• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Piping Pot Curry logo
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Instant Pot
    • Air Fryer
    • Indian
    • Cooking 101
  • Resources
    • Amazon Store
    • Indian Spices
    • Instant Pot
    • Instant Pot Accessories
    • Holiday Gift Guide
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • Instant Pot 101
  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • Meal Plan
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Instant Pot
  • Resources
  • About
×

Home » Recipes » Chicken, Lamb & Seafood

Tandoori Chicken Wings

Published April 7, 2022 Updated May 11, 2022 By Meeta Arora 2 Comments | This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

26 shares
Jump to Recipe Jump to Video
Indian Tandoori Wings served with a green dip

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.

Indian Tandoori Wings served with a green dip

This chicken wings recipe is a flavor bomb. It is perfect to serve to 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 in the air fryer when making a small quantity.

Jump to:
  • What is Tandoor?
  • Ingredients
  • How to make Spiced Chicken Wings
  • Air Fryer Instructions
  • Oven Directions
  • Pro - Tips
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • What to serve with Indian Chicken wings
  • Other Marinated recipes to enjoy:
  • 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.

A tandoori chicken wing in hand

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. 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 ingredients, so feel free to skip if you don't have it.

Ingredients for tandoori chicken wings

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.

Indian Tandoori marinade with yogurt and spices

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

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

Marinating chicken wings in a tandoori marinade with yogurt and spices

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

Air Fryer Instructions

  • Preheat the air fryer to 370 degree Fahrenheit Place the chicken wings in the basket with no overlapping and cook them for 10-12 minutes. Turn the wings at 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.
Tandoori chicken Wings in the Air fryer

Oven Directions

  • 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. Preheat the oven to 'Broil.' 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.
Tandoori chicken wings served in a plate with green chutney

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 upto 8 hours.
  • The authentic flavors are enhanced by using the perfect Garam masala. I like to use my homemade Garam Masala.
  • I highly recommend to use the Indian Kashmiri red chilli powder which is mild but gives the dish the perfect red color.
  • The addition of fenugreek leaves is optional, but it adds a unique flavor and aroma to the dish.
Dipping tandoori chicken wings in green chutney

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is a Tandoori marinade?

Tandoori marinade is made with plain yogurt, minced ginger, garlic and Indian spices. Marinating the wings in yogurt and Indian spices not only tenderizes the meat, but also adds color and a nice smoky flavor !

Is there a distinction between tikka and tandoori?

Tikka refers to 'bite-sized' pieces of meat that are typically served on a skewer, whereas tandoori meats are usually large whole pieces.

Can I make Tandoori Chicken wings ahead of time?

The marinated chicken wings can be refrigerated for upto 8 hours or even upto 24 hours. Cooked chicken wings can be stored for up to 2 days and can be reheated before serving.

What to serve with Indian Chicken wings

  • These taste best when served as appetizers/ starters with lemon wedges, Indian Onion Salad or Kachumbar salad and 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.

Other Marinated recipes to enjoy:

  • Easy Chicken Tikka Kebab - Flavorful chicken marinated in yogurt, spices, and lemon juice then cooked in the air fryer
  • Low Carb Tandoori Chicken - Flavorful chicken marinated in yogurt, spices, and lemon juice 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.

Am sure you are already salivating and wanting to try making them. These are so DAMN good!

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

Tried this recipe?Give a rating by clicking the ★ below
Tandoor chicken wings served with lime wedges

Tandoori Chicken Wings

Meeta Arora
These smoky-flavoured 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.
5 from 3 votes
Print Save Saved! Pin
Servings: 6
Calories: 231
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Gluten-free, Low Carb
Method: Air Fryer, Oven
Prep Time: 35 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins

Equipment

  • Air Fryer
  • Oven

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 pounds Chicken Wings boneless skinless, cut into 1.5-2 inch cubes
  • 1 tablespoon Oil
  • Lime wedges to garnish
  • Cilantro leaves chopped, to garnish

For marinade

  • ⅔ cup  Yogurt greek (also called hung curd)
  • 1 tablespoon Ginger  grated
  • 1 tablespoon Garlic  minced
  • 1  tablespoon Lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon Gram flour (Besan) optional
  • 2  teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder mild, adjust to taste
  • ½  teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
  • 1  teaspoon Garam Masala
  • 2 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
  • 1 tablespoon Dried Fenugreek leaves (Kasoori Methi)
  • 1 ½ teaspoon Salt adjust to taste

Instructions
 

  • If you have whole chicken wings, split at the join and discard the tips. Use kitchen shears to remove any loose skin. Pat dry with paper towels.
  • To make the marinade, combine the yogurt, grated ginger, minced garlic, lime juice, gram flour, salt, and all of the dry spices in a large mixing bowl. Mix the contents well.
  • Toss the wings in the marinade and combine well to ensure the wings are uniformly coated with the marinade.
  • Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator. Let the wings marinade for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours or overnight for a deeper flavor.

AirFryer Method

  • Preheat the air fryer to 370 degree Fahrenheit. Lightly grease the air fryer basket.
  • Place the chicken wings in the basket with no overlapping and cook them for 10-12 minutes. Turn the wings at half-time mark. You might need to cook in batches.
  • Raise the temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and continue to cook for 3 more minutes, or until the skin is crispy and golden brown.
  • Garnish with cilantro. Serve warm with lime wedges along with mint cilantro chutney to dip. 

Oven Method:

  • Preheat the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Place the wings on a lightly greased grilling rack. Place the rack on top of a baking tray. You can line the tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil to catch any drippings. Any remaining marinade can be brushed over the wings.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes until done. Now change the oven setting to broil. Broil the chicken wings for 4-5 minutes or until the skin is crisp and slightly charred.
  • Garnish with cilantro. Serve warm with lime wedges along with mint cilantro chutney to dip. 

Video

Notes

Marinate: Marinate for at least 30 minutes, but longer is ideal for more tender Chicken Wings.
Cook: For best results cook the meat only until done. This will result in soft, juicy & tender chicken wings. Overcooked meat can result in chewy wings. Use a digital thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the thickest part of chicken is at least 165°F (75°C). 
Meal Prep: Make a batch of these marinated chicken wings and freeze them for later use or meal prep for the week.
How to get the red color: I highly recommend to use the Indian Kashmiri red chilli powder which is mild but gives the dish the perfect red color.
 

Note: Nutrition values are my best estimates. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Calories: 231kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 16gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 278mgPotassium: 211mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 348IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 48mgIron: 1mg
Keyword indian chicken wings, Indian style chicken wings, tandoori chicken wings
Tried this recipe?Share your photo and tag @PipingPotCurry or #pipingpotcurry

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Milkio writer says

    April 08, 2022 at 3:10 am

    It's a nice recipe, loved it

    Reply
    • Meeta Arora says

      April 19, 2022 at 6:51 am

      Hi Milkio - Glad to hear you enjoyed the tandoori wings!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Meeta Arora of Piping Pot Curry

I strongly believe that each one of us has a chef inside us, we just need to explore the ingredients and create great food. Here you will find easy & delicious recipes using Instant Pot & Air Fryer.

More about me →

AS FEATURED ON

Piping Pot Curry Featured on websites

Popular

  • 30+ Easy Indian Curries In Under 30 minutes
  • My Trader Joe's Favorites and Shopping List
  • Air Fryer Frozen Samosa
  • What Does Curry Taste Like?

Footer

AS FEATURED ON
Piping pot curry Featured on sites

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About Meeta
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Recipes

  • Instant Pot 101
  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • Air Fryer Recipes
  • Cooking 101
  • Subscribe for recipes

Resources

  • Shop
  • Gift Guide
  • How to start a blog?

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2022 Piping Pot Curry