Skip to the method
Smoking Chimney

Recipes from a working kitchen · Cape Town

Tandoori Chicken Kebabs

By Marna Ross Updated 12 August 2026 4.53 from 43 ratings Indian
Tandoori chicken is a chicken dish  prepared by grilling or barbequeing chicken ,marinated in yogurt and spices, traditionally  in a tandoor oven (a cylindrical clay oven). The dish originated from the Indian subcontinent and is popular in many other parts of the world. Today most people grill it in an oven or through it on the barbeque. For most of the tandoori chicken dishes, you need to marinade this dish overnight, and only do the grilling the next day. This is really a delicious dish if you like Indian food. Also try the spicy prawns.
Grilled tandoori chicken kebabs with charred peppers and onions on wooden skewers.
Prep 10 min
Cook 30 min
Total 40 min
Serves 4

Jump to the method

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken breasts, skinned and ct into bite-seize pieces
  • 1 lemon, juiced

For The Marinade

  • 1 cup double cream Bulgarian yogurt
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon paprika
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated

For The Raita

  • 1 cucumber, grated
  • 1¼ cup double cream yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon ground caraway
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • mint leaves to garnish

Method

  1. Place the chicken pieces in a flat dish and season with salt and ground black pepper

  2. Drizzle over some lemon juice

  3. To make the marinade mix together the yogurt, oil and all the spices

  4. Add the garlic and ginger

  5. Then generously brush the chicken with the marinade all over and cover the dish with foil

  6. Place it in the refrigerator and leave to marinade overnight

  7. To make the raita, mix the cucumber with the yogurt, parsley and mint

  8. Season with caraway, coriander, salt and ground black pepper

  9. Allow to steep for 1 hour

  10. Garnish then with a mint leaf

  11. Skewer the chicken pieces on kebab sticks, reserve the marinade

  12. Grill or barbecue the kebabs or 8-10 minutes

  13. Halfway through the grilling time, turn the kebabs and brush with the reserved marinade

  14. Serve the tandoori chicken kebabs with the raita

More dinner