This Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken is a bold and flavorful Indian favorite made easy and mess-free. Chicken is marinated in yogurt, ginger, garlic, lemon juice, and warming spices, then air-fried to perfection in just 15 minutes. It’s juicy on the inside with a wonderful char on the outside. It’s a quick, fuss-free way to enjoy the authentic taste of tandoori chicken without firing up the grill or oven.
Tandoori Chicken is ridiculously easy to make, but it is still one of the best chicken dishes you will ever have! It is also low-carb or keto-friendly, so that you can enjoy it guilt-free.
At any Indian restaurant, Tandoori Chicken is always on the menu. You might also see bright red tandoori chicken on the buffets. Okay, I kind of dislike that bright red color in 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 it for the family.
Table of Contents
Watch How to Make Low-Carb Tandoori Chicken
What is Tandoori Chicken?
Tandoori Chicken gets its name from the Tandoor, a cylindrical clay oven traditionally used for cooking. The chicken is added to skewers and put in the hot tandoor. The high temperature in the tandoor cooks the chicken nicely and chars the outside.
It was interesting that Tandoori Chicken came to the USA in the 1960s. 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.
Check my Tandoori Gobi, Paneer Tikka, Tandoori Mushroom, and Tandoori Aloo Tikka recipes for vegetarian alternatives.
Ingredients
Chicken Drumsticks: Use skinless chicken legs or drumsticks. Pat dry to avoid excess liquid in the marinade. Finding chicken drumsticks with skin on is usually easier, so you can remove the skin before using them.
For the Tandoori Marinade: The marinade for Tandoori Chicken Wings includes basic ingredients such as yogurt, ginger, garlic, warming Indian spices, and lemon juice. I recommend using full-fat plain yogurt for the marinade.
This marinade is super flavorful, and adding Kashmiri red chili powder gives the chicken a gorgeous red color. Use my homemade garam masala to get the best flavor.
The lemon juice gives this chicken dish a tangy flavor that will keep your family coming back for more.
To get that restaurant-style, authentic taste, add a little mustard oil to the marinade and brush with melted butter after the tandoori chicken is cooked.
How to Make Tandoori Chicken?
Prepare the chicken: The first step is to prepare the chicken legs. Remove the skin if the chicken has skin.
Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel to avoid any extra liquid in the marinade. Make 3-4 slits on the thickest part of each of the chicken drumsticks.
Make 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 it.
Marinate the chicken: Mix the marinade ingredients, coat the chicken with the marinade, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. You can store marinated chicken in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Air Fry the Marinated Chicken: When ready to cook, remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator and arrange it in a single layer in the air fryer basket. You can brush any remaining marinade over the chicken or discard it.
Brush or spray some cooking oil on the chicken in the air fryer.
Cook in the air fryer at 385°F for 10 minutes. Flip over the chicken, and brush some butter or oil. Then cook for another 5 minutes.
Check that the internal temperature of the chicken is at 165°F using a digital thermometer.
Enjoy the Tandoori Chicken: Transfer the chicken to a serving plate. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges, sliced onions, and mint chutney.
Oven Method
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Then bake the chicken for 15 minutes. Turn and cook for another 5-10 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Follow this with 3-5 minutes of broiling to get the charred marks.
Recipe Tip
Chicken: I use chicken drumsticks, which is how Tandoori Chicken is traditionally made. You can use the same recipe to cook Tandoori chicken breasts or thighs.
Pat-dry: Pat the chicken dry before using. This helps to remove any extra liquids and keeps the marinade thick.
The Red Color: Use Kashmiri red chili powder for this recipe, as it gives the chicken its 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 for the tandoori chicken. If you don’t have Kashmiri chili powder, use cayenne pepper or paprika, but adjust the amount to the desired heat.
Garam Masala: Using a good Garam Masala enhances the authentic flavors. I like to use my homemade Garam Masala.
Dried Fenugreek Leaves: Although the addition of fenugreek leaves is optional, they add a unique flavor and aroma to the dish.
Make it Restaurant-Style: Add a little mustard oil to the marinade and brush with melted butter after the tandoori chicken is cooked for that restaurant-style, authentic taste.
Don’t Overcook: Don’t overcook the chicken, as it will become dry. Use a meat thermometer to check doneness when the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
What to Serve with Tandoori Chicken?
Serve this Tandoori Chicken as an appetizer with mint cilantro chutney and authentic Indian onion salad.
It also pairs well with turmeric rice or saffron rice to make a complete meal. Serve alongside kachumber salad or cucumber raita.
How to Store & Reheat?
You can store any leftover tandoori chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will stay good for 3 days. To reheat, transfer to the air fryer and heat for 3-4 minutes at 350°F.
Any leftovers can also be added to the tikka masala sauce for a delicious curry. For the sauce recipe, see my chicken tikka masala.
Fun Fact: This is the original image I shot for this recipe in 2017. It has been a popular recipe since then 🙂
Common Questions
Marinating the chicken helps to keep it moist and tender once cooked. Marinate the chicken with yogurt and all the warming spices. Make sure not to overcook the chicken, as otherwise it will become dry. You can use a digital meat thermometer to check when it is done.
Yes, cooking chicken with a yogurt marinade in the air fryer is okay.
At many restaurants, red food coloring is added to get the bright red color of tandoori chicken. However, you can get that color naturally by using Kashmiri red chili powder, which is what we use in this recipe.
More Air Fryer Indian Recipes
- Kurkuri Bhindi (Crispy Okra)
- Stuffed Eggplant
- Tandoori Gobi
- Crispy Brussels Sprouts
- Chilli Chicken
- Chicken 65
Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken
Equipment
Video
Ingredients
- 6 Chicken Drumsticks , skin removed (about 2 lbs)
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 2 tablespoon Cilantro leaves, to garnish
- 4 Lemon wedges
For Marinade
- 1/3 cup Yogurt, thick
- 1 tablespoon Garlic , paste
- 1 tablespoon Ginger , paste
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder, adjust to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin (Jeera powder)
- 1 tablespoon Dried Fenugreek leaves (Kasoori Methi), optional
- 1 teaspoon Salt , adjust to taste
- 2 teaspoon Mustard Oil, optional
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
Instructions
- Pat dry the chicken drumsticks with a paper towel. Remove the skin. Make 3-4 slits on the thick part of each drumstick.
- In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients for the marinade – yogurt, ginger, garlic, and all spices. Crush the dried fenugreek leaves between your palms and add to the marinade. Add the lemon juice, and if using, add the mustard oil. Mix it all well.
- Add the chicken to the marinade. Coat chicken drumsticks well with the marinade and let them rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator (you can keep it refrigerated for up to 24 hours).
- Preheat the air fryer at 385°F. When ready to cook, remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator. Arrange in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Optionally, spray some cooking oil on the chicken.
- Cook in the air fryer at 385°F for 10 minutes. Flip over the chicken and cook for another 5 minutes. Check that the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken has reached 165°F. You can brush with a little melted butter if you like to make it restaurant-style.
- Remove the tandoori chicken to a serving plate. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves. Serve with lemon wedges, sliced onion salad, and cilantro mint chutney.
Loveee this recipe, amongst so many others!! I’m so glad I found your page 🙂
Hi Sanya – Thank you so much! I’m so happy you’re enjoying the recipes.
Fabulous and really delicious recipe. I’ve used both thighs and chicken breasts. A family favorite!
Hi Paula – Happy to hear you all enjoyed the tandoori chicken!