Juicy smoky tandoor chicken scaled
Dt. Natasha Mohan

Dt. Natasha Mohan

Dietitian Natasha Mohan is one of the most influential and renowned nutritionist and dietitian, with over 3 Million Followers on YouTube and 200+ Million Views and with 10+ Years of Experience. Dietitian Natasha Mohan is a transformation expert, Motivational Speaker and Lifestyle Expert. She has touched million of lives. She specializes in Therapeutic Diets Like, PCOS/PCOD, Thyroid, Diabetes, Cholesterol, Blood pressure, and other lifestyle disorder.

Table of Contents

Juicy & smoky tandoor chicken high protein Indian recipe

Introduction

There’s something magical about the aroma and bold Flavors of Tandoori Chicken because of that mouthwatering mix of tangy yogurt, aromatic spices and tender make it a juicy meat that instantly reminds you of Indian street-side grills or festive family dinners. Traditionally, this delicacy is cooked in tandoor, but you can enjoy this recipe without tandoor in your home.
This Oven-Baked Tandoori Chicken version gives you all the flavour and texture that you want in a tandoori chicken. It is high-protein chicken dish which has low fat, packed with vibrant spices and best if you want to have a healthy meal. It is a simple and kitchen friendly tandoori chicken recipe for your overall wellness.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • No Tandoor Needed – You don’t need any tandoor for this recipe. You can cook it in oven and air fryer.
  • High In Protein – It has protein which help you with muscle recovery and keep you full for longer period of time.
  • Full Of Indian Flavors – It has a balanced mix of spices which give you tangy, smoky and a little fiery flavour.
  • Smoky Twist At Home – You can easily make authentic tandoor flavour using a simple charcoal or smoked oil trick.
  • Juicy And Tender – It is juicy and a good tender because of yogurt which help you to marinade chicken.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients

  • 500g chicken breast
  • 3 tsp curd
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp mustard oil
  • Salt according to your taste

Marinade Spices

  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp of cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp of garam masala
  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

Optional Smoky Twist

  • You can take a small piece of charcoal if you want smoky twist in your tandoori chicken
  • You can take ½ tsp ghee or a few drops of smoked paprika if you are using oven for cooking

Substitutions & Tips:

  • You should replace regular curd with yogurt because it helps you to give a better and thicker marinade that clings better to the chicken which give you better taste.
  • For more juicy texture you can use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast.

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Chicken
    You need to clean the chicken pieces. After that dry them and make 2–3 deep cuts on each piece which helps the marinade soak in and makes the meat more flavourful.
  2. Make the Marinade
    Take large bowl mix curd, lemon juice and all spices oil until it gets smooth over texture. Then Add the chicken pieces and coat them well.
    After that cover the bowl and marinate for at least 6–8 hours.

Step 3: Cook It

Oven-Baked Tandoori:

  • You can cook the oven baked tandoori just You have to preheat oven to 220°C.
  • Then place the chicken on a baking tray.
  • After that bake for 20–25 minutes.
  • For more taste you can use ghee for brush on the chicken.

Pan-Fry or Air-Fry:

  • You have to heat pan or air fryer on medium-high flame.
  • Then Cook chicken pieces until it gets fully cooked.

Step 4: Add the Smoky Finish

You can use Indian style dhungar method for Indian chicken:

  • Heat small piece of charcoal or coal until it become red hot.
  • Cooked chicken dish place it in small bowl for heating.
  • A bit of ghee on the charcoal and quickly cover the dish for 2–3 minutes then it gives you tandoor-like flavour.
  • When you serve you can use pinch of chaat masala and squeeze of fresh lemon juice it will increase the taste of tandoor chicken.

Nutritional Breakdown

This Healthy Indian Grill is as nutritious as it is delicious. It will provide roughly:

  • Calories: 300 kcal
  • Protein: 30–35g
  • Fats: 10–12g
  • Carbs: 2–4g

It is low-carb, high-protein chicken recipe that help you to keeps energized, supports muscle recovery and fits easily into weight-loss diets. The yogurt will add probiotics will help you boost your digest.

Serving Suggestions

  • You should Serve hot with mint chutney, onion rings and lemon juice.
  • You can pair with jeera rice, naan or green salad for a complete meal.
  • If you lift weight or hit gym so you can take this recipe before and after workout.

Tips for making it tastier

  1. For richer texture use curd while preparing it.
  2. Add chilli flakes to increase extra hotness in your recipes.
  3. While marinate people usually leave it for 1 hr but you can leave it at least overnight to increase flavour and tenderness.
  4. Cook at high heat for increasing more juiciness in your tandoor chicken.

Yes! You can easily without tandoor instead of it you can use air fryer, oven or stovetop grill pan which gives smoky flavour.

Use dhungar method – in this method we use charcoal piece in small bowl inside the cooked chicken and ghee and cover it for 2 minute and you will same effect after this.

You should use thighs because it stays juicy even after baking but if you want a leaner meat then you can take breast.

You should use the charcoal dhungar method in your marinade which gives you smoky tandoori flavour at home.

Yes! It has protein and low-fat which help to keep you full for longer period of time and repair your muscle after workout.

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