Indian Tandoori-Style Roast Chicken

About This Recipe

This dish brings tandoori chicken's signature yogurt-and-spice marinade to a home oven, roasting a whole bird instead of the traditional clay tandoor-cooked pieces. The marinade -- yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, red chile powder, garam masala, and lemon juice -- tenderizes the meat and gives the classic reddish char at high heat, even without live coals. The technique that matters most is double marinating: a first quick marinade of just lemon juice, salt, and ginger-garlic to start tenderizing, followed by the full yogurt-spice marinade for several hours or overnight, which is standard practice in professional tandoori kitchens and makes a real difference in how deeply the flavor penetrates. Roasted hot and finished under the broiler for char, then rested and basted with melted butter, this chicken delivers the smoky, tangy, deeply spiced experience of tandoori chicken using equipment every home kitchen already has.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 wholechicken(about 1.6kg, skin scored)
• 2 tbsplemon juice
• 1 tbspginger-garlic paste
• 1.5 tspsalt
• 1 cupplain yogurt
• 2 tbspred chile powder(or paprika for less heat)
• 1 tspturmeric
• 1 tspgaram masala
• 1 tspcumin powder
• 2 tbspoil
• 3 tbspmelted butter(for basting)

Instructions

1. 1

   First marinade

   Score the chicken skin deeply. Rub with lemon juice, half the ginger-garlic paste, and 1 tsp salt. Let sit 20 minutes.

2. 2

   Make the spice marinade

   Whisk yogurt with remaining ginger-garlic paste, chile powder, turmeric, garam masala, cumin powder, oil, and remaining salt.

3. 3

   Marinate the chicken

   Rub the yogurt marinade all over the chicken, including under the skin. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, ideally overnight.

4. 4

   Roast

   Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Roast the chicken on a rack for 60-70 minutes until a thermometer in the thigh reads 74C/165F, basting with melted butter twice during roasting.

5. 5

   Char the skin

   Switch to broil for the final 3-5 minutes, watching closely, until the skin chars at the edges like a tandoor finish.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Rest 10-15 minutes before carving. Serve with lemon wedges, sliced onion, and mint chutney.

Variations

• •

  Use chicken thighs or drumsticks instead of a whole bird for faster, more even cooking.

• •

  Grill over charcoal instead of roasting for a smokier, more traditional result.

• •

  Reduce the chile powder by half and add extra paprika for a milder, kid-friendly version.

Storage

Refrigerate carved chicken up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a low oven covered with foil to avoid drying it out, or slice cold for sandwiches.

Frequently Asked Questions