Recipe guide · 4 min read
How to Make Restaurant Style Tandoori Chicken
In brief: Great tandoori chicken is built in two marinades. First, score the chicken and rub it with salt, lemon juice and ginger-garlic paste. Let it sit for twenty minutes so the seasoning reaches inside. For the second marinade, mix hung curd, Kashmiri chilli, cumin, coriander powder, garam masala, kasuri methi, mustard oil and a little roasted
Deep red masala, juicy chicken and smoky char without needing a full restaurant tandoor at home.
Ingredients
- 800 g chicken pieces
- 1/2 cup hung curd
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp mustard oil
- Roasted gram flour, salt and butter
How to make it
- 1Score the chicken and rub with lemon, salt and ginger-garlic. Rest for 20 minutes.
- 2Mix yoghurt, spices, mustard oil and gram flour for the second marinade. Coat the chicken and chill for four hours.
- 3Cook on high heat in an oven, grill or air fryer, turning and basting once.
- 4Rest for five minutes and finish with lemon, chaat masala and onion rings.
Chef tips
- Score bone-in pieces so the marinade reaches inside.
- Avoid crowding the tray or the chicken will steam.
- Resting keeps the juices inside.
Why this recipe works
Great tandoori chicken is built in two marinades. First, score the chicken and rub it with salt, lemon juice and ginger-garlic paste. Let it sit for twenty minutes so the seasoning reaches inside. For the second marinade, mix hung curd, Kashmiri chilli, cumin, coriander powder, garam masala, kasuri methi, mustard oil and a little roasted besan.
Coat the chicken well, pushing marinade into every cut. Rest it for at least four hours. Cook on high heat in an oven, grill or air fryer, turning once and basting with butter or oil. High heat gives the familiar restaurant char, while the curd keeps the meat juicy. Avoid crowding the tray, or the chicken will steam instead of roast.
When cooked through, rest the chicken for five minutes. Finish with lemon juice, chaat masala and onion rings. A brief coal smoke gives the aroma people associate with a dhaba tandoor, even when the cooking happened in a home kitchen.
The restaurant finish comes from patience more than heavy cream or extra masala. Taste at the end, rest the dish for a few minutes, and serve it hot with naan, roti or jeera rice. At Sardaar Ji Dhaba, we look for the same balance every time: a gravy that clings, spice that stays warm, and a final bite that still feels generous.
The first bite should make you look up from the table.
Kitchen note · Sardaar Ji Dhaba