Tandoori Chicken is traditionally made in a tandoor oven. This recipe mimics the tandoor charred flavor using an air fryer! Bone-In chicken thighs are quickly marinated in yogurt with aromatic spices . This recipe can be made in an oven, but the air fryer makes this recipe fast and easy. Dinner was ready in less than an hour and so delicious!
This America’s Test Kitchen recipe turned out to be better than expected. It was late in the day and I had some bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs ready to become dinner. Time was fast approaching. Could I make this Air Fryer recipe in a short amount of time? The answer is “yes”! (If you don’t own an Air Fryer, oven instructions are included.)
I made a Tandoori Chicken recipe, years ago, and posted it. The chicken was baked in the oven and then broiled to mimic the charred skin. Sadly, that recipe post disappeared due to a technical glitch on my blog. Deciding to replicate that recipe, I came across this recipe for an Air Fryer version. I was skeptical at first. I was so wrong! It was fast and easy.
Not only did the chicken cook in less than 30 minutes– look at that crispy and golden, charred skin!
This posted recipe is for two servings. This can be easily doubled or tripled. Just increase the marinade ingredients. The spices, garlic and oil are heated in the microwave so they can “bloom”. The mixture is added to whole milk yogurt and lime juice Bone-In and Skin-On chicken thighs are ideal. Just poke a few holes in the skin, so the marinade can flavor the chicken.
Generously coat the chicken with the yogurt mixture and allow to coat for 10 minutes.
Preheat the Air Fryer to 400F for about 10 minutes. My Air Fryer has two baskets that are non-stick. There are removable non-stick “racks” that act like a broiler pan. Place the marinated chicken thighs, skin side down, and air fry for about 10 minutes. Every Air Fryer is different, so keep an eye on the chicken! Once you see crispy and charred skip, flip the chicken over and Air Fry for anywhere from 15-20 minutes more. A meat thermometer should indicate a temperature of 195F.
The skin is bubbling hot, has some lovely char and the chicken was at the desired temperature. Remove from the Air Fryer and allow to rest for a few minutes.
For side dishes I made brown rice with cooked onion, Garam Marsala (love that spice) and golden raisins. Wilted fresh spinach in a little garlic oil made for a nice vegetable side dish. A dipping sauce of Yogurt and lime juice, seasoned with salt and pepper whipped together in no time at all. Dinner was ready in about a half hour. Let’s eat!
TASTING NOTES: Garam Masala is a warm spice that has a permanent home in my pantry. It can easily be found at your grocery store (McCormick Schilling makes one). I’m not one to eat chicken skin, but this recipe made me change my mind. The skin was crispy and flavorful. My husband loves dark meat, but I think I’ll add a chicken breast the next time I make this– and I will make this again!
Can you make this in the oven? Yes, instructions are included in the printable recipe card.
Can you use boneless and skinless chicken? Why not? You won’t get that charred and crispy skin, but I’m sure it’ll taste great.
Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken Thighs
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1½ teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 4 teaspoons lime juice divided
- 4 5-ounce bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
Instructions
For the yogurt marinade:
- Combine garlic, ginger, garam masala, cumin, chili powder, oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in large bowl and microwave until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Set aside to cool slightly, then stir in ¼ cup yogurt and 1 tablespoon lime juice.
For the chicken:
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Using metal skewer, poke skin side of chicken 10 to 15 times. Add to bowl with yogurt-spice mixture and toss to coat; set aside to marinate for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine remaining ¼ cup yogurt and remaining 1 teaspoon lime juice in clean bowl; season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
Air Fryer Instructions:
- Remove chicken from marinade, letting excess drip off, and arrange skin side down in the air-fryer basket, spaced evenly apart. Place basket in air fryer and set temperature to 400 degrees. (I preheated my air fryer for about 10 minutes.)Air Fry the chicken until it is well brown and the skin looks crisp, with some charring– about 10-15 minutes depending on your Air Fryer. Careful flip the chicken over, with tongs. Air Fry for about 10-15 minutes longer until chicken is well browned and crisp and registers 195 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes, rotating chicken halfway through cooking.
- Transfer chicken to serving platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve with reserved yogurt-lime sauce.
Oven Cook:
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat oven to 325 degrees. Arrange chicken pieces, scored-side down, on wire rack set in foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Bake chicken until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 125 degrees for breasts and 130 for legs and thighs, 15 to 25 minutes. (Smaller pieces may cook faster than larger pieces. Transfer chicken pieces to plate as they reach correct temperature.)
- After removing chicken from oven, turn oven to broil and heat 10 minutes. Once broiler is heated, flip chicken pieces over and broil until chicken is lightly charred in spots and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 165 degrees for breasts and 175 for legs and thighs, 8 to 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to large plate, tent loosely with foil, and rest 5 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
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