Tandoori Chicken made in the Air Fryer, a flavor packed spicy dish from the Indian subcontinent popular all over the world. Chicken is marinated in yogurt, ginger, garlic, spices and lemon juice, then grilled in the air fryer or oven.
As you will see in the recipe video, Tandoori Chicken is ridiculously easy to make, but is still one of the best chicken dishes you will ever have! This is also a low carb or keto friendly dish, so you can enjoy it guilt free.
At any Indian restaurant, Tandoori Chicken is always on the menu. You might also see bright red colored tandoori chicken in the buffets. Okay, I kind of dislike that bright red color in the restaurants because I know it is added food coloring. However when making Tandoori Chicken at home, I can add the right ingredients and get the color naturally with spices.
Tandoori Chicken is definitely a crowd pleaser, so make it for your next get together or party. I use the oven to make this when I need to make a large quantity. But the air fryer is perfect, when I am just making for two and I don't have to heat up the entire kitchen.
What is Tandoori Chicken?
Tandoori Chicken gets it's name from the tandoor, cylindrical clay oven, that it is traditionally cooked in. The chicken is added to skewers and put in the hot tandoor. With the high temperature in the tandoor, the chicken is cooked nicely and chars on the outside.
It was interesting that Tandoori Chicken came to the USA in 1960's. A recipe for it was printed in the Los Angeles Times in 1962.
You can also make this recipe for a party with wings. Check out my Tandoori Chicken Wings recipe.
For vegetarian alternatives, check my Tandoori Gobi, Paneer Tikka and Tandoori Aloo Tikka Recipe.
Preparing Tandoori Chicken in Air Fryer
Let's start with gathering all the ingredients. The main step is to prepare the marinade. The yogurt marinade helps to make the chicken tender. We want the marinade to be relatively thick, so that it sticks well to the chicken and does not drip much when we cook. Mix the ingredients for the marinade and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour. You can store marinated chicken in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.
I use chicken drumsticks, which is how Tandoori Chicken is traditionally made. You can use chicken breasts too.
Another tip is to use kashmiri red chili powder for this recipe, as it gives the natural red color. When you eat in restaurants, they usually add food coloring to get the bright red color. So here is our natural substitute to get the perfect color to the tandoori chicken. You could use Cayenne pepper or Paprika to get the desired red color too.
I use a grill pan to make this in my Philips Air Fryer. However you can make this in the air fryer basket if you don't have a grill pan. I just find the cleanup easier with the grill pan.
Just 15 minutes to cook this spicy chicken in the air fryer. I do not preheat the air fryer and it works perfectly!
Enjoy Tandoori Chicken as an appetizer or as a main dish with a side salad. You can have it with green chutney or a mild yogurt based dip.
Check out other delicious air fryer recipe -
Tandoori Chicken - Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 5 Chicken Drumsticks de-skinned (about 1.6 lbs)
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 2 tablespoon Cilantro leaves to garnish
- 4 Lemon wedges
For Marinade
- ¼ cup Yogurt thick
- 1 tablespoon Garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon Ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne or Red Chili powder Kashmiri chili powder preferred
- ½ teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin (Jeera powder)
- 1 tablespoon Dried Fenugreek leaves (Kasoori Methi) (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Salt adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon Lime juice
Instructions
- Make 3-4 slits on each drumstick.
- Mix together all ingredients for the marinade.
- Apply evenly to chicken drumsticks and let them marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator (you can keep it refrigerated for up to 10 hours).
- Remove marinated chicken from refrigerator when ready to cook. Arrange in a single layer in the air fryer pan or basket. Baste with some cooking oil.
- Cook in air fryer at 360°F for 10 mins. Flip over the chicken, and baste with oil. Then cook for another 5 minutes.
- Remove on a serving plate. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges and sliced onion.
Video
Notes
- This recipe makes spicy Tandoori Chicken. Adjust red chili powder to your taste.
- If you have, use kashmiri red chili powder for this recipe, as it gives the natural red color. You could use Cayenne pepper or Paprika as a substitute too.
- Oven Variation: Preheat oven at 450 F. Then bake the chicken for 15 minutes. Turn and cook for another 5-10 minutes until it is cooked. Follow this by 3-5 minutes of broiling to get the charred marks.
Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.
Shweta says
Finally I can put my air fryer to good use. Previously I used to make tandoori chicken in oven and it used to take atleast an hour to cook the chicken. Thanks for sharing the air fryer recipe, the timing and temperature was perfect.
Meeta Arora says
Hi Shweta- Happy to hear you enjoyed the tandoori chicken!
Sofia Graf says
The recipe is a yummy one. Instead of oil, you may try this chicken recipe with ghee.
Jane says
This was delicious! I did it in the oven and the flavours where really great! I have done a number of your recipes and they are all delicious! I am really learning a lot about the Indian cuisine.
Piping Pot Curry says
Hi Jane - So happy to hear that. Thank you for sharing your experience 🙂
Bernie Robinson says
Hello Meeta from Pichidangui on the coast of Chile. We have a Takaway food business, just the two of us with dishes from all over the world. I make Vegi curries and mild meat curries but was looking for something special. This recipe is it. Wow!
Thankyou. My Mum was born in Travancoor I went to Sherwood College in Nainital
and our Kinsamah taught me how to cook in 1955.
Meeta Arora says
Hi Bernie - So glad to hear that you enjoyed the tandoori chicken. Nainital is beautiful, I visited there when I was a kid.
Lisa says
Wow this turned out great! The only Indian food recipe I've found that actually tasted like Indian food.
Piping Pot Curry says
Hi Lisa - So good to hear that. Thank you for sharing back 🙂
Aishwarya says
Hi Meeta! I have cuisine art air fryer which looks like toaster oven. Will it be same temperature & duration for tandoori in that?
Thanks in advance
Meeta Arora says
Hi Aishwarya - I have not tried in that specific air fryer. But most cases the temperature and time works with other air fryers too. You can just check after the cooking time, and add more time if needed. Hope you enjoy the Tandoori Chicken.