Oven-Baked Tandoori Chicken with Vegetable Pulao and Raita

Tandoori chicken legs, scored deep and marinated for a day in yoghurt, Kashmiri chilli and spices, then roasted low and slow and finished under the grill until they char at the edges. No tandoor needed. There is an air fryer version on the recipe card too. I serve them on a one-pot spiced vegetable pulao with a cool cucumber raita, and the whole plate serves three hungry people.

Of all the South Asian dishes, tandoori chicken is one of my favourites, especially on fragrant rice. Two things make it: good chicken, and time in the marinade. The method below explains why each step is there, so you know what you are looking for.

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Tandoori Chicken in a Home Oven

A tandoor is a clay oven that runs far hotter than a kitchen oven, which is what chars the outside of the chicken while the inside stays juicy. At home you get close with two heats: a slower roast at 180°C fan to cook the legs through, then the grill to colour and char the marinade. In an air fryer I go lower and slower, about an hour at 160°C, then a few minutes at 200°C for the char. Switch the recipe card to Air fryer and the steps and times change to match.

Legs suit it far better than breast. They have more fat and connective tissue, so they stay juicy through a long roast, and I cook them to 82°C, where breast would long since have dried out. My guide to buying and cooking chicken has more on the cuts and temperatures.

The red is the chilli. Kashmiri chilli is a mild variety grown largely for its colour, and the pigments that make chillies and paprika red are what turn the marinade that deep brick colour, so the two tablespoons are there for the look as much as the taste.

Equipment You’ll Need

Nothing special: a flat tray, a pan with a lid for the rice, and a thermometer if you have one.

A Closer Look at the Ingredients

Here is what each part is doing in this recipe.

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• Chicken legs Skinned and split into drumstick and thigh, then scored deep. Leg meat has more fat and connective tissue than breast, so it stays juicy through a long, hot roast. The skin comes off so the marinade sits straight on the meat. Instead: Bone-in thighs on their own, or drumsticks.
• Natural yoghurt The base of the marinade, and what helps it cling to the chicken in a thick red coat. It is mildly sour, and it works on the outside of the meat slowly, which is why the long marinade and the deep cuts go together. Instead: Thick Greek yoghurt.
• Kashmiri chilli powder A mild chilli grown for its colour. Two tablespoons sounds a lot, and it is mostly what turns the chicken that deep red rather than adding heat. Instead: Paprika, for the same colour with less heat.
• Ginger garlic paste The savoury, warm backbone of both the marinade and the pulao. A jar is what I use. Instead: Equal amounts of freshly grated ginger and garlic.
• Turmeric and ground coriander Turmeric adds an earthy note and a yellow tone under the red. Coriander is the softer, citrusy spice that rounds the marinade off.
• Lemon Half goes on the chicken with the salt before the marinade, the zest goes into the marinade, and the other half finishes the rice.
• Basmati rice Extra long grain, washed and soaked. Soaking lets the grains take up water before they meet the pan, so they cook quicker. Instead: Any long grain white rice, cooked a little longer.
• Ghee and whole spices Cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and star anise fried in ghee for two minutes, so their flavour goes into the fat and from there through all the rice. Instead: Vegetable oil in place of the ghee.
• Potato, carrot and green beans Browned in the pan before the rice goes in, so they add flavour of their own instead of only boiling in the stock. Instead: Peas, cauliflower or peppers, cut to the same size.
• Cucumber Grated into the yoghurt for the raita, a cool side against the spiced chicken.

A Pulao, Not a Biryani

When I first wrote this recipe I called the rice a biryani, and a pulao is the honest name for it. A biryani is usually made with part-cooked rice layered over a separate curry and steamed. Here everything happens in one pot: whole spices in ghee, then onion, vegetables and ground spices, then the rice and stock, which the rice takes up as it cooks. It has the spices and the yoghurt you would expect in a biryani, and it is far less work. When I want a biryani as a meal on its own, I make my one-pot chicken biryani.

How to Make Tandoori Chicken, Step by Step

Full quantities are in the recipe card below. The steps here carry the reasoning, for the chicken first, then the rice and the raita.

The Tandoori Chicken

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1. Prepare the Chicken. Pull the skin off each chicken leg, using a piece of kitchen paper for grip, and cut through the joint to separate the drumstick from the thigh. Then make three deep cuts on each side of every piece, right down towards the bone. If you prefer it with the skin on, cut through the skin as well.The cuts are the most useful thing you can do for tandoori. A marinade works its way into meat slowly, so the cuts give it a short way in and a lot more surface to cling to. With the skin on, cutting through it still lets the marinade reach the meat.
2. Lemon and Salt. Put the chicken in a bowl and rub the juice of half a lemon and the salt all over it and into the cuts.I do this on its own, before the yoghurt, so the lemon and the salt sit right on the meat and are not lost in the thick marinade.
3. Make the Marinade. Mix the yoghurt, the lemon zest, ginger garlic paste, Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric, ground coriander and oil into a thick red paste. Rub it into the chicken with your hands and push it into the cuts.The colour comes almost entirely from the chilli, which is why the amount looks so generous for a mild chilli.
4. Marinate. Cover the bowl and leave it in the fridge for 24 hours. If you are short of time, 2 hours will still give you a good result.That is what I do, and the long marinade makes more difference than anything else. Two hours just leaves a little less flavour in the meat.
5. Roast. Heat the oven to 180°C fan. Line a flat tray with baking paper and lay the chicken pieces on it, spaced out, with as much marinade on each as will stay. Roast for 45 minutes, turning the pieces over after 25.On a flat tray the hot air reaches every side, so the coating dries and starts to colour instead of sitting in liquid. A moderate heat cooks the thighs through gently, and the colour comes at the end.
6. Grill and Rest. Turn every piece back to its top side and switch the oven to the grill for the last 15 minutes, until the edges are charred in places. I take leg meat to 82°C at the thickest part. Rest the chicken under foil for 5 minutes before serving.Those dark patches are the browning that gives tandoori its flavour, so let them happen. 82°C is well above the point where breast would dry out, and right for legs.

The Vegetable Pulao

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7. Soak the Rice. While the chicken marinates or roasts, wash the rice in a sieve under the tap until the water runs clearer. Then soak it in fresh water for 30 to 50 minutes and drain it well.Washing takes the loose starch off the surface and keeps the grains from sticking. Soaked basmati takes up water before it ever meets the pan, so it cooks quicker.
8. Fry the Whole Spices. Heat the ghee in a large deep pan with a lid over a medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves and star anise and let them sizzle for 2 minutes, until they smell warm and sweet.Their flavour goes into the ghee, and the ghee carries it through every grain of rice later.
9. Onion and Chilli. Add the sliced red onion, the green chilli and the ginger garlic paste and cook them for 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion has softened and the raw smell of the garlic has gone.
10. Brown the Vegetables. Turn the heat up, add the diced potato, the carrot and the green beans with the salt, and cook for about 10 minutes until they start to brown at the edges. Keep the potato small.Browning them before the rice goes in gives them flavour of their own. Added straight to the stock they would only boil. Small potato is cooked through by the time the rice is.
11. Ground Spices. Lower the heat and stir in the garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder and cumin for a minute, until they coat the vegetables.A minute in the hot fat takes away their dusty taste, and the lower heat stops them catching and turning bitter.
12. Rice and Stock. Add the curry leaves and the yoghurt and stir them through. Then tip in the drained rice, spread it over the vegetables, and pour in the stock. Bring it to the boil, put the lid on, turn the heat right down and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the rice has taken up all the liquid. Leave the lid on while it cooks.Lifting the lid lets the steam out, and the steam is part of what cooks the top layer of rice.
13. Rest the Rice. Stir the rice once to bring the vegetables up through it, put the lid back on and leave it off the heat for 15 minutes. Finish with the lemon juice and zest and check the salt.Resting lets the grains cool slightly and firm up, so they come out separate, not wet.

The Cucumber Raita

14. Make the Raita. Mix the yoghurt, grated cucumber, sliced green chilli and chopped coriander in a bowl and finish with black pepper. Leave it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Make it while the chicken roasts.The rest in the fridge lets the flavours come together. It is the cool side the hot, spiced chicken needs.

Recipe Card for Tandoori Chicken with Vegetable Pulao

Recipe Card

Tandoori Chicken with Vegetable Pulao and Cucumber Raita

Chicken legs scored deep, marinated for a day in yoghurt, Kashmiri chilli, turmeric and ginger garlic paste, roasted at 180°C and finished under the grill, with a one-pot spiced vegetable pulao and cucumber raita.

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Prep

30 min

Cook

1 hr

Marinating

24 hrs

Total

25 hrs 30 min

Serves

3

Per serving

916 kcal

Scale the recipe

Quantities update as you change it

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3 servings

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Cook mode Keeps the screen awake while you cook

Cook it in

About an hour at 160°C, then a few minutes at 200°C to char

Oven Air fryer

Equipment I Use

Large Mixing BowlBaking TrayKitchen ThermometerFine Mesh SieveDeep Frying PanBox Grater

Ingredients

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For the Tandoori Chicken

3 Chicken Legs, good quality, skinned and split into drumstick and thigh 1/2 tsp Salt 1/2 Lemon, juice and zest 3 tbsp Natural Yoghurt 3 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste 2 tbsp Ground Kashmiri Chilli Powder, mild; or 2 tbsp paprika for less heat 1 tsp Ground Turmeric 1/2 tsp Ground Coriander 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil

For the Vegetable Pulao

300 g Basmati Rice, extra long grain, washed 2 tbsp Ghee, or vegetable oil 1 Cinnamon Stick, small 7 Cardamom Pods 7 Cloves 1 Star Anise 1 Red Onion, medium, sliced 1 Green Chilli, large, seeded and sliced 3 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste 2 Potatoes, small, in small dice 1 Carrot, medium, sliced 80 g Green Beans, sliced 1/2 tsp Salt 1 tsp Garam Masala 1/2 tsp Ground Turmeric 1/2 tsp Ground Kashmiri Chilli Powder 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin 5 Curry Leaves, optional 3 tbsp Natural Yoghurt 1/2 Lemon, juice and zest, to finish 550 ml Vegetable Stock

For the Cucumber Raita

150 g Natural Yoghurt 100 g Cucumber, grated 1/2 Green Chilli, thinly sliced Fresh Coriander, a handful, chopped Black Pepper, to finish

Instructions

Tap a step to tick it off as you cook.

Tandoori Chicken

1

Prepare the Chicken

Take the skin off the chicken legs and separate each drumstick from its thigh. Make three deep cuts on each side of every piece. Skin on is fine too if you prefer it; cut through the skin as well.

2

Lemon and Salt

Put the chicken in a bowl and rub it all over with the juice of half a lemon and the salt.

3

Make the Marinade

Mix the yoghurt, lemon zest, ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, turmeric, ground coriander and oil, and rub it into the chicken and into the cuts.

4

Marinate

Cover and leave in the fridge for 24 hours, or for at least 2 hours if you are short of time.

5

Roast

Heat the oven to 180°C fan. Lay the chicken on a flat tray lined with baking paper and roast for 45 minutes, turning the pieces over after 25.

6

Grill and Rest

Turn the pieces back to their top side and switch the oven to the grill for the last 15 minutes, until charred at the edges and 82°C at the thickest part. Rest under foil for 5 minutes.

Vegetable Pulao

7

Soak the Rice

Wash the rice until the water runs clearer, then soak it in fresh water for 30 to 50 minutes and drain.

8

Fry the Whole Spices

Heat the ghee in a large deep pan over a medium heat and fry the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and star anise for 2 minutes.

9

Onion and Chilli

Add the red onion, green chilli and ginger garlic paste and cook for 5 minutes.

10

Brown the Vegetables

Turn up the heat, add the potato, carrot and green beans with the salt, and cook for about 10 minutes until they start to brown.

11

Ground Spices

Lower the heat and stir in the garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder and cumin for a minute.

12

Rice and Stock

Add the curry leaves and yoghurt, then the drained rice, then the stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until the rice has taken up the liquid.

13

Rest the Rice

Stir once, cover again and rest for 15 minutes off the heat. Finish with the lemon juice and zest and check the salt.

Cucumber Raita

14

Make the Raita

Mix the yoghurt, grated cucumber, green chilli and coriander, finish with black pepper and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

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Chef’s notes＋

• Score the chicken deep. A marinade works its way in slowly, and the cuts are what let it reach the meat.
• Kashmiri chilli is mild and mostly there for the red colour. Paprika gives the same colour with less heat.
• I cook the legs to 82°C. Leg meat stays juicy well past the point where breast would dry out.
• Keep the lid on while the rice simmers and rests. Lifting it lets out the steam that finishes the grains.
• The raita is better for its 30 minutes in the fridge, and the chicken can marinate while it rests.

Nutrition per serving＋

916 kcalProtein 53.4 gCarbs 115.4 gFat 26.7 gSat fat 10 gFibre 7.7 gSugar 11.4 gSodium 1584 mgServing 731 g

Tandoori Chicken with Vegetable Pulao and Cucumber Raita · https://chefsbinge.com/tandoori-chicken-recipe/

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Serving and Storing

Serve the chicken on the rice with the raita on the side, lemon wedges and sliced red onion. If you like this, my mango butter chicken uses the same idea of a marinated chicken with a sauce, and my curry recipes from around the world have more to cook alongside it.

Leftover chicken keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it covered in a hot oven until piping hot. Cool the rice quickly, keep it in the fridge and eat it within a day, reheated until steaming hot all the way through.

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FAQ for Tandoori Chicken

A Few Words from the Chef

Of all the South Asian dishes, tandoori chicken is one of my favourites, and I like it best on fragrant rice. Give it the full day in the marinade if you can, it is worth the wait. If you make it, tell me how it went in the comments. Smacznego!