Make this delicious air fryer tandoori chicken from the Indian cuisine for your weekend lunch or dinner. Tandoori chicken is a popular dish mostly served in Indian restaurants. Mostly served with naan bread and special green chutney.
Air fryer tandoori chicken recipe is super easy to make plus they are healthier than what is served in the restaurants. You can avoid a lot of spices, food coloring, and dry tandoori chicken while making it at home. My family loves homemade air fryer tandoori chicken. And they also love homemade frozen chicken breast, sesame chicken, lemon chicken, etc. You can also make the different chicken recipes in the air fryer and enjoy.
Traditionally tandoori chicken is made in a clay tandoor and usually, they are very dry. But when you’re making it at home, you can choose the right chicken part, the juicier side. I love to make air fryer tandoori chicken with thighs. They come out super tender, juicy, and delicious. If you love chicken dishes you should try this recipe which has traditional flavors.
Jump to:
- What is Tandoori Chicken?
- How to make air fryer tandoori chicken?
- Ingredients for air fryer tandoori chicken:
- Instructions for air fryer tandoori chicken:
- What to serve with tandoori chicken? Or What goes with tandoori chicken?
- Tips for making the best tandoori chicken in air fryer:
- How do you store leftover air fryer tandoori chicken?
- 📖 Recipe
What is Tandoori Chicken?
A chicken dish marinated in yogurt and spices cooked in a tandoor (clay oven) is known as tandoori chicken. This is a popular chicken dish from the Indian subcontinent mostly served with naan bread and green chutney.
How to make air fryer tandoori chicken?
Making tandoori chicken in the air fryer is easy and quick. The key formula to making tender and juicy air fryer tandoori chicken is to use the chicken thigh. And the yogurt marination with the correct amount of spices.
Ingredients for air fryer tandoori chicken:
- 4 chicken thighs
- ¼ cup yogurt
- 1 ½ tablespoon ginger, garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions for air fryer tandoori chicken:
- Thoroughly wash the chicken with clean water and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- Take a mixing bowl to add all the ingredients yogurt, ginger garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, coriander powder, pepper, lime juice, oil, and salt. Mix them until well combined.
- Make a deep cut in the chicken, rub the yogurt marination thoroughly, and let it sit for at least an hour or 6 hours.
- Preheat your air fryer at 200C/400F for 5 minutes.
- Brush a thin layer of oil on the basket and transfer the marinated chicken to the air fryer. Brush some oil on the top.
- Cook at 200C/400F for 10 minutes on one side. Flip them halfway through the cooking process, brush with some oil and cook for another 10 minutes. Do not overcrowd the basket while cooking instead do it in batches for the best result.
- Remove the air fryer tandoori chicken from the basket.
- Serve it hot with onions, lemon wedges, and green chutney.
- Enjoy!
You can find the air fryer tandoori chicken recipe in the printable card below.
12+ Air Fryer Indian Recipes to Tantalize your taste buds
What to serve with tandoori chicken? Or What goes with tandoori chicken?
Since the air fryer tandoori chicken has so much flavourful it’s better to serve with something milder. I usually like to serve them with plain white rice or with naan bread with green chutney. Or serve them with cucumber salad, fresh salad with tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion.
Find more air fryer chicken recipes:
- Frozen chicken breast in air fryer
- Air fryer frozen chicken nuggets
- Chicken sausage in air fryer
- Air fryer orange chicken
Tips for making the best tandoori chicken in air fryer:
- Make sure you take similar-sized pieces of chicken to avoid uneven cooking.
- You can use a meat thermometer to avoid overcooked or undercooked chicken. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165F/74C when cooked.
- Using greek yogurt is best for this recipe because it has a thick consistency and helps the spices stick along. Plus it helps to make the chicken moist and tender.
- Don’t skin to add oil while marinating and brushing the chicken while it's cooking. This process will help the chicken to stay moist, juicy, and tender.
- You can skip the food color while cooking air fryer tandoori chicken.
How do you store leftover air fryer tandoori chicken?
I always love to make this recipe as per needed because they are best when served fresh. But if you have some leftovers store them in an air-tight container and store them in the fridge. They are good for 2-3 days.
Reheat: Put the tandoori chicken in the air fryer basket and reheat them at 180C/356F for 4-5 minutes or until they are warm through.
Here are some of the frequently asked questions:
Which chicken piece is used for making chicken tandoori?
The best piece for making chicken tandoori is the whole chicken legs (drumsticks with thigh). Because chicken legs contain higher fat making the tandoori juicy, moist and flavourful.
However, for the healthier option, you can use chicken breast. The cooking time might vary a little, you can adjust accordingly.
Can air fryer be used as a tandoor?
Tandoor is traditionally made of clay or can be called clay oven. They are cylindrical vertical clay pots, with extremely high temperatures circulating inside the oven.
Likewise, the air fryer’s working mechanism is somewhat similar, but with an air fryer, we can set the time and temperature.
So, we can use the air fryer as tandoor.
How long does it take to cook chicken in airfryer?
The tandoori chicken cooking time in air fryer is 20 minutes at 200C/400F temperature. However, the cooking time might vary according to the air fryer you are using. But you can always adjust the cooking time accordingly.
How long should you marinate the chicken to make tandoori chicken?
The tandoori chicken is best when marinated for 5-6 hours. If you can’t give that much time marinate the chicken for at least 30-60 minutes.
How to make your tandoori chicken red in color?
The tandoori chicken is red by using flavorless tandoori coloring or food coloring. However, if you don’t want to use the food color, the spices used for the chicken will also add some color.
Can you use store-bought tandoori paste?
Yes, you can use the store-bought tandoori paste. But I prefer making my tandoori paste myself because it’s fresh, healthy, and homemade. And no added preservatives.
What is the green sauce at Indian restaurants?
The green sauce served at Indian restaurants is coriander and mint sauce (green chutney). You can also easily make this green sauce at your home. Here’s how you make it:
Ingredients for green chutney:
- 1 cup fresh coriander
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves
- 2-3 green chilies
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- ½ inch ginger
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (roasted)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Salt to taste
- Black salt ½ teaspoon (optional)
Instructions for green chutney:
- Take an electric blender to add all the ingredients for chutney.
- Blend them and make a fine paste. You can add a teaspoon of water if needed/ if the chutney paste is too thick.
- Remove the mixture and serve it with your hot air fryer tandoori chicken.
Equipment: Air fryer
Course: Main Course, Appetizer
Cuisine: Asian/Indian
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 20 minutes
If you like the air fryer tandoori chicken recipe, look at what else you can air fry:
If you’ve tried this recipe, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below.
You can also check our Youtube video for making Juicy Tandoori Chicken in Air Fryer.
You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more easy & Tasty air fryer recipes.
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken
Equipment
- air fryer
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs
- ¼ cup yogurt
- 1 ½ tablespoon ginger, garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash the chicken with clean water and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.4 chicken thighs
- Take a mixing bowl to add all the ingredients yogurt, ginger garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, coriander powder, pepper, lime juice, oil, and salt. Mix them until well combined.¼ cup yogurt, 1 ½ tablespoon ginger, garlic paste, 1 teaspoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 2 tablespoon vegetable oil, salt to taste
- Make a deep cut in the chicken, rub the yogurt marination thoroughly, and let it sit for at least an hour or 6 hours.
- Preheat your air fryer at 200C/400F for 5 minutes.
- Brush a thin layer of oil on the basket and transfer the marinated chicken to the air fryer. Brush some oil on the top.
- Cook at 200C/400F for 10 minutes on one side. Flip them halfway through the cooking process, brush with some oil and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Remove the air fryer tandoori chicken from the basket.
- Serve it hot with onions, lemon wedges, and green chutney.
