Nana's Simple Tandoori Chicken

There's something special about recipes that don't come from a fancy cookbook, but are instead passed down through a family, scribbled on a note card stained with years of love and ingredients. This tandoori chicken is one of those treasures for us. It’s not overly complicated or chef-fied; it’s just honest, flavorful, and always seems to hit the spot.

I remember watching my grandmother make this. She never measured anything precisely—it was always a pinch of this and a generous spoonful of that. I’ve done my best to translate her "a little bit of everything" into something we can all follow. I hope it brings as much warmth to your table as it does to ours.

What You'll Need

Nothing too out of the ordinary here. The magic is in the marinating.

• 8 chicken thighs, skin on or off to your liking
• Juice of 2 large lemons
• 2 tablespoons of paprika (for that beautiful color)
• 1 large red onion, finely sliced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the Simple Marinade:

• 1 cup of plain yogurt
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• A thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
• 1 teaspoon each of ground cumin and garam masala
• (Optional) A pinch of cayenne for a little kick
• Salt, to taste

Putting It All Together

This part is wonderfully hands-on. Don't be afraid to get yours a little messy.

• First, in a large shallow dish, mix the fresh lemon juice with the paprika and those finely sliced red onions.
• Take each chicken thigh and slash the meaty part three times with a sharp knife. This helps all that incredible flavor soak right in.
• Turn the chicken in the lemony onion mixture, making sure it gets in all the nooks and crannies. Let it sit like this for about 10 minutes. It’s a nice little flavor primer.

The Good Part: The Marinade

While the chicken is having its citrus bath, whisk together all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. It should be a lovely, fragrant paste.

• Pour this yogurt-based marinade over the chicken.
• Give everything a really good mix, using your hands if you can. Make sure every piece is lovingly coated.
• Cover the dish and pop it into the fridge. Let it chill for at least 1 hour, but if you can forget about it for a whole day, the flavors will become even more wonderful.

Time to Cook

When you're ready