If you love Indian food, you will love this Easy Keto Tandoori Chicken. It’s full of flavor, really easy to make, and is great for weekend grilling and meal prepping!
Grill season is in full effect and I’m finding new ways to make my favorite foods Keto friendly, like this Easy Keto Tandoori Chicken recipe.
It’s no joke that I LOVE Indian. All of the spices and flavors of Indian food make my taste buds come alive. (also, spicy food burns more fat, fun fact)
We used to live near a really great Indian restaurant where we would order Chicken Saag, Butter Chicken, and Tandoori Chicken all the time but now, the closest Indian place is like 20 minutes away. Not to mention, it’s hard to know exactly what ingredients are being used in the recipes.
I imagine a lot of the cooks don’t even follow a recipe, they just use a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and bam! An explosion of flavor. At least, that’s how I envision it. There is something to be said about off-the-cuff cooking.
The point is, I’m recreating these recipes to fit my low-carb, Ketogenic diet and to provide tasty alternatives for you so you aren’t eating plain ole “grilled chicken” every week.
Tandoori Chicken is normally cooked in a Tandoori oven, which I don’t own (yet) and I’m guessing you don’t either. So, instead, I made this recipe as a grilled chicken recipe. Alternatively, you can bake this easy keto Tandoori Chicken in the oven but you won’t get the beautiful grill marks.
I was debating whether or not to make this recipe Dairy-Free because I am a big advocate of Clean Keto Eating, (why I created a Clean Keto Meal Plan), however, I didn’t want to mess with the original components of the traditional Tandoori Chicken recipe until I tried it the authentic way first.
Traditional Tandoori Chicken recipe is made by marinating the chicken in lots of Indian spices and yogurt (or curd, as they call it). Normally, Indian families make their own curd (yogurt) which is unprocessed and chock full of probiotics but I didn’t have time for that so I used Organic, Full-fat Greek Yogurt instead.
Perhaps, next time I will try it with Coconut Cream instead and see how it works out.
What makes Tandoori Chicken Red?
You will find, with my recipe, your Chicken thighs are not going to be Red. Why? Because, sadly, what makes an easy Tandoori Chicken recipe red is food dyes.
Why though? I just don’t get it. Why would you add food dye to chicken to make it look “red”? It’s chicken for God’s sake. I’m not about to start my rant here but I will say this if you want your chicken to look “red”, add more chili powder or paprika.
Paprika is not listed in the ingredients but it will make the chicken red without making it spicier if you can’t handle the spice.
Speaking of spice, this recipe is about a 4-5 on a spice level so if that is too much for you, decrease the chili powder of the first marinade to 1 tsp.
What can you eat Tandoori Chicken with?
Traditionally, Tandoori chicken is eaten with rice and Naan. You can make my 15-minute Cauliflower Rice and pair it with that. I don’t have a Keto Naan recipe (yet) but I am sure you can find one on Pinterest. Otherwise, your favorite Keto veggies would go perfectly with this Tandoori Chicken!
How to make Tandoori Chicken
There are two simple marinades for these chicken thighs. One is a bunch of spices and lemon juice and the second is the yogurt marinade.
Just like with any other marinade, the longer you let it sit, the more flavorful it will be but you can get away with 15 minutes for the first one and let the second one sit until you get the grill ready or the oven heated.
Most of the spices and seasonings can be found in any grocery store. If you have an Indian market or an Ethnic Market near you it would be worth going and picking up authentic Indian spices. This Easy Keto Tandoori Chicken is so good, you’ll want to make it more than once!
Once you marinate it, grill it evenly until the chicken thighs reach an internal temperature of 165°. The only way to do that is to use a food thermometer. Also, the same goes for the oven.
If you don’t have a grill and are using the oven, the temperature should be 375°. It will take 30 minutes or so depending on how big your thighs are. (mine are big, by the way ????). Turn on the boil for the last 3 minutes for a nice char on the top.
Well, that’s all! So easy!! Each serving is 2g of NET Carbs due to the yogurt and other spices. Easy Keto Tandoori Chicken is also great for meal prep!!
Store it in the fridge for up to a week!
Easy Keto Tandoori Chicken
Ingredients
First Marinade:
- 1 tbsp hot chili powder (preferably, Indian)
- 1 tbsp garlic paste or garlic
- 1 tbsp ginger paste or ginger
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 4 lbs chicken thighs
Second Marinade:
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ginger paste or ginger
- 1 tsp garlic paste or garlic
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1 cup full-fat greek yogurt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the first marinade.
- Add in the chicken thighs and mix until evenly seasoned. Place in the fridge for at least 15 minutes until you prep the second marinade.
- In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the second marinade and whisk. If you want the chicken to look redder and to be spicier, add more chili powder.
- Take the chicken out of the fridge and pour the second marinade on it, mix well.
- Let's sit while you start the grill.
- Grill chicken evenly on both sides at 375° until chicken reaches 165°F. 15-25 min depending on thick the thighs are (thick thighs save lives ????).
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and scallions.
Notes
Store in the fridge for up to a week.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 392Total Fat 30gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 0mgCarbohydrates 3gFiber 1gSugar 0gProtein 30g
More Keto Recipes to Try:
I love Tandoori chicken and this turned out better than the takeout version!! It’s so flavorful and easy to make!! Such a fantastic recipe!
Thank you Jenny! I am glad you enjoyed it!
I tried this last week and came out so delicious!
Yay!! I’m glad you liked it! It’s one of my favorite chicken recipes now!