salted butter
Directions
- Preparing the first marination:
In a bowl, add washed chicken. Then, add lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, salt, and Kashmiri red chili powder.
Mix all the ingredients together. Give all the pieces a good massage with the marinade to ensure it gets into the chicken well.
Keep it aside. Let it sit for about 15 minutes.
- Preparing the final marination:
After the initial marination, take another bowl.
To that, add some hung curd, mustard oil, ginger -garlic paste, onion paste, lemon juice, salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder, roasted cumin powder, homemade garam masala, black pepper powder, chaat masala, black salt, and tandoori chicken masala.
Mix everything together and make a fine masala mixture.
Transfer the chicken to the final marinade. Again, mix it up nicely.
Wrap the bowl in foil and put it in the fridge for at least two hours or overnight.
- Smoke the marinated chicken:
After marinating it overnight, we’ll smoke the chicken and roast it. We must be careful here as we burn charcoal on the gas stove.
Then, place a small bowl made of steel in the center of the marinade. Put the live charcoal carefully in the bowl, and pour a small amount of ghee on top of it.
Cover the marinade instantly with a lid or foil so the smoke doesn’t escape. Let it sit for 8-10 minutes or till the smoke disappears.
- Roast the marinated chicken:
Set the air fryer to 200°C and let it heat up for at least 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, remove the grilling mesh from the air fryer and brush it with butter before putting the chicken in.
Now, place the marinated chicken.
Set 10 minutes on the timer.
After about 10 minutes, brush the chicken with butter and turn it over.
Set the timer for another 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, brush some butter on the chicken again, flip it over and do the same thing.
Now, set the timer for another 5 minutes.
Take the chicken out of the air fryer after 5 minutes.
AND THAT’S IT!
YOUR AUTHENTIC TANDOORI CHICKEN IS READY TO BE SERVED!
ENJOY!
Top it with some sliced onion rings. Sprinkle it with chaat masala, and serve it with mint chutney(Pudina chutney) as a side and lemon wedges.
Notes
- You can also use vinegar instead of lemon juice. But if your curd already tastes too sour, you can just skip it.
- As we’ve used black and white salt together in this recipe, you’ll need to adjust it’s amount accordingly.
- This recipe is meant to be spicy, but you can tone down the spices according to your taste preferences.
Nutrition Facts
3 servings per container
Serving Size3 servings
- Amount Per ServingCalories789
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat
36g
56%
- Saturated Fat 12.6g 60%
- Trans Fat 0.1g
- Cholesterol 405mg 135%
- Sodium 396mg 17%
- Potassium 1284mg 37%
- Total Carbohydrate
18.3g
6%
- Dietary Fiber 2.2g 8%
- Sugars 11.1g
- Protein 93g 186%
- Vitamin A 18%
- Vitamin C 18%
- Calcium 33%
- Iron 27%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
