Is Tandoori chicken safe during pregnancy?
Indian foodMeat & poultry
No official guidance
None of the official sources we searched names tandoori chicken in its pregnancy advice, so there is no official verdict. The general rules below still apply.
No official guidance
We searched these official sources for “Tandoori chicken”. None names this food in its pregnancy advice, so this page gives no verdict of its own.
- US FDA / US EPA: Advice about Eating Fish (For Those Who Might Become or Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding and Children Ages 1 - 11 Years)
- US FDA: Meat, Poultry & Seafood (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)
- US FDA: Dairy and Eggs (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)
- US FDA: Fruits, Veggies and Juices (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)
- US FDA: Ready-to-Eat Foods (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)
- US FDA: Eating Out & Bringing In (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)
- US FDA: Dietary Advice Before and During Pregnancy
- US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women
- US CDC: Preventing Listeria Infection
- NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy
- NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy
- NHS: Pregnancy vitamins and supplements
- NHS: Drinking alcohol while pregnant
- FSANZ: Listeria in food
- FSANZ: Food safety for vulnerable people
- FSANZ: Mercury in fish
- FSANZ: Pregnancy and healthy eating
- FSANZ: Raw fish dishes
- FSSAI: Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 - Compendium Version VIII, Reg. 9 (warnings/declarations)
- FSSAI: Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 - Chapter 2.10 Beverages (Version 3): standards for carbonated and non-carbonated caffeinated beverages
- ICMR-NIN: Dietary Guidelines for Indians 2024
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: cinnamon
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: fenugreek
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: garlic
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: soy
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: turmeric
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: ginger
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: flaxseed-and-flaxseed-oil
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: pomegranate
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: licorice-root
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: aloe-vera
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: peppermint-oil
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: green-tea
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: bromelain
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: ashwagandha
- NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: chamomile
General rules that still apply
NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy
- Meat and poultry › Safe to eat: Chicken, pork, lamb, turkey and duck are safe to eat in pregnancy when thoroughly cooked, with no pink or blood left after cooking.[1]
US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women
- Safer Choice:
All poultry, including ground chicken and turkey, cooked to 165°F
[2]
US FDA: Meat, Poultry & Seafood (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)
Cook all poultry to minimal safe internal temperature of 165° F (74° C).
[3]
US FDA: Eating Out & Bringing In (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be)
Please always request that your food be cooked thoroughly, especially meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. When a hot meal is served, make sure it's piping hot and thoroughly cooked. If it's lukewarm, send it back.
[4]When hot, cooked food is purchased, get the food home quickly and eat it right away. Don't let it sit out at room temperature.
[4]
NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy
- Heat ready meals until steaming hot all the way through, which matters most for meals that contain poultry.[5]
FSANZ: Listeria in food
Reheat food thoroughly until it is steaming hot (75°C)
(advice for vulnerable people, including pregnant women)[6]
Sources
- NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy · nhs.uk. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). Not endorsed by the NHS.
- US CDC: Safer Food Choices for Pregnant Women · cdc.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
- US FDA: Meat, Poultry & Seafood (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be) · fda.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
- US FDA: Eating Out & Bringing In (Food Safety for Moms-to-Be) · fda.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.
- NHS: Have a healthy diet in pregnancy · nhs.uk. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). Not endorsed by the NHS.
- FSANZ: Listeria in food · foodstandards.gov.au. © Food Standards Australia New Zealand, licensed under CC BY 4.0; quoted. No endorsement implied.
Sources checked 26 September 2026.
Quotes are checked word for word against each source page, and paraphrases against the original text. Official bodies are named as sources only: none of them reviewed or endorses this page.
Educational information, not medical advice. Your own doctor or midwife may advise differently for you — follow their advice.