Tandoori Chicken Wings (Air Fryer & Oven)

These smoky Tandoori chicken wings, marinated in Indian spices and yogurt and grilled to perfection, will blow your mind away! The wings are succulent and juicy on the interior and crispy on the outside.

This chicken wings recipe is super flavorful, just like the Chicken 65 recipe. It is perfect to serve at a party for game day or just for any get-together.

I love that it is so easy to prep ahead of time. You can marinate the chicken wings the day before and just cook them when ready to serve.

If you are making them for a party, cook in the oven or the air fryer when making a small quantity.

Watch How to Make Tandoori Chicken Wings

What is Tandoor?

Tandoori-style cuisine is an Indian method of cooking over a traditional charcoal fire in a cylindrical clay oven called a Tandoor.

To heat this tandoor, a charcoal fire is built inside of it and allowed to burn for several hours. Modern Tandoors, however, use cooking gas and electricity instead of charcoal.

The Tandoor method can be used to prepare a variety of meat and vegetable dishes as well as different types of flatbreads such as Tandoori Roti, Tandoori Naan, Tandoori Laccha Paratha, and many more.

Tandoori cooking is popular throughout a wide geographical area, with many variants such as Punjabi style, Afghan style, Armenian style, and so on.

Tandoor-cooked meats are marinated in yogurt and spices before being threaded on long skewers that are placed vertically in the oven with one end resting in the ashes.

This recipe is an easy Indian chicken with a twist and creates the same restaurant-quality tandoori aroma and taste in your air fryer or oven (no traditional tandoor necessary).

Marination, cooking time, and temperature are key in this recipe.

Ingredients

Chicken Wings: You can use either fresh or frozen chicken wings. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator if using frozen. Remove the tips of the chicken wings and split them at the joint, then wipe them dry with paper towels and use kitchen shears to trim away any excess fat.

For the Tandoori Marinade: The marinade for Tandoori Chicken Wings includes basic ingredients such as yogurt, ginger, garlic, aromatic Indian spices, and lime juice.

This marinade is super flavorful, and the addition of Kashmiri red chili powder gives the chicken a gorgeous red color. If you don’t have this, you can substitute with paprika.

The lime juice gives this chicken dish a tangy flavor that will keep your family coming back for more.

I like to add a little chickpea flour (besan) to the marinade, as it helps the marinade stick better to the chicken wings. This is an optional ingredient, so feel free to skip it if you don’t have it.

How to make Spiced Chicken Wings?

Prep the chicken wings: Remove the tips of the chicken wings if they haven’t already been cut, then split them at the joint. Pat dry with paper towels and use kitchen shears to remove any excess loose fat.

Make the marinade: To make the marinade, combine the yogurt, grated ginger, minced garlic, lime juice, salt, and all of the dry spices in a large mixing bowl. Whisk the contents well.

Coat the wings: Toss the wings in the marinade and combine them well to ensure they are uniformly coated with the marinade.

Marinate: Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator. Let the wings marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours or overnight for a deeper flavor.

Cook: The chicken wings can be cooked in the air fryer or oven!

Air Fryer Tandoori Wings

• Preheat the air fryer to 370 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the chicken wings in the basket with no overlapping and cook them for 10-12 minutes. Turn the wings at the half-time mark.
• Raise the temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and continue to cook for 3 minutes or until the skin is crispy and golden brown.

You will also love 25+ Easy Air Fryer Indian Recipes.

Oven Tandoori Chicken Wings

• Place the wings on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Any remaining marinade should be brushed over the wings. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit in a preheated oven.
• Remove the wings from the oven and brush them lightly with oil. Broil the chicken wings for 4-5 minutes on each side or until the skin is crisp and slightly charred.
• You can also cook these on the outdoor grill.

Pro-Tips

My top suggestions for preparing the tastiest Spicy Chicken Wings are as follows:

• For the marinade, use plain, full-fat Greek yogurt.
• To avoid any extra water in the marinade, pat the chicken wings dry.
• Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes to up to 8 hours.
• The authentic flavors are enhanced by using the perfect Garam masala. I like to use my homemade Garam Masala.
• I highly recommend using the Indian Kashmiri red chili powder, which is mild but gives the dish the perfect red color.
• The addition of dried fenugreek leaves is optional, but it adds a unique flavor and aroma to the dish.
• Sprinkle some chaat masala on top for extra flavor

Frequently Asked Questions

What to serve with Indian Chicken wings?

• These taste best when served as appetizers or starters with lemon wedges, Indian Onion Salad or Kachumbar salad, Mint Cilantro Chutney, or Yogurt Dipping Sauce. Enjoy them with your favorite drink!
• Add it to my easy Curry Sauce for a quick, delicious curry in minutes.
• Serve with Turmeric rice/ Vegetable Biryani and raita for a filling lunch or dinner.

More Marinated Recipes to Enjoy

• Easy Chicken Tikka Kebab – Flavorful chicken thighs marinated in yogurt, spices, and lemon juice, then cooked in the air fryer
• Low Carb Tandoori Chicken – Chicken drumsticks marinated in yogurt and spices, then cooked in the air fryer
• Instant Pot Chicken Korma – Chicken marinated in yogurt and spices, cooked with onions, and finished with cashew paste
• Tandoori Aloo Tikka – Baby potatoes marinated in a delightful combination of yogurt and spices, threaded to skewers, and cooked to create this heavenly appetizer.
• Air Fryer Tandoori Gobi – Cauliflower florets marinated in yogurt and spices and cooked in the air fryer for smoky flavor.

I am sure you are already salivating and wanting to try making them. These are so SO GOOD!

Please comment and let me know how you loved these quick gluten-free Tandoori Chicken Wings! Take a picture and post it to Instagram with #pipingpotcurry