Baked Tandoori Chicken Wings with Cumin Yogurt Dip
If you love traditional buffalo wings and the rich flavors of tandoori chicken, try these wings that combine these favorites into one mouth-watering dish. They are perfect fusion, ideal for a Superbowl party or any gathering. I like to serve these wings with a class cumin-cilantro yogurt dipping sauce.
Why this Recipe
These wings are incredibly easy to prepare. Just marinate them with the spices and yogurt, and bake. The result is juicy, flavorful wings with a gorgeous red hue.
They are baked and not fried. Plus, they’re colored naturally with grated beet, avoiding artificial food coloring.
If you prefer, you can easily adapt these wings to the air fryer, see this guide to chicken wings for times tips and cook time.
Ingredients
- Chicken wings use bone-in party wings for this classic dish.
- Yogurt is the base of the tandoori marinade.
- Tandoori Spices you can use tandoori masala or garam masala.
- Beet (optional) for natural coloring. Traditional tandoori chicken uses food coloring, but beet works without the need for artificial ingredients and does not alter the flavor.
About the Cumin Yogurt Dip
The cumin yogurt dip is a raita-like dip that complements the spices of the tandoori chicken. This is a classic Indian dip that offers a cooling effect to contrast with the heat of the tandoori chicken. Here I am using mint for a fresh herb taste, you can just as easily use cilantro if you prefer, or even a mix of both.
Baked Tandoori Chicken Wings with Cumin Yogurt Dip
Tandoori chicken wings baked and served with a simple cumin yogurt dip
Ingredients
For the Tandoori Chicken Wings
- 1 lb chicken wings
- 1/4 cup yogurt
- 2 tsp tandoori masala (or garam masala)
- 1 tbsp kasoori methi ((dried fenugreek leaves), optional)
- 1/2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder (or paprika)
- 2 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
- 2 tbsp beet (grated)
- 1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
For the Cumin Yogurt Dip
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1/2 tsp cumin (powder)
- 1/4 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt (to taste)
- 1 tsp mint leaves (finely chopped)
Instructions
For the Tandoori Chicken Wings
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Grate the beet using a micro-plane or a fine grater. Add the ginger paste, or if you don't have it, grate equal parts ginger and garlic.
- Combine all the ingredients except the chicken in a medium bowl. Taste the marinade and adjust the seasoning.
- Toss in the chicken. Make sure the yogurt marinade evenly coats each wing. At this point, you can optionally let the chicken marinate in the fridge for 2 hours, or overnight.
- Stack a wire rack onto a rimmed cookie sheet. Doing this will give you crispy wings because the fat from the chicken wings will drain away. Arrange the chicken wings on the wire rack and bake in the oven for about 40 to 50 minutes. Flip them over about halfway through baking.
For the Cumin Yogurt Dip
- Combine all the ingredients. Mix well.
Notes:
Serve wings with lemon slices.
For the dip, use cilantro in place of mint, if you prefer.
