Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken Recipe With Authentic Flavors
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Discover a quick and flavorful way to enjoy classic tandoori chicken with this easy air fryer recipe, delivering juicy, perfectly spiced results every time.
Watch How to Make Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken Here:
Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken Recipe
Whenever I would visit an Indian restaurant as a kid, my go to appetizer was always either Paneer Tikka or Chicken Tikka. You can call them the comfortable option because we didn’t eat out super often, and when we did, I wanted my favourites. Tikka translates to pieces or chunks, which was much more appealing that biting into what I now consider a juicy leg of tandoori chicken. So that’s that! Do I regret not having Delhi style tandoori chicken when it was easily accessible to me? 100%! Perhaps that was the reason why it took my this long to put up a recipe for tandoori chicken.
To clarify, tandoori chicken tikka and tandoori chicken are nearly the same dish. The difference is in the name: tikka! Tandoori chicken is bone in, and can be made out a whole chicken, that is spatchcocked, chicken legs, drumsticks, breast and wings. The world is your oyster and tandoori chicken is yummy in any way.
Now a tandoor is a clay oven that is amazing to cook in to impart smoky flavor. That can be quite hard to achieve in a home kitchen, which is why we will aim to come close to it by using liquid smoke in the marinade. In addition, I’ll be using my air fryer and that will also help get the char we are looking for while keeping the insides moist and juicy. You can check out my first impressions here in this video. I have to say without blowing smoke that from the last 10 restaurant tandoori chickens I have had, this homemade one was the best. Get ready to try out one of your new favourite air fryer recipes! To ensure that you don’t miss any other Indian air fryer recipes coming up, I recommend you sign up for my email newsletter, and these future recipes will be sent directly to your email inbox!
To follow along with all the steps on how to make authentic tandoori chicken at home, check out the video! It would mean a lot to me if you could please subscribe to my YouTube channel, and don’t forget to hit the bell button to be notified when all my latest video recipes go live! Let’s get air frying!
Why This Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken Recipe Works
A favourite Indian recipe made accessible at home: Tandoori cooked chicken is super popular where I’m from, Delhi, India. I can attest that this homemade recipe tastes just like from the restaurants, if not better! Yes, no tandoor is required - just your air fryer which I feel most modern kitchens have these days!
Irresistible char and smokiness: This air fryer tandoori chicken recipe will show you that you can indeed replicate an amazing char and smokiness in your tandoori chicken with the help of the air fryer. Believe it or not, it’s actually better than what I’ve had from restaurants even in India!
Super simple in the air fryer: I realize that I’m hardly using my oven these days! It’s so much easier and saves a lot more time preheating and cooking in the air fryer, plus the minimal cleanup really makes a night and day difference!
Quick cook time: I also observed that it is so much faster to cook the tandoori chicken in the air fryer versus the oven! The cook time was quite honestly cut down by half!
A perfect treat for a lavish Indian meal: Tandoori chicken is an integral component to a great butter chicken and there’s so much extra flavor since we are cooking this bone in.
Questions You May Have About This Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken Recipe!
What is Tandoori Chicken?
Tandoori chicken is one of the most popular chicken appetizers in restaurants. Tandoori chicken refers to chicken that has been marinated in yogurt and spices, then cooked in a tandoori oven (clay oven). Its iconic characteristics are the smoky char and the juicy chicken.
What’s The Difference between Chicken Tikka and Tandoori Chicken?
These two can easily be confused because of their similar colour and the fact that they are both chicken cooked in a tandoor oven, but they are actually very different! If you’ve seen my Air Fryer Chicken Tikka recipe, then the highlight of the chicken there was that they are boneless pieces of chicken. Tikka literally translates to “chunks”. However, tandoori chicken refers to a bone-in piece of chicken. Otherwise, they have the same marinade and are cooked similarly to achieve a smoky flavor and charred finish!
How Do You Get a Smoky Flavour Without a Tandoor Oven?
You can add some vegetable oil or mustard oil directly in the marinade and/or spray one of those oils on top of the chicken pieces as they are cooking. In this tandoori chicken recipe, I actually took it up a notch by adding in a little bit of liquid smoke into the marinade!
What Cut of Chicken Should I use for Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken?
In this recipe, I’m using skinless drumsticks. You can also bone-in chicken legs, bone-in chicken breasts, or bone-in chicken thighs. What’s most popular is the whole leg piece that includes the drumsticks and the thighs!
How Does Tandoori Chicken Get its Bright Red Colour?
In this recipe, we’re using a spice called Kashmiri mirch to achieve the beautiful red colour. This spice gives the vibrant eye-popping colour without too much heat. However, if you cannot find this at your local Asian store, you can try to find Deggi Mirch or substitute with Paprika and a bit of Cayenne for heat.
Beware when you have tandoori chicken at restaurants though! A lot of them are EXTREMELY bright red because they are made with red food colouring. I never saw the point of it, and it’s absolutely not needed. You know that your tandoori chicken was made with food colouring when you see reddish pink residue inside the flesh of the chicken. No thanks!
Can I Adjust the Quantity of this Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken Recipe?
Yes, you can either double, triple, or even reduce the recipe by half depending on how many chicken drumsticks you’re making. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post to help you scale all ingredients and quantities so you don’t have to do any calculations!
Is it Better to Air Fryer Chicken Tandoori at 375 or 400?
Air frying at 375°F will allow the chicken to cook a bit more gently, helping retain moisture and ensuring the yogurt-spice marinade fully infuses into the meat. But this temperature wouldn’t help get the char that is characteristic of this dish.
However, we’ll be air frying the tandoori chicken at 400°F. This is because it will cook faster, and you’ll get a crispier, more charred crust, which resembles more closely the char you’ll get to the cooking the chicken in a tandoor oven and adding that signature smoky bite. Ensure that you brush on some oil or butter to prevent the spices from burning on the surface of the pieces of chicken.
How Long Does the Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken Take to Cook?
The tandoori chicken will take about 18 to 20 minutes total to cook. We’ll flip halfway through the cook time, and then finish the chicken for about 2 additional minutes with some molten butter brushed on top.
How Do You Know the Tandoori Chicken Has Finished Cooking?
The chicken is fully cooked when the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F. When using a meat thermometer, make sure to measure at the thickest part of the meat, avoiding the bone, as it can give an inaccurate reading.
As a visual cue, the meat will shrink slightly, exposing more of the bone. If the meat still closely covers the bone, similar to how it looked when raw, it likely needs more time to cook.
What if I Have Leftovers?
In this case I would not suggest you make tandoori chicken in advance. The tandoori chicken will be the juiciest and have the best flavor when it’s fresh out of the air fryer. However, if there are leftovers, then don’t worry! You can keep the leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days. The air fryer’s “reheat” setting is very handy to reheat to keep the juiciness and flavour of the chicken without it turning soggy!
Mistakes You Might Be Making When Making Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken
Not marinating the chicken properly: This can happen for a number of reasons, and the main one is excess moisture. If you’re using a yogurt that is too runny, then this can ruin your marinade. I always say that moisture is the enemy when it comes to air frying, so you really want to make sure your yogurt is thick and has as much moisture squeezed out of it. This is why it’s encouraged to use hung yogurt to
Not using the right spice in the marinade: As mentioned earlier, Kashmiri mirch is the spice we’ll be using the marinade. This gives the colour we’re looking for without adding too much heat. Some other type of chilli powder could blast the heat off even if it may give the correct colour!
Not preheating the air fryer: There’s no point cooking your chicken from a cold air fryer basket. Preheating the air fryer will ensure the chicken starts to cook right away and the moisture gets a head start to cook off so that the tandoori air fried chicken can get smoky and delicious efficiently while staying moist inside.
Not placing the chicken properly in the air fryer: If you overcrowd the basket, then you’re blocking the circulation from the air fryer. This is key to get the amazing char we want while maintaining juicy chicken inside! If the temperature is too low, then the inside of the chicken will cook, but the outside will take longer to get charred, so you’ll run the risk of over-cooking the chicken. On the other hand, if you cook at too high of a temperature, then the outside of the chicken could get burnt by the time that the inside is fully cooked - especially bone-in chicken.
Air frying at the wrong temperature: If you cook the chicken at too low of a temperature, then you risk missing out on the most enjoyable part of tandoori chicken which are the smoky flavors that the marinade works so well with. 400 F is a great balance to get the char outside while keeping the inside well cooked.
Tools Needed To Make Tandoori Chicken In The Air Fryer
Ingredients for Indian Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken
You can find the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD by scrolling to the bottom of this post to save the recipe for later and to see all ingredients and their quantities. By default, this recipe is for 6 chicken drumsticks, which can serve about 3 to 4 people if having these as a starter.
For the first marinade
Lemon/lime juice: Preferably freshly squeezed lemon juice. Lime juice will also work here.
Kashmiri mirch:This is the ideal spice because you will get a bright red colour without too much heat. This comes from kashmiri chilies that were ground up into a powder, and it’s also known as red chili powder. A tablespoon is all you’ll need right now. No worries if you don’t have it! As I outline in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Making Cooking Fun!!, using a suitable substitute when appropriate can save you an unnecessary trip to the grocery store if this is going to be a niche ingredient for you in the future. Yes, aged spices do indeed lose their potency! With that being said, you can substitute with the Kashmiri mirch directly with paprika. For some heat, you can also add a little bit of cayenne.
Salt: Key seasoning to taste.
For the second marinade
Chicken: I’m using skinless chicken drumsticks. If you’re using skin-on drumsticks, you can either leave the skin on or remove it yourself.
Yogurt: A full fat plain yogurt will give you the best results. I’m doing a pseudo hung-yogurt method, which involves straining the excess moisture from the yogurt with a cheesecloth. Next time I make this marinade I will try out the full hung-yogurt method, and I’ll be sure to share the recipe on the blog soon after!
Ginger-garlic paste: Made from scratch is always the best option! It only takes 15 minutes and you can freeze a large batch of it to always have on hand, so I encourage you to check out the recipe today!
Garam masala: An essential spice that will bring out a warm aroma to the chicken.
Kashmiri chili powder: The to ensure a vibrant natural red colour and great flavour.
Turmeric: A small amount will brighten the colour of the tandoori marinade.
Kasoori methi:Ideally you would use fresh kasoori methi, which are fenugreek leaves, but I can never find them so I always go for the dry ones. Crush them between your hands to release a wonderful flavour.
Mustard oil: Really helps with the smokiness of the tandoori chicken. If you don’t have it, vegetable oil or any neutral oil will work fine too.
Liquid smoke: A little extra touch to make the tandoori chicken extra smoky in our home air fryers.
Corn starch: A teaspoon of this really assists in the marinade sticking onto the chicken pieces and preventing any extra moisture from being onto the chicken pieces.
Salt: Mandatory to bring out all the flavours together.
How to Make Air Fried Tandoori Chicken
For the first marinade
Pat the chicken dry and then make large gashes along the meat, making sure to cut to the bone all across.
In a large mixing bowl, add your chicken drumsticks, followed by lemon/lime juice, Kashmiri mirch and salt. Mix well with your hands wearing gloves. Allow to marinate for 20-30 minutes.
For the second marinade
In the same bowl as the first marinade, add the rest of the ingredients for the second marinade.
Mix well, cover and let marinate for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
To Air Fry And Serve
Preheat the air fryer to 400F with the rack attachment in place.
Remove the chicken from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking to take the chill off.
Lightly spray the rack with vegetable oil. Arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer, leaving space between each piece. Spray the tops with vegetable oil.
Air fry at 400°F for 18–20 minutes. After 8–10 minutes, flip the chicken and lightly spray the other side. Continue cooking for another 5–6 minutes.
Melt some butter and brush it over the chicken. Cook for an additional 2–4 minutes, turning the pieces and brushing with butter occasionally.
Serve sprinkled with chaat masala, with lemon or lime wedges and mint or cilantro chutney on the side.
Tips for Restaurant-Quality Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken
Ensure to pat the chicken dry with paper towel to remove as much excess moisture as possible before marinating the chicken.
Cut some slits until the bone on the chicken pieces. The longer you marinate the chicken, the better! If you can marinate it overnight or even for a full day, you’ll get the most flavourful and tender results.
Use the highest quality mustard oil to get deep flavours in your tandoori chicken. Although vegetable oil can be used as an alternative.
If you’re wondering how many chicken drumsticks to make to serve a crowd, usually a portion is 1 to 3 drumsticks per person.
Molten butter on top of the tandoori chicken after it’s cooked is really the best way to finish them off, and I don’t encourage you to skip that final step!
Serving Suggestions For Air Fried Tandoori Chicken
You’ll find tandoori chicken as a staple appetizer on menus of Indian restaurants! Here’s how to serve it with a professional touch just as you would find at a restaurant!
Brush on some molten butter with a basting brush as needed along with a pinch of chat masala
Lemon wedges to squeeze some fresh juice on top of the chicken pieces.
You can have these with some rice, including Steamed White Basmati Rice, Jeera Rice (cumin-spiked rice), Indian-Style Cilantro-Lemon Rice, Pudina-Dhanya Pulao (Mint-Cilantro Rice), Haldi Rice (turmeric rice), or a Light and Healthy Vegetable Pulao. Bread is also delicious with your tandoori chicken, such as Tandoori Naan Bread, Lachha Paratha, or Rumali Roti. This is also a great appetizer before other mains for lunch or dinner, such as Dal Makhani, Chicken Kofta Curry, or Dum Aloo.
Conclusion: Enjoying A Quick And Flavorful Meal
In conclusion, making Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken will blow you away! Making tandoori chicken in the air fryer is an accessible way to enjoy this Indian favourite without needing a tandoor. By using a simple marinade that’s packed with flavours and an air fryer, you can achieve a flavorful, juicy chicken that rivals restaurant-quality results. Whether enjoyed as an appetizer or paired with rice and naan, this recipe showcases the beauty of Indian cooking in a home-friendly format. Don’t forget to explore the wide array of Indian recipes available on the blog to enhance your culinary repertoire!
More Air Fryer Indian Recipes
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!
Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken
Discover a quick and flavorful way to enjoy classic tandoori chicken with this easy air fryer recipe, delivering juicy, perfectly spiced results every time.
Ingredients
- 6 drumsticks (about 600-800 g)
- 4 Tbsp lemon/lime juice
- 1 Tbsp kashmiri mirch
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 Cup Tbsp plain hung yogurt (curd)
- 2 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 1/2 Tbsp kashmiri mirch
- 1 tsp kasoori methi
- 1 tsp mustard oil (or neutral oil)
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- few drops liquid smoke
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1 tsp salt
- molten butter
- pinch of chaat masala
- lemon wedges
- Cilantro Mint Chutney
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry and then make large gashes along the meat, making sure to cut to the bone all across.
- In a large mixing bowl, add lemon/lime juice, Kashmiri mirch and salt for the first marinade and whisk well together.
- Add the chicken add to marinade. Mix well, cover and let marinate for 20-30 minutes.
- In the same bowl as the first marinade, add the rest of the ingredients for the second marinade.
- Mix well, cover and let marinate for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F with the rack attachment in place.
- Remove the chicken from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking to take the chill off.
- Lightly spray the rack with vegetable oil. Arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer, leaving space between each piece. Spray the tops with vegetable oil.
- Air fry at 400°F for 18–20 minutes. After 8–10 minutes, flip the chicken and lightly spray the other side. Continue cooking for another 5–6 minutes.
- Melt some butter and brush it over the chicken. Cook for an additional 2–4 minutes, turning the pieces and brushing with butter occasionally.
- Serve sprinkled with chaat masala, with lemon or lime wedges and mint or cilantro chutney on the side.
Notes
If using chicken breast, substitute chicken thighs in recipe with equal amount of chicken breast, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks.Plain yogurt tends to work better with this dish than Greek yogurt. Although it can be substituted with Greek yogurt, the thickness tends to intensify the spice level in the marinade. If using, cut the amount of garam masala and deggi mirch.Cutting the deggi mirch may affect the final colour of the dishYou may grease the wire rack with spray oil to help prevent the chicken from sticking.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
156Fat (grams)
9 gSat. Fat (grams)
3 gCarbs (grams)
3 gFiber (grams)
0 gNet carbs
2 gSugar (grams)
1 gProtein (grams)
14 gSodium (milligrams)
1262 mgCholesterol (grams)
74 mgNutrition info is an estimate.
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