Tandoori Chicken Thighs in Air Fryer

Ditch the chicken breasts today and make these insanely delicious yet easy to make tandoori chicken thighs for dinner tonight as these are perfect to make quickly on a busy weeknight!

Out of many things that my fitness journey taught me, prioritizing protein was one key learning!

That’s exactly why you see so many chicken recipes here in my space as being a meat eater, chicken is my go-to choice of protein!

So here I am again today with another chicken recipe which can ease out your stress of what to make for dinner on a hectic work day, that of course only if you are a chicken lover like us!

I would like to call these tandoori chicken thighs my own innovation as I have never seen these anywhere on the internet and it materialized in a purely organic way when I was planning for my high protein dinner options.

What are tandoori chicken thighs?

Chicken thighs are undoubtedly my most favorite portion of chicken, so I keep thinking of newer & innovative ways to make and devour this tender and succulent meaty portion of the bird.

And what could be better than a tandoori flavored chicken thigh! My tandoori chicken thighs are a simple spin-off of my most popular restaurant style tandoori chicken recipe.

Instead of using the typical cuts of a full chicken which is how a traditional tandoori chicken is made, I used boneless & skinless chicken thighs to make my weekday version of tandoori chicken!

Boneless & skinless fillets of chicken thighs cook quickly making them an ideal choice for busy day meals; on top of it tandoori flavors make them simply irresistible!

Plus, there are so many ways to serve them!

You can pair them with a side of a simple salad of fresh lettuce, cucumber & onion or you can sandwich them between sourdough slices with a creamy & spicy yogurt spread.

Simply put, this recipe of tandoori chicken thighs is a keeper and it is definitely gonna reappear on my dinner table frequently!

Ingredients for tandoori chicken thighs

Chicken thighs: Since I made these tandoori chicken thighs as one of my weekday meals, I used boneless and skinless chicken thighs which cook much faster than bone-in pieces.

You may wonder why chicken thighs and not chicken breasts! I get it! Chicken breasts have always been portrayed as the healthiest part of the bird thanks to its low fat content.

But there are some like me who love the dark meat of chicken way more than chicken breasts with little compromise on the fat consumption and that’s why today it’s tandoori chicken thighs instead of breasts!

One thing to be careful about is the size of the chicken thighs you are using; mine were not too big which took about 22 minutes to cook.

You will have to adjust the cooking time according to the size of the chicken thighs; the thicker the thighs, the longer the cooking time.

Hung curd: This is the must-use magic ingredient that will impart the restaurant style tandoori chicken look & flavors to your tandoori chicken thighs!

Just tie the regular yogurt in a cheesecloth and squeeze out all the water from it to end up with the thick & creamy hung curd that beautifully absorbs all the flavors of the spices and sticks to the chicken for maximum flavor penetration.

Mustard oil: Traditionally mustard oil is used in tandoori marinade as the pungency of this oil best complements the spices; but if you want to tone down the pungent flavor, you can use any other oil of your choice.

Pro tip: Avoid olive oil if possible.
Kashmiri red chilli: This spice needs special mention as this is the key ingredient that adds the vibrant red color to your tandoori chicken thighs. I used a generous amount of it as it doesn’t add much heat.

Garam masala: For the depth of flavor in your tandoori chicken thighs, you will need a good quality garam masala that packs all the goodness of typical Indian spices in a blend.

I strongly recommend using a homemade garam masala as that would produce the best results in terms of having flavor-packed tandoori chicken thighs!

Aromatics: This goes without saying that no Indian recipe is complete with the quintessential aromatics duo – ginger and garlic!

Use a good amount of fresh ginger and garlic paste for an incredibly flavorful tandoori chicken thighs!

Seasoning: Season the marinate with salt to taste and also a generous dash of freshly crushed black pepper!

How to make tandoori chicken thighs?

Step 1: Wash and pat dry the chicken thighs thoroughly. Excess moisture in the chicken will make the marinate diluted.

Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients to prepare the tandoori marinade – hung curd or Greek yogurt, mustard oil, ginger and garlic paste, garam masala, Kashmiri red chilli powder, salt & pepper.

Step 3: Give everything a very good mix using a wire whisk to make a uniform mixture ensuring all the spices, aromatics and seasoning are evenly distributed.

 

Step 4: Once you are happy with the tandoori marinade, drop in the washed chicken thighs into the mixing bowl.

Step 5: Start massaging the chicken thighs with the tandoori marinade to coat & cover both the sides with thick yogurt marinade.

Step 6: Leave the chicken thighs marinated for at least 30 minutes before cooking.

Pro tip: You can refrigerate the tandoori marinated chicken thighs at this stage for about 5 days.

Step 7: When you are ready to cook, start preheating your air fryer at 190 C and set the timer to 22 minutes. Spray or brush the bottom of the air fryer basket with oil to avoid sticking.

Step 8: After the air fryer is preheated, place the marinated chicken thighs in a single layer and start air frying them.

Step 9: At the halfway mark or when your air fryer asks to turn food, flip over the chicken thighs and continue air frying for the remaining duration.

Step 10: It would take about 22 to 25 minutes depending on the size of the chicken thighs you are using. Mine took 22 minutes.

Pro tip: However please check the doneness at 22 minutes mark and if it’s not done, continue air frying for 2-3 more minutes until the edges are charred and chicken becomes fork-tender.

Step 11: Your tandoori chicken thighs are done! Serve them warm with homemade mint-coriander chutney and fresh salad on the side. Enjoy!

More delicious chicken thighs recipes from Flavor Quotient