The word tandoori is actually a form of cooking and is an adjective meaning, “pertaining to tandoor”. So what is ‘tandoor’? – let us explore more – a tandoor is a kind of a clay oven & is cylindrical in shape. You can see the use of tandoor in many parts of Asia. In its right form, tandoor needs to be heated up with charcoal or firewood. As history tells us, if you trace the oldest example of tandoor, you can find it in the Indus Vally civilization (3300 – 1300 BCE).
Even in this day and age, the tandoor is a common fixture in many Indian and Southeast Asian restaurants around the world and tandoori chicken is an integral part of any restaurant menus.
You can make tandoori chicken without the clay oven in your home. You can use an electric oven or a barbeque grill. Here is my recipe for tandoori chicken. The video is how to make tandoori chicken in an air fryer.
Ingredients
- Tandoori Marinade:
Instructions
- Put all ingredients for the marinade in a medium bowl and mix well. Keep aside.
- Wash and dry the drumsticks with paper towels. Prick each drumstick all over with a fork and put them all in a large ziplock bag or a large bowl.
- Add the marinade onto the chicken pieces and mix well. Close ziplock bag/cover bowl and keep it in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight. Oven Bake Method:
- Remove the chicken from oven at least 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Take a large oven safe dish and spray the dish with 1 tbsp. melted butter or oil. Alternatively, line a baking try with aluminium foil and arrange the chicken on the tray.
- Arrange the drumsticks in a single layer and bake it in the oven for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, brush 1 tbsp. melted butter/oil over all the chicken pieces, turn them over and bake again for 20 minutes.
- After about 50 minutes of baking time, if you wish, turn the broiler setting of your oven and let the chicken broil 1 or 2 minutes.
- Now remove the chicken from the oven and serve garnished with sliced red onions and lemon wedges. For Barbeque Method:
- When ready to barbeque, preheat your barbeque to medium high.
- Remove chicken pieces from the marinade and arrange it on the grill. Baste the pieces with a tbsp. of melted butter/oil. Grill about 10 to 12 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, flip the chicken pieces and barbeque for 10 to 12 minutes again or until chicken is well cooked. Air Fryer Method:
- Preheat your air fryer to 350 degree F.
- Place the marinated drumsticks in a single layer on to the basket.
- Set time for 15 minutes and close the lid of the air fryer.
- After 15 minutes, flip the chicken drumsticks over and cook for about 5 minutes more.