This weeknight Indian-spiced Tandoori Chicken is delicious, Whole30-friendly, is staple at my house. Marinate in the morning and bake in the evening!
Man, oh man, this chicken dish is easy and delicious! Provided you have some Tandoori seasoning on hand…
You do need to plan ahead a little bit because the chicken has to marinate for at least 2 hours, but the actual hands-on time is pretty minimal. In fact, this dish can be thrown together in about 10 minutes before you head off to work and it will be ready to bake when you get home. (Or, if you’re a night shift worker like me, you can throw it together in the morning before going to bed and it will be ready to go when you wake up.) I followed the tandoori chicken recipe on Penzeys Spices website with a few modifications and my results were quite remarkable.
Serves 6
Here’s what to assemble:
- 4 pounds chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk, coconut milk yogurt, or Greek yogurt (if you tolerate dairy)
- 2 tablespoons tandoori seasoning
- Juice from ½ a lemon
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or fat of choice
Equipment:
- Medium bowl
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Baking sheet
- Stainless steel wire rack
- Aluminum foil
- Tongs
Here’s what to do:
Grab your thighs and trim off any excess blobs of fat. Season the chicken parts evenly with kosher salt and stick ‘em in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt/coconut milk and the tandoori seasoning.
Pour in the lemon juice and mix well to combine.
Sometimes little hands are better at this step.
Once the marinade is ready…
…spoon it over the salted chicken…
…and work it into the poultry with your hands.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge for 2 to 8 hours to marinate.
When you’re ready to bake the chicken, preheat the oven to 375°F on convection roast setting (or 400°F in a non-convection oven).
Place a wire rack on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Grease the rack with a paper towel dipped in melted coconut oil.
Arrange the chicken on the rack skin-side down…
….and pop the tray in the oven for about 40 minutes…
…flipping the pieces skin-side up at the halfway mark.
The chicken’s done when there’s yummy charred bits all over and the juices run clear when stabbed with a skewer.
This dish was super-duper easy, moist, and delicious to boot!
Psst! Don’t worry about the dirty wire rack! I show you how to clean it like a champ in this Periscope video.
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013) and Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017)!
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Super Easy Tandoori Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 pounds chicken thighs bone-in and skin-on
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk coconut milk yogurt, or Greek yogurt (if you tolerate dairy)
- 2 tablespoons tandoori spice mix (no salt added)
- Juice from ½ a lemon
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or fat of choice
Instructions
- Grab your thighs and trim off any excess blobs of fat. Season the chicken parts evenly with kosher salt and stick ‘em in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt/coconut milk and the tandoori seasoning.
- Pour in the lemon juice and mix well to combine.
- Once the marinade is ready, spoon it over the salted chicken, and work it into the poultry with your hands.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge for 2 to 8 hours to marinate.
- When you’re ready to bake the chicken, preheat the oven to 400°F on convection roast setting (or 425°F in a non-convection oven).
- Place a wire rack on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Grease the rack with a paper towel dipped in melted coconut oil.
- Arrange the chicken on the rack skin-side down and pop the tray in the oven for about 40 minutes, flipping the pieces skin-side up at the halfway mark.
- The chicken’s done when there’s yummy charred bits all over and the juices run clear when stabbed with a skewer.
