Tandoori Chicken + Naan

Name: Tandoori Chicken + Naan
Prep time: 500 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 525 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian (Punjab)
Ingredients: Chicken legs, bone-in: 4 (about 800g total); Whole milk yoghurt, hung: 150g; Kashmiri red chilli powder: 2 tsp; Ginger-garlic paste: 3 tbsp; Lemon juice: 2 tbsp; Mustard oil: 3 tbsp; Cumin powder: 1 tsp; Coriander powder: 1 tsp; Garam masala: 1 tsp; Turmeric: 0.5 tsp; Chaat masala: 1 tsp (to finish); Salt: to taste; Charcoal: for smoking (optional); Hung yoghurt (drained overnight) is essential — excess moisture prevents the marinade from charring properly.; Mustard oil adds the characteristic pungency of proper tandoori chicken.; Bone-in cuts retain moisture better than boneless.; The charred edges are not burnt — they are the most flavourful part.

🍗 Non-veg🌾 Gluten-free📊 Medium

Whole chicken legs marinated in spiced yoghurt, roasted at extreme heat in a clay tandoor until charred outside and juicy within — the dish that defined Indian restaurant culture worldwide.

⏱️500 minPrep

🔥25 minCook

🕒525 minTotal

🍽️4Serves

🧺 Ingredients

👩‍🍳 How to make Tandoori Chicken + Naan

Slash chicken deeply to the bone.
Apply lemon juice, salt, and 0.5 tsp Kashmiri chilli.
Rest 20 minutes.
Mix hung yoghurt, remaining spices, ginger-garlic paste, mustard oil.
Coat chicken, pressing into slashes.
Refrigerate 8 hours minimum (overnight preferred).
Place on a wire rack over a tray.
Roast 12 minutes; baste with butter; roast 10 more minutes.
Skin should be deeply charred at edges and juices should run clear.
Finish under broiler 2 minutes for char.
Place hot charcoal in foil boat beside chicken, add drop of ghee, cover tight 3 minutes.
Sprinkle chaat masala, squeeze lemon.
Serve with mint chutney, sliced onions, and naan.

📖 Cultural notes

|---|---|---|---|---| | 420 kcal | 48g | 6g | 22g | 1g | Tandoori Chicken was invented by Kundan Lal Gujral at Peshawar's Moti Mahal in the 1940s, born from the tandoor ovens of Punjab's frontier region. When Gujral migrated to Delhi during Partition, the dish migrated with him and conquered the world. Punjab's tandoor culture — where every village had a communal clay oven — made this dish a natural expression of the land's cooking genius. ---

Track the macros of Tandoori Chicken + Naan and 100s of Indian dishes with Nutri Macro India.