One pan meals are a staple in our household and among AK readers. Not only do they require minimal cleanup (omg yes) but they’re also such a fun way to experiment with different flavors, veggies, and proteins all in one pan or skillet. Plus, they’re the perfect recipes to meal prep for the week. Win-win-win.
My take on one pan tandoori chicken just so happens to be one of those meals you’ll come back to time and time again. It has the coziest spices, is packed with protein and cooked with a warming yellow coconut rice that pulls the whole dish together. Oh, and did I mention kids LOVE it, too?
If you’ve made my yellow curry chicken & rice or my mama’s Puerto Rican chicken & rice, it’s time to give this tandoori-inspired chicken a try!
What is tandoori chicken?
Traditional tandoori chicken is an Indian recipe that involves marinating chicken in yogurt and warming spices, then cooking it in a clay oven called a tandoor oven. It’s often bright red in color from spices like chili & cayenne, and sometimes utiilizes food coloring.
An AK twist on a classic
In my take on tandoori chicken, I marinate chicken thighs in greek yogurt, lemon juice, and a variety of spices like cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and garam masala. You’ll then cook it in one pan with creamy spiced coconut rice for a flavorful and delicious dinner!
Everything you’ll need to make this tandoori chicken
This wonderful one pan tandoori chicken uses the coziest spices and delicious flavors for both the chicken itself and the creamy coconut rice. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Chicken: I like to use boneless skinless chicken thighs because they tend to be more flavorful. You’ll brown them in a little avocado oil after marinating.
- For the chicken marinade: you’ll need plain greek yogurt, lemon juice and zest, garlic, fresh ginger, and then lots of warming spices like coriander, cumin, paprika, ground turmeric, cayenne pepper, garam masala, salt & pepper.
- For the rice: the spiced coconut rice is made with white basmati rice, low-sodium chicken broth, a can of lite coconut milk, turmeric, cumin, coriander, salt & pepper.
- Greens: I also love adding frozen peas to the dish for a boost of veggies and texture. If you’d like, feel free to garnish with fresh cilantro and green onion!
Can I use brown rice?
I would not recommend using brown rice in this recipe as it will take much longer to cook. Alternatively, you can use the same amount of cauliflower rice for a low carb option, or 2/3 cup quinoa.
Make it your way
Because this healthy tandoori chicken recipe is made with tons of pantry staples, it’s a great base for adding your own customizations and making it your own.
- Add extra veggies. Along with the peas, I think green beans, broccoli, or even snap peas would be delicious.
- Turn up the heat. While this recipe does have some cayenne pepper in it, it’s not very spicy as-is. Feel free to add extra heat by upping the amount of cayenne pepper and adding red pepper flakes.
- Balance with sweetness. If you like a sweet and savory bite, try garnishing with golden raisins or chopped dates.
Flavorful tandoori-inspired chicken in 5 steps
As I mentioned before, traditional tandoori chicken is made in a clay oven or a tandoor. I decided to try my version of tandoori chicken in one pan on the stovetop to make weeknight dinners a breeze:
- Marinate your chicken. You’ll first want to add the chicken thighs and the tandoori marinade to a large bowl. Marinate it for at least one hour or overnight so that it gets super flavorful.
- Brown the chicken. Next, brown the marinated chicken in an oven-safe dutch oven or braiser with avocado oil. No need to cook it all the way through just yet.
- Prepare the rice. Remove the chicken from the skillet, then add the coconut milk, broth, and spices. Bring everything to a simmer, then fold in the rice and peas.
- Simmer, then bake. Nestle the browned chicken on top of your coconut milk & rice, bring it to a gentle boil, then transfer it to the oven to finish cooking.
- Garnish and serve. After about 25 minutes in the oven, the rice will be nice and tender. Garnish with fresh cilantro, green onion, and extra yogurt if you’d like, then serve warm or meal prep it for later!
Grill it or bake it
That’s right, you can easily bake or grill this tandoori chicken without the rice and use it with your favorite sides like naan or roasted sweet potato!
- To grill tandoori chicken: marinate your chicken as instructed in step 1, then preheat your grill to medium-high and lightly oil the grates. Grill your chicken thighs for 6-8 minutes per side, flipping once. Your chicken is done when the internal temp reaches 165 degrees F on a meat thermometer.
- To bake tandoori chicken: again, marinate your chicken, then preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Bake your chicken thighs for about 25-30 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 165 degrees F.
Storing & meal prep tips
The best part about this recipe? It’s perfect for meal prep! Simply let the pan cool completely, divide the whole thing into 4 separate meal prep containers and place them in the refrigerator to enjoy all week long. It’s a wonderful dinner that even kids will love — just limit the spice by omitting the cayenne pepper.
More one pan meals you’ll love
- One Pan Thai-Inspired Coconut Yellow Curry Chicken & Rice
- Mama’s Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice (Arroz con Pollo)
- Sheet Pan Jalapeño Pistachio Chicken Meatball Bowls
- One Pan Creamy Thai-Inspired Peanut Chicken Couscous
- Sheet Pan Salmon with Potatoes and Chickpeas
Get all of our delicious one pan meals here!
I hope you love this one pan tandoori chicken as much as we did. If you make it be sure to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. You can also upload a photo to Instagram and tag #ambitiouskitchen! xo.
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
One Pan Tandoori-Inspired Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
- For the marinade
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ tablespoon garam masala
- ¾ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the rice
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 (15 ounce) can lite coconut milk
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup uncooked basmati white rice
- ¾ cup frozen green peas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, add the chicken, coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, garam masala, greek yogurt, lemon zest and juice, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper; mix with a spoon to combine and coat the chicken and then cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for anywhere from 1-8 hours to marinate. Once ready to cook chicken discard excess marinade.
- Place an oven-safe large dutch oven or a 3.5 quart braiser over medium-high heat and add in the oil. Once oil is hot, add in the chicken and cook until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and transfer to a plate.
- In the same skillet, add in the coconut milk, broth, turmeric, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the uncooked rice and peas, making sure it is evenly distributed.
- Arrange the chicken on top, including any accumulated chicken juices on the plate, and gently nestle into the rice mixture. Bring to a gentle boil. Cover, transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 25 minutes until the rice is tender.
- Remove from the oven. Garnish with fresh cilantro and sliced green onion. Top with a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Serve extra yogurt on top if you'd like.
- To meal prep: This meal serves four. Place rice in a meal prep containers and top with 1 chicken thigh. Garnish with cilantro and green onions.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
Post originally published on January 15, 2018, republished on April 28, 2021, and republished on March 1st, 2026.
This is hands down, one of the best recipes on this website. It is PACKED with flavor and comes out perfect every single time I make it. I serve it with sautéd green beans and they work so well together.
One of my all-time favs, too! Glad you love it!
SO GOOD! I used cocojune df Greek yogurt in the marinade and on top, marinated the chicken for 8ish hours, and the flavors were out of this world. Super easy recipe too!
Perfect!! So glad you enjoyed!
I did this dish tonight, the spice mix was perfect but the rice took much longer to cook (and I did use basmati). I’m not sure how best to adapt the recipe, but I’ll definitely do it again because the flavours were great!
Oh no! Sorry to hear this. This is a very standard way to cook rice in the oven and if the pan is covered, it should definitely not take longer than 25 minutes at 375 degrees (and I’ve probably tested 15 recipes this way!). Did you bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and transfer to the oven?
Made tonight for dinner. Excellent! Favorful, tender chicken and rice. Couple tweaks – adjusted the cayenne pepper to a 1/4 tsp as we prefer a milder dish and substituted the garam masala (none on hand) with curry powder. So good!
Perfect! Glad it was a hit!
Any tips or recommendations for doubling this? I have a larger family and 4 servings won’t be enough.
Feel free to double it all and use a large oven safe pot or a braiser!
I will like to make it
can I double it or adjust the serving number ? That’s look delicious!
Feel free to double it – you’ll just need a much larger pan!
So easy and so flavorful. I will be making this again and I’d love a bit more rice next time.
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
Hi I’m wondering if I can grill the chicken separately but still bake the rice? Or would you recommend just cooking the rice on the stove? Thanks!
Either would work and should be just fine 🙂
I struggle with one pan meals sometimes (usually burn a little rice at the bottom) but for once!!! it turned out perfectly. I used 2 thick chicken breasts instead of thighs and added a little extra broth. Delicious, worked out great. Happy to have an easy version of takeout I can make at home as long as I remember to do the marinating the night before. I especially love what the yogurt does to keep the chicken very tender and juicy.
Amazing! I’m so glad you gave this one a shot 🙂
Can’t wait to try this. Just had to comment… I love any recipe that tells me to ‘nestle the chicken thighs in the rice’. For some reason this cracked me up! And made it sound very appealing 🤣🤣
Haha it is super cozy!
I am sure I have commented on this recipe before, but it is that good that I need to comment again. Super easy, so incredibly flavorful, heat can be adjusted to your liking. Last time I made it I subbed rice for quick cooking Farro which worked perfectly. I have t on my stove as I am typing and will be sharing with a neighbor who I am sure will love it as much as I do.
Love that! So happy to hear that it’s a favorite!
I LOVE this recipe! I make it once a week usually as it’s a family favorite. I follow the recipe exactly except for (and this is going to sound crazy) we’re vegans, so I use my homemade seitan chicken and dairy free yogurt! Works perfectly every time. My personal favorite weeknight meal.
Amazing! I’m glad the seitan chicken works out well in here!
One of my favourite recipes from this site, it’s definitely part of our regular family dinner rotation. Not a fan of peas, so I sub out with frozen green beans.
So happy to hear that!
This recipe was my first introduction to Ambitious Kitchen a couple of years ago, and it’s still one of my all-time favorites. It’s incredibly easy to make and absolutely delicious every time. I like to serve it with roasted cauliflower tossed in salt, pepper, and turmeric to boost the veggies. It also freezes and reheats beautifully, so I often make a batch before traveling—coming home to a few ready-to-eat meals is the best.
Thank you so much, Monique, for this gem of a recipe!
So happy to hear that, Liz! Great idea to freeze it when you know you’ll want to come home to a nutritious meal 🙂
Easy, delicious and easy to follow! Every grain of rice was eaten, no leftovers! My picky family just loved it. I’m going to double the recipe and have it for an upcoming dinner party. Thank you so much for a wonderful meal!
So glad it was a hit!
Can you use bone in skin on chicken thighs in this recipe?
Yes, absolutely! It will just take a bit longer to cook.
When I found this recipe, I was just looking for a marinade for chicken and I was pretty at on a different cooking method. But the rice sounded good, so I threw the basmati into my rice cooker with the coconut milk and spices. It turned out perfectly. The chicken was also delicious, but the rice is now one of my go-tos for an easy, flavorful carb. It also works great with standard long grain white rice, and although I haven’t tried it, could probably be adjusted for brown rice as well. (Oops, accidently left this review on the wrong recipe the first attempt!)
Amazing! Glad you gave this one a try!!
I found this easy to make and very delicious. And I hate to cook. I’ve made it several times and sometimes add onions and peppers to it. It’s turned out pretty good!
So happy to hear that!
Delicious and flavorful, I doubled the recipe and added yellow lentils with the rice for extra protein. Thank you
I made this tonight after work and it’s delicious! I also love that it packs up nicely for tomorrow’s lunch at work.
Such a great meal prep lunch!
GIRL! OHMYGOD.
I feel like you created this one specifically for me 😂 I can’t put into words (here) all the intense MMM and swear words I let out because I was so pleased, but please understand this recipe is a 10. I’m not one to follow recipes but I followed this one fairly well except I used chicken breasts. Holy crap it’s good. The flavours are punching me in the mouth at every bite and I’m so happy! Merci for this recipe! 😁
Haha I’m so happy to hear that! Perfect dinner all around 🙂
I made this last night and it was delicious! Will be added to our menu planning rotation:) Wondering if it would freeze and reheat well? Thanks so much.
So happy to hear that! And yes, I think it should!
This was fantastic. I haven’t made a lot of Indian food and was nervous but it came out almost perfectly. The rice absorbed all the liquid by 10 minutes so I added a little veggie stock. I also waited to put the chicken back in until the last 10 minutes so it wouldn’t over cook (and better for leftovers) and it worked well. That rice is bomb. I paired it with cauliflower I roasted in the same spices and it was a great side dish.
Perfect! So glad you gave this one a try 🙂