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    Home » Budget Recipes

    Tandoori Chicken Marinade Recipe

    Published: Feb 14, 2020 · Modified: Jul 19, 2022 by Jessica Fisher

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    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more details, please see our disclosure policy.
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    This Tandoori Chicken Marinade is packed with flavor. The recipe is quick to mix up and super freezer-friendly. Make more than one batch!

    Serve this flavorful chicken alongside Quick Seasoned Rice and a cucumber salad for an easily, delicious meal.

    tandoori chicken plate with side dishes this …

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    Ready for a quick and easy dinner that you can prep on Sunday afternoon and throw on the grill a day or two later? Well, I gotcha covered.

    Tandoori Chicken Marinade is a regular on my meal prep rotation. I mix up the marinade, add some chicken, and let it all rest until I’m ready to grill it.

    The chicken becomes infused with ginger, garlic, and spices, tenderized by the yogurt and lemon juice, and packed with flavor.

    Tandoori Chicken Marinade

    Marinated in yogurt and spices, Tandoori Chicken is traditionally roasted in a tandoor oven, a cylindrical clay or metal oven used for cooking and baking. It’s often used to bake a variety of flatbread as well.

    white bowl of tandoori marinade

    Yogurt and spices are beautiful, don’t you think?!

    Tandoori Chicken has been around a long time. Historically, there’s evidence that this style of chicken has been cooked since 3000BC! So, if you haven’t tried it yet, now’s your chance!

    I was a little skeptical about trying something new, especially back when I’d never tasted Indian food before. I worried that I would have youth riots at the dinner table if the kids didn’t like it.

    I shouldn’t have worried. This Tandoor Chicken Marinade recipe has been a family favorite since I first made it back in 2008. I did a bit of research and adapted the typical ingredients to my favorite way of marinating chicken.

    Apparently, some folks add red food coloring to the marinade in order to give it a vivid read color. Since I prefer to avoid that stuff, I focused on the spices to give it the beautiful hue.

    step by step photos of making tandoori chicken marinade

    How do you make Tandoori Chicken?

    This Tandoori Chicken Marinade could not be easier to make.

    1. Stir together yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil with paprika, ginger, garlic, salt, curry powder, and chili powder.
    2. Pour this mixture over chicken breasts and allow the flavors to mingle, marinating it for several hours. If you like, you can place the bag of chicken in marinade in the freezer. It will marinate as it thaws later.
    3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and cook it over a hot grill.

    What do you eat Tandoori Chicken with?

    We enjoy Tandoori Chicken with any number of rice dishes or side salads. To give the meal an Indian twist, I like to serve it with naan and Kachumber, an Indian tomato and cucumber salad.

    What does Tandoori Chicken taste like?

    This Tandoori Chicken Marinade is loaded with flavors! The ginger, garlic, and chili powder give it a kick while the yogurt and lemon juice offer up a tangy tartness. The curry powder ties it all together with that distinct flavor of Indian cuisine.

    platter of grilled chicken sprinkled with cilantro

    How to save money making this recipe:

    Here are some of the strategies I use to make this recipe more economical:

    • Meal plan around what’s on sale. Don’t decide to make this when chicken is $5/pound and you have none in the freezer. Next time you see chicken on sale, add this to your meal plan!
    • Do a price comparison. I know that ALDI is the best place for me to buy chicken when there isn’t a great sale elsewhere. It’s normally $1.89/lb! I keep track of prices so that I know who has the best deal where.
    • Stock up on plain yogurt when it’s on sale. It’s such a versatile kitchen staple.
    • Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. Buy extra chicken as well as marinade ingredients and stash them away in your pantry so you can make this dish whenever you want.

    Tools you might need to make this recipe easy:

    This is a pretty straight-forward dish. You don’t need any fancy equipment. However, having some good basic kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs. Here are the tools that I like to use in this recipe.

    • plastic cutting boards – I have blue boards for veggies and white boards for meat.
    • Ergo Chef chef’s knife – I’ve had my set for several years and they work well for trimming chicken and chopping vegetables.
    plate of chicken slices with salad rice and naan
    If you prepare this recipe, be sure to share a picture on social media and hashtag it #GOODCHEAPEATS. I can't wait to see what you cook up!
    platter of grilled chicken sprinkled with cilantro

    Tandoori Chicken

    Tandoori chicken is marinated in a flavorful, spiced yogurt marinade and then grilled. You’ll want to have this delicious and freezer-friendly recipe on repeat.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Indian
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 199kcal
    Author: Jessica Fisher

    Ingredients

    • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
    • ¾ cup plain yogurt
    • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 teaspoon paprika
    • 2 teaspoon fresh ginger (grated)
    • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon curry powder
    • ½ teaspoon chile powder or ground chile
    US Customary – Metric

    Instructions

    • Place the chicken breast pieces in gallon-size freezer bag or covered dish.
    • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, paprika, ginger, garlic, salt, curry powder, and chili powder. Pour this mixture over the chicken.
    • Seal the bag and massage it carefully to distribute the marinade all around the chicken. If using a dish, turn the chicken to coat. Cover and refrigerate.
    • Marinate the chicken for several hours and cook over a hot grill.

    Notes

    To freeze: Place marinade and uncooked chicken in a ziptop freezer bag. Store in the freezer. Thaw completely in the refrigerator on a tray to catch drips. Cook as directed. Alternatively, cooked meat can be cooled and frozen to eat on a later date.
    Promptly store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.
    Nutritional values are approximate and based on 1 piece of chicken.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 750mg | Potassium: 548mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 624IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Tell us what you think! Your reviews help us develop better recipes and give newcomers the confidence to try your favorites. Scroll down to leave a starred comment.
    A plate of chicken, rice, and naan
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amber

      April 23, 2023 at 1:50 pm

      5 stars
      Easy and delicious. My whole family enjoys it.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        April 24, 2023 at 10:28 am

        So great to hear it. Thanks for taking the time to review!

        Reply
    2. Kate

      April 23, 2021 at 5:21 pm

      5 stars
      This is one of our go to recipes along with IP rice because it is so easy to make and so delish!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        April 29, 2021 at 10:17 am

        5 stars
        Thanks for the feedback!

        Reply
    3. Sara H.

      February 17, 2020 at 10:08 am

      Is it possible to use ginger powder? We just don’t use enough ginger to buy a fresh piece. And my family has never had Indian food. Does curry powder make it spicy or just the chili powder? One more question, how could I make this in the winter? I look forward to trying this!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        February 17, 2020 at 4:09 pm

        Hey Sara! You can use ground ginger. It’s not the “same” as fresh, but will be a good introduction to the flavor for your family. The curry powder doesn’t make it spicy, and really chili powder doesn’t make it super spicy, either. Overall, it’s “warm” rather than “hot” in terms of spice. Hope that makes sense.

        As for prepping in winter… if you don’t grill year round, you could bake the chicken at 450 for 15 minutes or broil it. Hope that helps!

        Reply
        • Sara H.

          February 17, 2020 at 6:23 pm

          This helps! Thanks! We don’t grill year round in Chicago. Too cold and snowy sometimes! Thanks for the reply!

    4. Julia

      April 15, 2014 at 8:59 am

      Made this and froze it. Turned out beautifully! All picky eaters ate joyfully!! Age ranges of pickies: 38 (the 4th child), 15, 12, 8. Thanks Jessica 🙂

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        April 15, 2014 at 9:04 am

        Yay! I love success stories.

        Reply
    5. Wendy

      June 08, 2011 at 12:27 pm

      We love Indian food in our house. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe 🙂

      Reply
    6. Rebecca

      June 06, 2011 at 5:23 pm

      So how do you freeze this? Do you freeze before or after you grill it? Then how do you reheat it? Does the yogurt cause separation? I’ve wanted to freeze some similar chicken dishes but didn’t think it would work. I’d love it if you know how to make it work!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        June 06, 2011 at 6:18 pm

        The yogurt has not separated when I freeze the chicken in the marinade, if any change it’s just that the spices intensify, so I’ve lowered those. Try a small batch with your recipes and see if you like it. Next time you make it, just freeze one piece of chicken with some marinade. Then, try it out on another grilling night.

        Reply
    7. site4teachers

      October 21, 2008 at 8:48 pm

      This recipe looks very good, I will want to try it out. I found your website through Freebies4Mom. You may like the teacher tips and freebies I post at my website for teachers since you are a homeschool teacher.
      Thanks for all your ideas!

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Jessica! I'm a 4x cookbook author and 6x mom. I know what it is to be in a hurry and on a budget. I believe anyone can prepare delicious meals -- no matter what's on their plate. I've been featured on Good Morning America, PBS News Hour, and NBC.

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