Homemade “Too Good” Tandoori Chicken

Nine times out of ten, if you’ve been to or eaten at an Indian cuisine restaurant, you have seen Tandoori chicken. Tandoori chicken is a popular dish from the Indian subcontinent and has become sought-after in other parts of the world.

First appearing in the United States around 1960, it was popularized in post-independent India by Moti Mahal, Daryaganj in Delhi long before. Its reported that it was first served to the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. There, tandoori chicken became a standard offering at official banquets.

But no matter where and when it came to be, it’s delicious! So here’s the recipe to bring this red-skinned, mouth-watering chicken home:

TANDOORI SPICE MIX:
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

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GARAM MASALA SPICE MIX:
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon cardamom
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Ingredients:
2 pounds chicken legs, no skin (8 legs or thighs)
2 cups greek yogurt
1 batch of tandoori spice mix (see above for recipe)
1 tablespoon garam masala spice mix (see above for recipe)
1 lemon, juiced

Directions:
Cut very shallow little lines into the de-skinned chicken legs and add them to a large bowl or a zipper bag.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the chicken and mix well. Try using a ziplock bag and just…

… shake it up and down and all around (imagine dancing with it) to mix it all around.

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Let marinate in the refrigerator for at LEAST 8 hours, preferably 12-24 hours.

Remove the majority of the marinade before cooking the chicken.

On the Grill: Heat the oiled grill to medium-high heat and cook the chicken until cooked through (roughly 10-12 minutes)
In the Oven: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cook for 25-30 minutes.

Simply delicious!