Baked Tandoori Chicken Curry
This Oven-Baked Tandoori Chicken Curry recipe is so simple yet tastes like you spent hours on it. Easy and authentic, this recipe requires only 20 minutes of prep time!
“Wow, this was one of the best tasting tandoori chickens I’ve ever had! Thank you!”
Manal
If you’re like me, you have your reliable, ‘go-to’ recipes for company. These are recipes that you’re familiar with, can prepare in advance, and can whip up with comfort and ease. (Chicken Kofta is another great quick and easy recipe.)
This baked tandoori chicken curry has been one of mine for years. Originally adapted from Fauzia’s Saucy Baked Chicken, it’s one of those recipes that I used to make when I was just starting to host guests, when I wasn’t as comfortable with elaborate dinners but still wanted the meal to feel special. (For more easy chicken dishes, check out my collection of 15+ Pakistani & Indian Chicken Recipes.)
How to make Tandoori Baked Chicken Curry
This baked tandoori chicken curry is a breeze to make.
- Throw all the ingredients in a food processor and chop them up to form a smooth paste.
- Marinate the chicken (overnight is ideal).
- Cover and bake!
- Remove the foil and give it a little broil at the end for the full tandoori effect.
Like the original recipe suggests, I use the leftovers as a filling or topping for Tandoori Chicken Pizza (a great next-day meal for overnight guests).
Chicken Marinade Ingredients
- Whole Chicken – I buy this pre-cut. You can also substitute bone-in chicken thighs or boneless chicken, though it’ll require a shorter cook time.
- Red Onion – Red onion is less pungent than yellow, which works well here since the onions are not being sautéed.
- Yogurt – An essential ingredient here. Coconut milk would be a great dairy-free substitute.
- Tomato Paste – Tomatoes have too much water content so tomato paste is ideal here.
- Oil – Any oil will work here.
- Crushed garlic + ginger – I add a small amount to get the flavor without being overpowering.
- Tandoori Masala Powder – This is what gives it the Tandoori taste. See FAQ if you’d like to skip it.
- Spices – I use a handful of curry spices to enhance the flavor.
- Green Chili Pepper – Omit if you don’t want the extra heat.
- Cilantro & Lemon juice – These are meant to balance and enhance the flavors.
Baked Tandoori Chicken Curry FAQs
Many ovens have a broil function set to a high temperature (up to 550F). The broil just adds the char (tandoori) effect. If you’re using boneless chicken and are afraid it’ll dry out, feel free to skip this step.
First of all, increase salt because Tandoori Masala generally includes salt in the ingredients. I’d also suggest increasing the other spices and substituting 2 tbsp of the tandoori masala with 1 tbsp of a garam masala that you like. Taste the mixture and adjust as needed. Note that the raw curry will be sharp-tasting before cooking.
It would bake in less time. I’d say 30-40 minutes total would be sufficient.
What to Serve with Baked Tandoori Chicken Curry
Typically, curries with lots of gravy (like Classic Chicken Curry) go well with both rice and roti, and curries with minimal gravy (like Mixed Vegetable Curry) go well with roti. Since Tandoori Chicken Curry is a ‘dry’ curry, it goes incredibly well with Tandoori naan, roti, or other bread.
As always, if you have any questions or if you try this recipe, be sure to let me know in the comments!
More Chicken Curry recipes:
- Authentic Chicken Korma
- Chicken Karahi
- Coconut Chicken Curry with Potatoes
- Instant Pot Butter Chicken (Easy & Authentic)
Leftovers? Shred the chicken off the bones and use them in this Tandoori Chicken Pizza!
Baked Tandoori Chicken Curry (Easy & Authentic)
Ingredients
- 1 (~2.5 lbs) whole chicken, cut up, skinless
- 1 medium to large red onion, cut into eighths
- 1 1/2 cups plain, whole-milk yogurt
- 2-3 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 tbsp neutral oil, I use avocado or grapeseed
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 1/2 tsp crushed ginger
- 2 tbsp tandoori masala powder*
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp each turmeric powder, cumin powder, & coriander powder, optional
- 1/4 tsp Asian red chilli powder or cayenne, or to taste
- 2 tsp salt, or to taste (depending on tandoori masala powder)
- 1 small green chili pepper, cut in half
- 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
- ½-1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Equipment
- Roasting Pan or Baking Dish
Instructions
- Use a knife to cut 2-3 slits into each chicken piece and place in a large bowl.
- Add the rest of the ingredients listed in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour this mixture onto the chicken and mix to ensure the chicken is thoroughly coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours, preferably overnight.
- If possible, remove the chicken from the fridge to allow to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the chicken pieces side by side (with its marinade) in a 9" x 13" oven-safe pan or roaster. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and place the baking dish on the center rack of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and use a tong to turn over the chicken pieces. Cover with foil again and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes.
- Remove the foil, turn your broiler on to high, and let the chicken broil for about 2-3 minutes. Then, turn the pieces over and broil again for 5-6 minutes, or until the chicken has a nice charred finish.
- Serve with naan or baked French fries and a salad.
75 Comments on “Baked Tandoori Chicken Curry”
Hi, is it ok if I omit cilantro leaves?
Yes, that should be fine.
Hi Izzah,
I have two questions. I am about to prepare this tomorrow to take to a family dinner.
– My boyfriend’s family are not a fan of spicy food, but they do like flavours. What would you recommend? Should I keep the recipe as it is just skip green chili peppers?
-I am going to cook this at mine and then drive to theirs which takes about 45mins. Do you think I can broil it there? I am thinking of using boneless chicken thighs. As it is a week night. I need something quick.
1 – I would say omit red chili powder and green chili peppers. The green chili adds great flavor but also adds heat. 2 – For boneless thighs, you’ll probably need to bake for less time. I’d suggest around 25 minutes, then flip and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Yes, I think you could broil it there or just finish baking in their oven. The steam from covering & sauce will help make sure it doesn’t dry out.
Thank you so much Izzah.
– Ru
From Nottingham, UK
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and it’s always a hit! Was hoping to try it with fish today. Which fish would you recommend? Thanks for all your delicious recipes.
Thanks for sharing that with me, Zarina! What a great idea! You can choose any fish you’d like..cod or tilapia would work great with the flavors. Since fish takes much less time to cook, I’d suggest baking the masala/curry first, then adding the fish in for the amount of time it needs to cook. Otherwise, the curry may not have enough time to cook if it bakes for a short amount of time along with the fish.
This was very easy to make, and very, very delicious! My whole family loved it and said it tasted like it came from a restaurant! Will definitely make again. Great for company. Izzah, thank you so much for this recipe!
So wonderful to hear that! Thank you for sharing, Maria!!
This was so good! Definitely going into our rotation! The reason I give 4 stars is because the yogurt pretty much curdled. I followed this exactly as written (except we used thighs) and it still happened. I want to try this again and give it another chance because it was just that tasty.
Thank you, Emily! I will look into the curdling issue. Thanks for letting me know!
Hi
Do you think this recipe could be made in a slow cooker? Thanks Rebekah
Hi Rebekah! I haven’t tried it but I think it’d work. It won’t have the tandoori effect like it would under a broiler but I think it’d cook just fine.
This is a gem of a recipe!
Thanks so much, Jeremy!
Wow, this was one of the best tasting tandoori chickens I’ve ever had! Thank you!
So glad, Manal! Thank you for taking the time to review!
Hi! I’m just wondering if it would be OK to substitute coconut milk for yogurt? Thank you – I love your recipes!
Hi Rebecca! Thanks so much! I don’t see why not. It may change the flavor profile a bit but I think it’ll work!
This tasted delicious but the yogurt split. I used full fat “Greek style” yogurt, should I have used something else?
Hi Sonia, a bit of separation is natural and I think it works in this recipe. I’m not sure of this, but I think greek style curdles easier than plain, whole milk yogurt. I’d try using that next time and see if it works better.