Grilled Tandoori Chicken — 🧡💚 Recreate this Indian favorite QUICKLY and EASILY at home! If you’re looking for a new spin on grilled chicken, this is THE recipe to try. It’s super juicy, flavorful, and you’ll LOVE IT!
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Over the past few years, I have really fallen in love love with Indian food, and this grilled tandoori chicken is no exception. It’s juicy, tender, and has so much authentic Indian flavor.
While some Indian cuisine seems daunting and complicated because of the unfamiliar ingredients and the cooking process itself, this tandoori chicken recipe is easy-peasy, very straightforward, and you can get the ingredients at almost any grocery store.
As we enter grilling season, I urge you to put down that bottle of barbecue sauce — we’ve all had barbecued chicken a million times! You will thank yourself later because this chicken is delish.
Served with jasmine or basmati rice, this fast and easy grilled chicken recipe belongs in your dinner rotation.
Grilled Tandoori Chicken Ingredients
The tandoori chicken and flavorful marinade are both so easy to prepare. Gather the following ingredients:
For the tandoori chicken marinade:
- Greek yogurt
- Garlic
- Lemon juice
- Garam masala (available in the spice aisle of your regular store)
- Paprika
- Turmeric
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Ginger
- Salt and pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- Chicken breasts
For the dipping sauce:
- Greek yogurt
- Olive oil
- Apple cider vinegar
- Honey
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh cilantro
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
Marinade Tip
I used non-fat Greek yogurt in the tandoori chicken marinade, but you may use full-fat if desired. Just make sure it’s plain and unsweetened, otherwise this chicken won’t taste right!
How to Grill Tandoori Chicken
This is arguably the easiest grilled chicken recipe EVER. Here’s an overview of how the Indian-inspired tandoori chicken comes together:
- Prep the tandoori chicken marinade: Combine the chicken, yogurt, and spices in a zip-top bag and smush everything around until the meat is fully coated in the tandoori chicken marinade.
- Marinate the chicken: Pop the chicken in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to give those flavors time to combine.
- Grill the chicken: I used chicken tenders, which require just 4 to 5 minutes on each side (cook times will vary depending on how thick your chicken is).
- While the chicken is grilling, make the dipping sauce.
- When you’re ready to serve the grilled tandoori chicken, garnish it with a little chopped cilantro and serve alongside rice or quinoa!
Recipe FAQs
Tandoori chicken is a popular chicken dish that originated in India. To make it, chicken is marinated in a yogurt-based marinade and flavored with a variety of spices (all of those spices are what give tandoori chicken its signature reddish-orange color!).
The chicken is traditionally cooked in a clay oven, called a tandoor. Seeing as how I don’t own a tandoor, I made this recipe using my gas grill.
Yes! Since I don’t have a tandoor out back (and you probably don’t either), I use my outdoor gas grill and it works perfectly every time.
If you don’t have a grill, you can bake it on a sheet pan in a 400F oven until done or use an indoor grill pan.
No! When you take the marinated chicken from the bag, discard any leftover marinade. You don’t want the chicken to be dripping when you put it on the grill, and you can’t repurpose the leftover marinade since it’s touched raw meat.
Quick and easy is the name of the game for me! If you’re in a hurry, use chicken tenders instead of breasts or thighs. They’re much smaller and thinner, so they cook up quickly on the grill.
No, it’s not spicy, but instead has a wonderful layered flavor profile that comes from the variety of spices.
The signature Indian chicken yogurt marinade used to make tandoori chicken contains many different spices, with garam masala always used! Different recipes will use different spices, but mine calls for garam masala, paprika, turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, salt and pepper, and cayenne pepper.
Many Indian chicken marinades use yogurt rather than a harsher acidic ingredient, like vinegar. Yogurt tenderizes meats slowly, adds moisture, and ultimately makes for ultra juicy tandoori grilled chicken.
While it’s not very traditional to have a dipping sauce for tandoori chicken, I used the extra Greek yogurt that I had anyway for the marinade to make a dipping sauce. It’s made with olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper. It’s super creamy and complements the spiced chicken perfectly.
Although optional, I highly recommend pairing your grilled tandoori chicken with it! You don’t need a sauce since the chicken is so moist on its own, but I am a sauce and dip junkie. Hence, I made a sauce.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
In the fridge: Let the chicken cool before storing in an airtight container. It will last up to 5 days.
In the freezer: Leftover chicken can be sealed in a freezer bag and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight before reheating.
To reheat: Warm leftover chicken in the microwave at 30-second intervals.
What to Serve with Tandoori Chicken
Recipe Video Tutorial
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Grilled Tandoori Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken & Marinade
- ½ cup 5 ounces Greek yogurt (I used 0% fat)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 to 5 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon paprika, I used smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional and to taste
- 1 to 1.25 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, I used breast tenders which cook very quickly to save time
Dipping Sauce (optional)
- about 2/3 cup, 6 ounces Greek yogurt (I used 0% fat)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro finely minced for garnishing, optional
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken
- Add all ingredients to a gallon-sized ziptop bag, seal, and squish the chicken around to coat it well and evenly.
- Place bag in the fridge and marinate for at least 30 minutes (if you can plan ahead and marinate overnight, even better).
Grill the Chicken
- Preheat grill to medium-high.
- Remove chicken from the bag using tongs and place it on the grill; discard the bag and extra marinade.
- Grill chicken on each side for about 4 to 5 minutes or until done. Because I used breast tenders, they cook very quickly, in about 8 minutes total. Large breasts will take longer to grill.
- After chicken is done, set aside to rest (5 to 10 minutes). While it rests, make the dipping sauce.
Make the Dipping Sauce
- To a small bowl, add all ingredients except cilantro, and whisk to combine. Taste, check for seasoning balance and desired consistency, and if necessary add more salt, pepper, oil, honey, etc. to taste.
- Optionally garnish the chicken with cilantro before serving it with the dipping sauce on the side.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Grilled Chicken Recipes:
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Grilled Lime Cilantro Chicken — EASY, ready in 10 minutes, and the cilantro chicken is so TENDER, juicy, and full of Mexican-inspired flavor!! Put this HEALTHY chicken recipe on your summer menu rotation and it’ll be a hit with everyone!!
Excellent !!!
Thank you very much!
This was excellent on the grill. Only had a half hour to marinate. Thanks!!!
Thanks for letting me know it turned out excellent even with minimal marinating time!
Hi Averie! In the narrative, you mention oven baking the chicken at 400°, but no approximate time was given. I couldn’t find mention of it anywhere else, including the recipe notes. Did I miss it? It’s possible…gray hair day, ya know? Thanks, as always!
It will depend on the size of the pieces of chicken and if they’re thick, thin, cutlets, etc. I would estimate about 20 minutes, but of course, it’s safe at 165F as measured by a thermometer.
This recipe is amazing! I don’t have a grill and so used a cast iron skillet to cook the chicken, and it was still so good! I did use smoked paprika, so that helped give it that smoky taste without the grill. The recipe is also very forgiving, in that I mistakenly grabbed the ginger instead of turmeric and added two teaspoons of ground ginger by accident, but still the flavors and spices were all very well balanced.
This recipe is amazing! I don’t have a grill and so used a cast iron skillet to cook the chicken, and it was still so good! I did use smoked paprika, so that helped give it that smoky taste without the grill. The recipe is also very forgiving, in that I mistakenly grabbed the ginger instead of turmeric and added two teaspoons of ground ginger by accident, but still the flavors and spices were all very well balanced.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad this worked out well for you in a cast iron skillet! Great thinking on the smoked paprika for some smoky flavor. 2 tsp of ground ginger is probably what I actually use. I like to be heavy handed and bolder with the spices and I am glad it came out balanced for you this way!
Made this recipe tonight for dinner and everyone loved it!! And I loved that it was super easy and quick and I actually had all of the ingredients in my kitchen.
My only change was that I swapped boneless skinless chicken thighs for the breasts. The chicken was delicious!
FYI, I made a half recipe of the sauce because I was low on yogurt and I still had more than enough.
Made this recipe tonight for dinner and everyone loved it!! And I loved that it was super easy and quick and I actually had all of the ingredients in my kitchen.
My only change was that I swapped boneless skinless chicken thighs for the breasts. The chicken was delicious!
FYI, I made a half recipe of the sauce because I was low on yogurt and I still had more than enough.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that the thighs worked well and halving the sauce was still plenty for you and that everyone loved it!
Made this recipe using my Traegar grill and it was delicious. My only t
Regret wasmothaving enough yogurt to make the dipping sauce, next time.
Made this recipe using my Traegar grill and it was delicious. My only t
Regret wasmothaving enough yogurt to make the dipping sauce, next time.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this turned out great on your Traeger and sounds like you will make it again!
I just tried your recipe out and it worked well. I did add a little chili powder to mine though.
Keep up the good work 👍
I just tried your recipe out and it worked well. I did add a little chili powder to mine though.
Keep up the good work 👍
I am glad it worked out well for you!
Just learned how to cook this dish. I beat the chicken well and fried it under pressure. But next time I’ll bake in the oven – it’s more dietary. It’s hard work, but it turns out great. Thanks a lot for the recipe!
Just learned how to cook this dish. I beat the chicken well and fried it under pressure. But next time I’ll bake in the oven – it’s more dietary. It’s hard work, but it turns out great. Thanks a lot for the recipe!
Oh my goodness – this was wonderful!! Definately a “keeper” recipe!
We did leave out the garlic (as it really doesn’t agree with my family (makes cooking challenging sometimes!)
Thanks!
Oh my goodness – this was wonderful!! Definately a “keeper” recipe!
We did leave out the garlic (as it really doesn’t agree with my family (makes cooking challenging sometimes!)
Thanks!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad this is a keeper! I too am very garlic sensitive and am pretty moderate it with it, so I understand totally.
great