Tandoori Chicken Spice Mix: What Goes In It and How to Make Your Own

Tandoori Chicken Spice Mix: What Goes In It and How to Make Your Own

A tandoori chicken spice mix is a blend of red chilli, turmeric, coriander, cumin and warm finishing spices, worked into yoghurt to form a marinade. You do not need a packet blend. You need four good single spices and a ratio that works. This guide gives you both.

What is in a tandoori chicken spice mix

Traditional tandoori masala is not one spice. It is a working blend built from a small set of staples. The colour comes from red chilli. The earthy base comes from coriander and cumin. The depth comes from turmeric. The warmth comes from a finishing masala. Ginger, garlic, salt and lemon complete the marinade.

The core spices, and what each one does:

  • Red Chilli Powder. Colour and heat. This is what gives tandoori chicken its signature deep red. No food colouring required.
  • Turmeric Powder. Earthy depth and golden undertone. It rounds the chilli and works with the yoghurt.
  • Dhana Jeera. Ground coriander and cumin in one pouch. This is the savoury backbone of the blend.
  • Naram Masala. The finishing warmth. Where most tandoori recipes call for garam masala, Naram Masala does the same job with a gentler hand. The flavour stays. The aggression goes.

The ratio

For 500g of chicken thighs or drumsticks:

  • 2 teaspoons Red Chilli Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
  • 1 tablespoon Dhana Jeera
  • 2 teaspoons Naram Masala
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt

That is the dry mix. It scales cleanly. Double everything for 1kg. For a milder plate, drop the chilli to 1 teaspoon and keep everything else the same.

The marinade

Whisk the dry mix into 150g of thick natural yoghurt. Add 1 tablespoon of grated ginger, 1 tablespoon of crushed garlic, the juice of half a lemon and 1 tablespoon of neutral oil. Slash the chicken to the bone in two or three places. Coat thoroughly. The slashes let the marinade reach the centre.

Marinate for a minimum of 4 hours. Overnight is better. The yoghurt tenderises. The spices settle in. Rushed tandoori chicken tastes like coated chicken. Rested tandoori chicken tastes like tandoori chicken.

Cooking without a tandoor

A tandoor runs at extreme heat. Home ovens do not. The fix is high heat plus a finishing char.

  • Oven. 220C fan on a wire rack over a tray. 25 to 30 minutes for thighs, turning once. Finish under a hot grill for 2 to 3 minutes for the charred edges.
  • Air fryer. 200C for 18 to 20 minutes, turning halfway. The circulating heat gets close to the tandoor effect.
  • Barbecue. Direct heat, skin side down first, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Check the thickest piece reaches 75C.

Rest for 5 minutes. Squeeze fresh lemon over. Serve with sliced red onion.

Why single spices beat packet blends

A packet tandoori masala fixes the ratio for you. It often adds fillers, colourings and salt you did not ask for. Single spices put you in control. You set the heat. You set the warmth. You know exactly what is on the plate.

Quality matters more when the blend is yours. Every No10 Spice batch is tested by Intertek Food (UK), operated by ITS Testing Services (UK) Ltd, a UKAS accredited laboratory (No. 4065) working to ISO/IEC 17025:2017. Each batch is verified Salmonella Not Detected. Volatile oil content is verified, which is the technical measure of whether a spice still tastes of itself. Our spices are produced at FGS Ingredients, a BRCGS AA certified facility. Small batches. Sealed pouches. No fillers.

One pouch each of Turmeric, Red Chilli, Dhana Jeera and Naram Masala covers tandoori chicken and most of Indian home cooking besides. The No10 Set brings all four together. One set. Every dish.

Frequently asked questions

What spices are in a tandoori chicken spice mix?

Red chilli powder, turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin and a warm finishing masala, combined with ginger, garlic, salt and lemon in a yoghurt marinade.

How do I get the red colour without food colouring?

Use a good red chilli powder in the right quantity. The deep red of restaurant tandoori often comes from artificial colouring. Two teaspoons of quality chilli powder per 500g of chicken gives a natural brick red.

Is tandoori spice mix hot?

It is warm rather than fierce. The yoghurt softens the chilli. If you prefer milder food, halve the chilli powder. The other spices carry the flavour.

Can I use this mix instead of shop-bought tandoori masala?

Yes. The ratio in this guide replaces packet tandoori masala directly. It contains no fillers, no colourings and no added salt beyond what you measure yourself.

How long should tandoori chicken marinate?

A minimum of 4 hours. Overnight gives the best result. The yoghurt needs time to tenderise the meat and carry the spices inward.

Can I make tandoori chicken without a tandoor?

Yes. A hot oven at 220C fan with a grill finish, an air fryer at 200C, or a barbecue over direct heat all produce excellent results at home.

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