Tandoori Chicken with Green Chutney

My brother-in-law asked me, “Hey, do you have a tandoori chicken recipe?” and I was shocked that I still hadn’t posted a tandoori chicken recipe. So I immediately started working on one. After some experimenting, here is one of my favorite chicken recipes: tandoori chicken with green chutney. Traditionally, it is made in a clay oven, but we are going to make it at home in a regular oven and then smoke it to give a flavor that’s similar to the tandoori.

What goes into Tandoori Chicken

Chicken

I used chicken quarters with bone in, which are traditionally used for this recipe. Remove the skin and add deep cuts for proper marination. You can also use other pieces of chicken, but bone-in chicken will give you the best flavor.

Yogurt

You need one cup of regular yogurt. Beat the yogurt to avoid any lumps and then mix in the rest of the spices. Yogurt will provide tartness and an amazingly delicious flavor to your chicken.

Spices

I used salt, red chili powder, cumin and coriander powder, fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), garam masala, and Kashmiri red chili (for color). If you don’t want to make an effort to create your own masala, then use a readymade tandoori masala packet. I didn’t use any color, but if you like a bright red color, then you can add 1/4 tsp of red food coloring.

Ginger and Garlic

Ginger-garlic paste is a must for marination. You can’t skip this step; it will give you the most amazing taste. I used homemade ginger and garlic paste, but you can also use store-bought from a good desi brand.

Marination Time

After you mix yogurt with spices, oil, ginger, and garlic, coat the chicken very well with this mixture and leave it covered in the refrigerator overnight or for a minimum of 30 minutes for the spices to penetrate the chicken pieces.