Tandoori chicken: what it is and how it is made

Tandoori chicken is chicken that has been marinated in yogurt and spices and roasted at very high heat in a clay oven called a tandoor, which gives it a red-orange color, a smoky flavor and lightly charred edges. It is one of the best-known dishes of North Indian and Pakistani restaurant cooking, and a standard of the grill section of Hyderabadi menus. This guide explains how it is made, why it looks the way it does and how it differs from tikka and from ordinary grilled chicken.

What is tandoori chicken?

Tandoori chicken is bone-in chicken, usually legs and thighs or a split bird, marinated and then cooked in a tandoor until the outside is browned and the inside is cooked through. The word tandoori simply means cooked in a tandoor.

A tandoor is a deep, barrel-shaped clay oven heated by charcoal or wood, or in modern restaurants sometimes by gas. The heat is intense, and the chicken is lowered in on long skewers. The mix of fierce dry heat, drips of fat on the coals and smoke is what separates the dish from oven-baked chicken.

The marinade does most of the flavor work. Yogurt tenderizes the meat gently, and spices such as ginger, garlic, chili, cumin, coriander and garam masala season it. A squeeze of lemon and some oil finish the mix.

How is tandoori chicken made?

Tandoori chicken is made in three steps: score and season the chicken, marinate it in a yogurt and spice mixture, then cook it at very high heat. The scoring and the marinade are what make it tender and flavorful.

1. Score the chicken. Cuts in the skin and flesh let the marinade reach deeper. Skinless pieces are common in restaurant cooking.
2. First marinade. Salt, lemon juice and chili are rubbed in for a short time.
3. Second marinade. Thick yogurt, ginger and garlic paste, spices and a little oil coat the chicken for several hours or overnight.
4. Cook hot. The chicken goes into a tandoor, or a very hot oven or grill, until the surface chars lightly and the juices run clear.
5. Finish. Many cooks brush it with butter or oil and add a squeeze of lemon and chaat masala at the end.

Exact timings and spice mixes vary by cook. The method above describes the common pattern, not one fixed recipe.

Why is tandoori chicken red?

The red-orange color usually comes from chili powder, especially Kashmiri chili, and often from added food coloring. Kashmiri chili is valued for color more than heat, so a vivid dish is not necessarily a hot one.

Some restaurants rely on spice alone, and some add coloring to get a consistent bright finish. Home cooks who skip coloring get a deeper orange or brown. Turmeric, paprika and saffron are sometimes used to adjust the shade. Because coloring is a restaurant decision, ask the restaurant if it matters to you for dietary or allergy reasons.

What is the difference between tandoori chicken and chicken tikka?

Tandoori chicken is bone-in pieces marinated and roasted whole, while chicken tikka is boneless chunks marinated and grilled on skewers. The marinades are similar, and the difference is the cut, the cook time and the way it is served.

Chicken tikka masala is something else. It is tikka pieces in a spiced tomato and cream gravy, and it is a curry rather than a grilled dish.

Who invented tandoori chicken?

The invention of tandoori chicken is disputed. One widely repeated account credits a Delhi restaurateur, Kundan Lal Gujral, working around the time of the 1947 partition of India. Other accounts point to earlier use of the tandoor for bread and meat in the Punjab region.

The tandoor oven itself is far older than the chicken dish. Clay ovens for baking bread are known across Central and South Asia. What is disputed is who first marinated chicken in yogurt and spices and cooked it in one, and food historians do not agree. Treat any single name as a story, not as a settled fact.

How is tandoori chicken different from grilled chicken?

Tandoori chicken differs from ordinary grilled chicken in the oven, the marinade and the finish. Grilled chicken is cooked over an open flame with a simple or varied rub, while tandoori chicken uses a yogurt and spice marinade and a closed, very hot clay oven.

A home oven set to its highest temperature, finished under the broiler, gives a fair imitation. A covered charcoal grill comes closer in smoke.

Which chicken cuts work best for tandoori chicken?

Bone-in thighs and drumsticks work best, because the dark meat stays juicy at very high heat. A whole bird split into halves is also used, and breast pieces dry out faster, so they need a shorter cook.

Skin is often removed before marinating in restaurant cooking, so the yogurt marinade can reach the meat directly. Home cooks can keep the skin for extra crispness. Either choice works if the heat is high.

What mistakes make tandoori chicken dry or pale?

The usual causes are a thin marinade, too little heat and too long a cook. Each has a direct fix, and none needs special equipment.

• Watery yogurt. Thin yogurt runs off in the oven. Strain it through a cloth for an hour so the marinade clings.
• A short marinade. Flavor stays on the surface. Marinate for several hours, and score the meat so the marinade reaches it.
• A cool oven. Low heat bakes the chicken pale and dry. Use the highest setting and a rack.
• Overcooking. Take the chicken out when it is just done. Rest it for a few minutes so juices settle.
• Too much acid. A very long lemon marinade can make the surface chalky. Keep the lemon step short.

What goes with tandoori chicken?

Tandoori chicken goes best with naan or roti, sliced red onion, lemon wedges and a mint or yogurt chutney. In many restaurants it is also served on a sizzling platter with onion and peppers.

• Bread: naan, roti or paratha to mop up the juices.
• Salad and relish: sliced onion, cucumber, lemon and green chili.
• Chutney: mint, tamarind or a yogurt dip such as raita.
• Rice: plain rice or a biryani, when it is part of a larger meal.

Because the chicken is dry-cooked, a yogurt side is a natural partner. A guide on this site covers raita and the Hyderabadi yogurt chutney.

Is tandoori chicken on the Deccan Grill menu?

Tandoori is named among the grills on the official Deccan Grill website, but the recorded catering menu does not list an item called Tandoori Chicken. The two sources are not the same, and the catering menu is not the restaurant’s dine-in menu.

On the official catering menu as recorded in November 2026, the closest items are:

• Tandoori Shrimp, listed twice with different tray prices: in the starters section at $225 large, $190 medium, $100 small and $75 shallow, and in the seafood section at $225, $175, $100 and $60.
• Chicken Barra and Frontier Chicken, in the chicken section. The page gives no descriptions, so this guide does not say how they are cooked.
• Chicken Tikka Masala, the curry, in the chicken section.

These are catering tray prices, not plate prices. The restaurant’s dine-in and pickup menu could not be read when this guide was checked, so it may list a tandoori chicken plate that is not recorded here. Call (972) 594-1999, or use the official website, deccan-grill.com, for orders and current dishes. The menu page explains how to read the tray prices.

How do you know tandoori chicken is cooked through?

Tandoori chicken must be cooked through like any chicken, and the red color is not a sign of doneness. A deep red crust can sit on top of undercooked meat, so judge by temperature, not color.

Use a thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, away from the bone, and follow food safety guidance for poultry. This guide makes no nutrition or health claims about the dish. If you have dietary restrictions, ask the restaurant what is in the marinade, since yogurt, nuts and food coloring may be present.

How can you cook tandoori chicken at home?

At home, marinate chicken legs in yogurt and spices, then cook at the hottest oven setting on a rack, finishing under the broiler for color. The key points are a thick yogurt, a long marinade and high heat.

A simple home outline:

• Marinate bone-in thighs and drumsticks for at least four hours, or overnight.
• Heat the oven as high as it goes and use a rack so hot air circulates.
• Cook until the thickest piece reaches a safe internal temperature and the surface is browned, then rest it briefly.
• Finish with lemon, chaat masala and sliced onion.

Do not rely on color to judge doneness. Use a thermometer for safe chicken cooking.

Common questions

This article is general information from an independent guide, not from Deccan Grill itself. For the store’s current details see hours and location.