Tandoori Chicken Legs

This Tandoori chicken leg recipe is made ahead and grilled to perfection! Offering big, bold flavors of masala, cumin, ginger, garlic, lemon, curry, and more your taste buds will be rejoicing!

WHAT’S NEW?

School is officially out for summer and we’re starting week 2 of summer – I can’t believe it! Week one, the girls spent in central Illinois with grandma and grandpa. We hardly heard from them and it sounds like everyone was kept busy. Being that it was my first week of classes, I often thought that the week was SO BUSY that I wasn’t sure where parenting would’ve fit in. Needless to say, it was a nice little reprieve from some adulting responsibilities and Mark and I were able to sneak in a date to the beach for an hour of Kindle reading, a dinner out by the water, and monopolized the TV enjoying Clarkston’s Farm on Apple TV. Oh my goodness, I haven’t laughed that hard in a long while! (Start with season 1!).

Now that the girls are back, this week is back to basics…and then some. They’ll be needing packed lunches every day for camp and so my kitchen efforts are going to increase substancially. We’re also finally looking at summer-like weather here in Michigan, and that always means easy meals and even better if they can be prepared on the grill. As a lover of Indian recipes, this chicken leg recipe was a big hit among all! 

ROLL CALL FOR THIS RECIPE

• Big, Bold Flavors: These Tandoori chicken legs offer big time flavor from an array of Indian spices, heat, acid, and yogurt.
• Make-Ahead: The prep on this chicken is meant to be done ahead of time making it a great recipe for meal preppers or entertainings guests.
• Leftover Masters: We turned the leftovers of this chicken into a tandoori flatbread pizza and added it to salad, biryani, and coconut rice. 

KEY INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

• Chicken: I love chicken drumsticks and think they’re quite under-rated and under-utilized in cooking! The skin is easily removed for a low fat protein option that’s affordable, easy to find, and fun to eat! Use whatever chicken cuts you prefer, however!
• Tandoori Masala: As a substitute, use garam masala with additional paprika and cayenne for heat and that beautiful red coloration.
• Cumin: You can substiute in coriander, caraway, or chili powder for cumin, if needed.
• Coriander: If needed, substitute in cumin or garam masala.
• Curry Powder: Curry paste can be used in a 1:1 ratio and garam masala can be swapped in. If you don’t have curry powder but have ground cumin, ground coriander, chili powder (or cayenne pepper), and turmeric, you can make your own curry powder, too.
• Celery Salt: Feel free to omit this ingredient if you don’t have it!
• Cayenne: This amount will NOT create a spicy Tandoori chicken recipe. Consider doubling (or more) if you want things spicy!
• Salt: Feel free to use any type of salt and more or less to your liking. The salt enhances the flavors of all the marinade ingredients.
• Ginger: Fresh ginger root that has been peeled and minced or a ginger paste works beautifully, however you can substitute in ground ginger (2 teaspoons), if needed.
• Garlic: Fresh is best! However you can use garlic powder (2+ teaspoons) if you don’t have fresh garlic available.
• Olive Oil: A high-quaility olive oil is both delicious and healthy, however avocado oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil can be subbed in. Melted butter can also be used in lieu of oil.
• Yogurt: I prefer a plain yogurt (a NON-Greek yogurt) for ease of combining the ingredients and ensuring the marinade covers all of the chicken, however Greek yogurt works well, too!
• Lemon: If you don’t have fresh lemon, a splash of concentrate works well or you can omit this ingredient altogether.

NUTRITIONAL MERITS

• Low-carb: less than 3 grams per serving
• Naturally gluten-free, nut-free, and egg-free
• Can be made dairy-free by using water in place of yogurt 

FAQ

​The recipe calls for 6 pounds of drumsticks, but how many is that?

​Six pounds comes to roughly 24 drumsticks, depending on size. Because the size of the drumstick impacts the nutritional breakdown, I tend to give quantities of meat in pounds or ounces to be most accurate.

​I don’t love drumsticks and they can be a bit messy! Can I use another cut of chicken?

Absolutely! Chicken thighs, chicken breasts, or other chicken pieces such as tenderloins would work great in this recipe.

What makes this a Tandoori chicken without the use a tandoor oven (clay oven)?

Good question! This recipe isn’t as authentic as they come, but it was something I could recreate at home without purchasing anything new. The authentic taste comes from the marinade and smoky flavors that can be created by use of the grill over hot coals or a hot wire rack on the gas grill. The yogurt and lemon juice in particular give the Tandoori chicken drumsticks a perfect touch.

Some Tandoori recipes suggest using a few drops of red food colouring to achieve that rich red coloration. Why didn’t you do this?

​The color of the grilled chicken doesn’t matter to me (personally) and I prefer not to add artificial ingredeints. That said, you can certainly add a bit of red food dye to achieve that traditional red that seeps into the meat while marinading.

Can I leave the skin on the chicken?

Certainly! However, this isn’t a healthy and not as much flavour from the tandoori marinade will soak into the chicken. For those reasons, I opt to remove the skin.

VARIATIONS, STORAGE, and TIPS

• Cook time will vary. Be sure to use a meat thermometer to ensure an internal temperature in the thickest portion of the chicken leg reaches 165 degrees F.
• Remember: baste the chicken while cooking with excess marinade, however to avoid cross-contaimination, do not baste the fully cooked chicken
• Serve with a mint or mango chutney and a few frozen samosas, homemade naan, veggies, and/or your favorite ice dish for a complete meal
• Play around with the spice mix depending on whether you want intense heat, or something more mild. The spice blend can be made entirely to your liking!
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days

 

Love flavors of India? Enjoy more!

• Coconut Shrimp Curry
• Easy Vegan Vegetable Biryani
• 30-Minute Instant Pot Butter Chicken
• Sheet Pan Chicken Shawarma
• Instant Pot Butter Chicken
• Healthier Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
• Easy Chana Aloo Curry with Shrimp
• Tikka Masala Naan Pizzas
• Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
• Chicken Tikka Masala Quinoa Bowls with Cilantro-Lime Crema

Be well,