Crispy and slightly charred on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, these viral tandoori chicken legs are a riot of flavors and textures.
They’re versatile and the perfect side dish or appetizer to make for your house parties or even for a weekend meal.
Team them up with an assortment of chutneys and some soft and fluffy naan bread and you’ve got yourself everyone’s favorite.
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Ingredients For the Recipe
You’ll need just a handful of simple ingredients to make the viral tandoori chicken legs.
- Chicken (with slit marks): 8-10 medium pieces
- Salt: ½ tsp
- Lemon juice: Half a lemon
- Ginger garlic paste: 2 tbsp
- Mustard oil: 1 teaspoon + 1 tbsp
- Red chili powder: 2 tbsp
- Hung curd: 2 tbsp
- Coriander powder: ½ tsp
- Cumin powder: ½ tsp
- Tandoori chicken masala: 1 tsp
- Black pepper powder: ½ tsp
- Roasted gram flour: 1 tbsp
How to Make the Viral Tandoori Chicken Legs
Making these viral tandoori chicken legs is super easy. Once you have everything ready, here’s what you’ll need to do.
Take a plate. Add the chicken pieces along with the salt, lemon juice, and ginger garlic paste.
Next, marinate the chicken legs properly and rest for at least 30 minutes.
In a small bowl, add 1 teaspoon mustard oil and red chili powder. Mix.
Next, add the hung card, coriander powder, cumin powder, tandoori chicken masala, black pepper powder, and roasted gram flour. Mix.
Apply the mixture on the marinated chicken ;egs and coat them well.
Next, heat 1 tablespoon mustard oil in a non-stick pan. Add in the coated tandoori legs and cook for 25-30 minutes. Cover the pan and cook over low to medium flame. Keep turning the legs in between so that all the sides are properly cooked. You should start seeing charring on the sides of the chicken legs.
Once the chicken legs are cooked, using a tong put them directly on top of the flame for a minute or two.
Transfer them back to the pan. This is an optional step. Take a small metal bowl and place a hot piece of charcoal in it. Top it with butter and close the pan with a lid. You will notice smoke spread through the pan. Let it sit until the smoke disappears. This adds a smoky flavor to the chicken.
Enjoy with green chutney and pickled onions.
Frequently Asked Questions
To add some more flavor and deliciousness to the tandoori chicken, you can also add half a teaspoon of chaat masala into the marinade mix.
Dried fenugreek leaves also add a beautiful depth of flavor to the marinade. If you can find them, I would highly recommend adding them to it too. 
Your leftover tandoori chicken legs can be refrigerated for up to 3 days and then reheated when needed.
You can store them in a clean airtight container and reheat them in the microwave or in a pan over low heat. 
Tips & Tricks to Make the Viral Tandoori Chicken Legs
Ready to make the viral tandoori chicken legs? Take note of these little tips and tricks before you do.
- I used hung curd for the recipe, but you could also use Greek yogurt if that’s what you have at hand. The idea is to use creamy yogurt to make the marinade thick.
- If you don’t want to use just chicken legs, you can also use other cuts of chicken and follow the same recipe.
- I would recommend scoring the chicken legs and making the slits before you slather on the marinade. Doing this will not only tenderize the chicken but will also help all the marinade seep in and make the chicken more flavorful and juicy when cooked.
- I used mustard oil for the recipe because it lends a beautiful smoky aroma to the dish. You can use almost any other oil instead if you don’t have mustard oil.
- If you don’t have the tandoori chicken masala that the recipe calls for, use half a teaspoon of garam masala powder along with some red chili powder.
- I cooked the tandoori chicken legs in a pan, but you can also choose to air fry or bake them if you want to. Just make sure you flip them over midway through the cooking process, regardless of which cooking method you’re choosing. This will ensure that you get that nice char on the sides.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
These delicious tandoori chicken legs can be enjoyed on their own as a starter or side dish, and teamed up with some Indian salad or chutney.
Green chutney is the best choice, but you can also pair it with a cooling yogurt chutney or dip if you want to.
Enjoyed this delicious chicken recipe? Inspired to try some more recipes using chicken? Here are a few good ones to try out.
- Air Fried Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings
- Air Fried Crispy Chicken Drumstick
- Spicy Fried Chicken Drumsticks
📖 Recipe
Viral Tandoori Chicken Legs
Ingredients
- 8-10 medium Chicken, with slit marks
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ Lemon juice
- 2 tbsps Ginger garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon Mustard oil
- 2 tbsps Red chili powder
- 2 tbsps Hung curd
- ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon Cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon Tandoori chicken masala
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper powder
- 1 tablespoon gram flour, Roasted
Instructions
- Take a plate. Add the chicken pieces along with the salt, lemon juice, and ginger garlic paste.
- Next, marinate the chicken legs properly and rest for at least 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, add 1 teaspoon mustard oil and red chili powder. Mix.
- Next, add the hung card, coriander powder, cumin powder, tandoori chicken masala, black pepper powder, and roasted gram flour. Mix.
- Apply the mixture on the marinated chicken ;egs and coat them well.
- Next, heat 1 tablespoon mustard oil in a non-stick pan. Add in the coated tandoori legs and cook for 25-30 minutes. Cover the pan and cook over low to medium flame. Keep turning the legs in between so that all the sides are properly cooked. You should start seeing charring on the sides of the chicken legs.
- Once the chicken legs are cooked, using a tong put them directly on top of the flame for a minute or two.
- Transfer them back to the pan. This is an optional step. Take a small metal bowl and place a hot piece of charcoal in it. Top it with butter and close the pan with a lid. You will notice smoke spread through the pan. Let it sit until the smoke disappears. This adds a smoky flavor to the chicken.
- Enjoy with green chutney and pickled onions.
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