THE SPLIT PLATE / RECIPE

Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks

One marinade base, two spice levels. Adults get the full Shan (or Everest) tandoori masala — 3 drumsticks, 525 cal, 60g protein. Kids get the same yogurt-and-lemon base with roughly a sixth of the spice, plus a carb they recognize. Both batches hit the same rack at the same time. Overnight marinade is non-negotiable.

YIELD4 servings
TOTAL TIME30 min + overnight marinade
COOK METHODOven · Grill
EST. / SERVING~525 cal | ~60g protein
KEY TO SUCCESS: Cut 2-3 deep slits per drumstick TO THE BONE — don't half-ass this.

Ingredients

BASE

  • 8-10 skinless chicken drumsticks
  • 1 container fat-free Greek yogurt (~150-170g)
  • Juice of 1 lemon

SIDES

  • Cucumber + kala namak (black salt)
  • Onion + Kashmiri chili + lemon

SHARED SIDE

  • Cucumber

ADULT MARINADE

  • 2/3 packet Shan or Everest Tandoori Masala
  • Pinch red color (optional)

Option 1

  • About 1/6 packet tandoori masala (stirred into the reserved yogurt-lemon base)
  • Cucumber slices
  • ~200 cal of a familiar Indian carb — rice, naan, or bhatura

Allergens: dairy. Kid carb is optional — naan and bhatura contain wheat; rice keeps the plate gluten free

SPLIT HAPPENS AT MARINATION — not at cooking. Mix the yogurt + lemon base, pull the kid portion out, then spice the adult bowl to full strength. Both bowls rest overnight; both batches hit the same rack at the same time.

Method

Shared base

  1. 1.PREP. Pull the skin off, pat the drumsticks dry, cut 2-3 deep slits per piece — to the bone. Split into an adult pile (5-6) and a kid pile (3-4).
  2. 2.BASE. Mix the fat-free Greek yogurt with the lemon juice. Pull out about a third for the kid bowl BEFORE any masala goes in.
  3. 3.MARINATE ADULT. Load 2/3 packet of tandoori masala into the remaining yogurt base. Massage deep into the slits until every piece is thickly coated.
  4. 4.MARINATE KID. Stir about one-sixth of the packet into the reserved base. Same flavor, quiet enough for a 5-year-old. Massage in.
  5. 5.REST. Both bowls covered, overnight in the fridge. Minimum 6 hours.
  6. 6.COOK. Space the drumsticks on a wire rack over a sheet pan — no touching. Bake 425°F 15-20 min, then broil 5-7 min per side. OR grill medium-high 10-15 min per side. Pull at 165°F internal with visible char.

Adult — Full Tandoori, 3 Drumsticks

  1. 7.SPICY ONIONS. Toss thin-sliced red onion with Kashmiri chili and a hard squeeze of lemon. Let it sit while the chicken rests — it slumps and turns bright red.
  2. 8.PLATE. 3 drumsticks per adult on a white plate. Tip the spicy onions on alongside, add sliced cucumber sprinkled with kala namak. 525 cal / 60g protein.

Kid — Mild Tandoori + Carb · Option 1

  1. 7.PLATE. 1 drumstick in the big compartment, cucumber in the round well, the carb in the third. Nothing touching — kids control the assembly.
  2. 8.Adjust the portion to your kid's appetite. 1 drumstick + ~200 cal carb lands around 385 cal / 25g protein.

SPLIT PLATE SERVING

Adult — Full Tandoori, 3 Drumsticks: Serve the adult portion as described above.

Kid — Mild Tandoori + Carb: Serve the kid portion as described above.

Keys to success

  • Overnight marinade minimum. 6 hours if you're in a rush.
  • Don't add salt — Shan and Everest masalas already have it. Extra salt = inedible.

If something fails

Outside burnt, inside raw: You broiled from the start. Bake first at 425°F for 15-20 min, flip halfway, THEN broil to char.

No flavor / bland: Slits weren't deep enough, or you didn't marinate overnight. Both are non-negotiable.

Chicken is dry: Overcooked. Internal temp 165°F, pull immediately. The yogurt should keep it moist if you don't overcook.

Too spicy for adults: Use 1/2 packet of masala instead of 2/3. The heat is front-loaded — it mellows with yogurt.

Kids won't eat it: Cut the masala further — a tenth of the packet instead of a sixth. The point is that they're eating the same thing you are, just quieter. If they're still resistant, the carb does the work: bhatura, naan, or rice on the tray makes the plate familiar.

Kid drumstick came out as spicy as the adult one: You marinated them in the same bowl, or you loaded the masala into the shared yogurt base before pulling the kid portion. Mix the yogurt + lemon first, remove the kid share, THEN spice the adult bowl.

Storage and reheating

Store: Marinated drumsticks keep 2 days in the fridge before cooking. Cooked drumsticks keep 4 days. Store cucumber, onions, and the carb separately.

Reheat: Air fryer 375°F for 5 min to re-crisp, or oven until the center hits 165°F. Microwave works if you don't care about the char.

Lasts: Cooked: 4 days in fridge. Marinated raw: 2 days.

Estimated nutrition

~525 cal | ~60g protein.

525 cal / 60g protein is the 3-drumstick adult plate with cucumber and spicy onions — the site previously listed the 2-drumstick version at 350 cal / 40g. Same recipe, bigger plate. Scale down by a third if you're eating two.

thesplitplate.com/recipes/tandoori-chicken-drumsticks

Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks
Split Cook Method™Core Signatures

Tandoori Chicken Drumsticks

One marinade base, two spice levels. Adults get the full Shan (or Everest) tandoori masala — 3 drumsticks, 525 cal, 60g protein. Kids get the same yogurt-and-lemon base with roughly a sixth of the spice, plus a carb they recognize. Both batches hit the same rack at the same time. Overnight marinade is non-negotiable.

Make this when

You want tandoori that actually tastes like tandoori — deep spice from a full-strength masala, yogurt tenderized, visible char from the grill or broiler. One marinade base, two spice levels: full power for adults, about a sixth of the masala for kids.

Total time
30 min + overnight marinade
Yield
4 servings
Protein
~60g
Calories
~525
Cost / serving
$3.50
Cook method
Oven · Grill
Allergens and safety

Contains: dairy

  • Kid carb is optional — naan and bhatura contain wheat; rice keeps the plate gluten free

Packaged ingredients change formulas — check the label on what's actually in your kitchen.

Spicy adult versionRequires overnight marinade
Adjust servings

Ingredients

Adults
Kids

BASE

SHARED SIDE

ADULT MARINADE

SIDES

KID MARINADE

KID SIDES

Method

Split point

SPLIT HAPPENS AT MARINATION — not at cooking. Mix the yogurt + lemon base, pull the kid portion out, then spice the adult bowl to full strength. Both bowls rest overnight; both batches hit the same rack at the same time.

60% Adult / 40% Kid

Shared base

Cook once — this part works for everyone.

  1. 1
    PREP

    Pull the skin off, pat the drumsticks dry, cut 2-3 deep slits per piece — to the bone. Split into an adult pile (5-6) and a kid pile (3-4).

  2. 2
    BASE

    Mix the fat-free Greek yogurt with the lemon juice. Pull out about a third for the kid bowl BEFORE any masala goes in.

  3. 3
    MARINATE ADULT

    Load 2/3 packet of tandoori masala into the remaining yogurt base. Massage deep into the slits until every piece is thickly coated.

  4. 4
    MARINATE KID

    Stir about one-sixth of the packet into the reserved base. Same flavor, quiet enough for a 5-year-old. Massage in.

  5. 5
    REST

    Both bowls covered, overnight in the fridge. Minimum 6 hours.

  6. 6
    COOK

    Space the drumsticks on a wire rack over a sheet pan — no touching. Bake 425°F 15-20 min, then broil 5-7 min per side. OR grill medium-high 10-15 min per side. Pull at 165°F internal with visible char.

Adult — Full Tandoori, 3 Drumsticks

  1. 7
    SPICY ONIONS

    Toss thin-sliced red onion with Kashmiri chili and a hard squeeze of lemon. Let it sit while the chicken rests — it slumps and turns bright red.

  2. 8
    PLATE

    3 drumsticks per adult on a white plate. Tip the spicy onions on alongside, add sliced cucumber sprinkled with kala namak. 525 cal / 60g protein.

Kid — Mild Tandoori + Carb

  1. 7
    PLATE

    1 drumstick in the big compartment, cucumber in the round well, the carb in the third. Nothing touching — kids control the assembly.

  2. 8

    Adjust the portion to your kid's appetite. 1 drumstick + ~200 cal carb lands around 385 cal / 25g protein.

Adult plate | Kid plate

60% Adult / 40% Kid

Adult plate

Adult — Full Tandoori, 3 Drumsticks

60g
Protein
525
Calories

What makes it different

  • 2/3 packet Shan or Everest Tandoori Masala
  • Pinch red color (optional)
  • Cucumber + kala namak (black salt)
  • Onion + Kashmiri chili + lemon
Kid plate

Kid — Mild Tandoori + Carb

25g
Protein
385
Calories

What makes it different

  • About 1/6 packet tandoori masala (stirred into the reserved yogurt-lemon base)
  • Cucumber slices
  • ~200 cal of a familiar Indian carb — rice, naan, or bhatura

Three keys to success

  1. 1Cut 2-3 deep slits per drumstick TO THE BONE — don't half-ass this.
  2. 2Overnight marinade minimum. 6 hours if you're in a rush.
  3. 3Don't add salt — Shan and Everest masalas already have it. Extra salt = inedible.

Go deeper

Storage and nutrition

Storage: Marinated drumsticks keep 2 days in the fridge before cooking. Cooked drumsticks keep 4 days. Store cucumber, onions, and the carb separately.

Reheat: Air fryer 375°F for 5 min to re-crisp, or oven until the center hits 165°F. Microwave works if you don't care about the char.

Lasts: Cooked: 4 days in fridge. Marinated raw: 2 days.

Watch the full cook

Brands I use

Shan
Shan
Tandoori Masala
Real Pakistani spice blend — not the watered-down grocery store version. This is what makes it taste like tandoori. Everest's tandoori masala is the equivalent Indian blend and behaves the same way.
Fage
Fage
Total 0% Greek Yogurt
Thick, high protein, tenderizes the chicken — the marinade base for both the adult and kid bowls

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#chicken#drumsticks#tandoori#indian#grill#oven#split-cook#meal-prep#high-protein#low-carb