Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks
The classic Indian yogurt and spice chicken recipe has been slimmed down keeping the big flavors. These air fryer chicken legs are easy to make (oven method too).
Servings: 6
Calories: 228kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup non-fat plain greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoon garlic minced (3-4 cloves)
- 2 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon garam marsala
- 1 teaspoon chili powder kashmiri or regular chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 pounds chicken legs approximately 12*
Instructions
Marinate
- Remove the skin from the chicken, and with a sharp knife cut 2-3 deep slices into a thick part of each raw drumstick. These gashes in the drumsticks will catch the marinade for maximum flavor coverage.
- Combine the ingredients for the marinade (everything except the chicken) and pour into a gallon zipper top plastic bag.
- Add the chicken legs to the bag of marinade. Seal the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible. Massage the marinade into the chicken from outside the bag ensuring the marinate gets into the sliced chicken flesh.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours up to overnight.
Air Fryer Instructions
- Preheat Air Fryer to 400° for 5 minutes.
- Shake any excess marinade from the chicken legs back into the bag. Place the drumsticks into the air fryer basket, leaving room in between (may need to do two batches).
- Lightly spray the top of the drumsticks with olive oil or avocado oil spray. Place the air fryer basket in the air fryer for 10 minutes at 400°.
- Flip each drumstick using tongs, spritz top with oil spray and cook an additional 10 minutes. Verify temperature as noted below.
Oven Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
- Remove each drumstick from the ziplock bag of marinade and let the excess marinade drip off, or you can use a light shake of each drumstick to remove excess if needed.
- Place drumsticks on the prepared baking sheet leaving space between each drumstick. Lightly spritz with olive oil or avocado oil spray.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes flipping drumsticks over halfway through. Spritz the tops with olive oil or avocado oil spray after flipping.
- Remove from oven after verifying the chicken is done (see below).
Either method
- Either cooking method: To check doneness use an instant read food thermometer. The temperature should reach 170-175° internal temperature for each drumstick.
- Rest chicken for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
*2 pounds of chicken legs can vary in quantity. There may be as few as 6 large legs or 12 smaller legs. A serving size is ⅙ of the recipe so will vary depending on how many legs are cooked.
Variations
Make with any chicken parts. Substitute your favorite chicken pieces like boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs. Adjust the cooking time accordingly and verify the chicken is cooked with an instant read thermometer.
Toast the spices. To enhance the flavor toast the ground dry spices first. Place them in a small saucepan (dry) and toast over medium heat until fragrant.
Serve with red onion . Sliced on the side or cooked in the air fryer. It's a delicious complement to the spicy chicken.
Serve with lemon wedges. A squeeze of lemon juice before serving pumps up the rich earthy flavors!
Pro Tips
Tip for removing the chicken skin. Use a paper towel for a better grip on the skin when pulling it off the chicken.
Different air fryers can have different results. We made the air fryer version in a Cosori 5.8 quart air fryer and the times are based on that. Check the chicken for doneness with an instant read thermometer to ensure it's cooked.
Do not reuse the marinade. Once the chicken has marinated discard the marinade.
Weight Watchers points on previous program (WW SmartPoints):
- Green: 3
- Blue: 3
- Purple: 3
Nutrition
Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 1255mg | Potassium: 295mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 186IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2mg