The Best Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

Chicken Tikka Masala is what dreams are made of! Aromatic golden chicken pieces, that have been flavored in a yogurt marinade and grilled or baked to perfection, are simmered in a creamy tomato-based sauce, that is SO easy to make, yet flavor-packed, using ingredients you most probably already have in your kitchen!

If there is a curry dish 99% of meat eaters have had in their favorite Indian restaurant, it must be chicken tikka masala.

It is scrumptious, works well with aromatic steamed rice, or with any flatbread, has plenty of sauce, is chunky yet creamy, and is not burning hot.

But, how easy is it to prepare? Indian food is mostly easy to cook, and this dish is no different.

Boneless skinless chicken is diced and flavored with a yogurt marinade, then grilled to perfection.

This is then added to an onion and tomato curry sauce, that has been flavored with very few traditional Indian spices.

But the last step is what gets everyone to listen! Top with a little heavy cream, stir and dig into this delicious, restaurant-quality, dinner!

Chicken Tikka Masala Ingredients

Exact quantities and step-by-step instructions can be found in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

• Chicken: Ideally, you would want to use boneless skinless chicken thighs. These are fattier than other parts of the chicken, so tend to be tastier and stay moist after cooking. Should you decide to use chicken breasts instead, then ensure you marinate them for at least 3 hours; skinless chicken breasts have lower fat content so need to soak up the yogurt for moisture.
• Yogurt: It is a must that you use a thick yogurt for the marinade so that it sticks to the chicken and it doesn't fall off it while cooking. Full-fat natural set yogurt that is unsweetened is the best and easiest-to-find option. For an even thicker option, this can be hung in a muslin cloth [also known as cheese cloth] to eliminate even more liquid.
• Lemon Juice: Either bottled or fresh juice will work, as well as lime juice.
• Kashmiri Chili Powder: As chicken tikka masala is a dish that has a kick but is not too hot, it calls for Kashmiri chili powder, which has a beautiful red color, but is not as hot as Indian red chili powder.
• Turmeric Powder, Coriander Powder, Cumin Powder, and Garam Masala: These are really the most common Indian spices and can be found in any grocery store. No black pepper is used in this recipe as it is.
• Tomatoes: Fresh ripe tomatoes are essential for this recipe, as the same result simply can't be achieved with canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato puree or paste.
• Green Cardamom, Cashew Nuts: These go into the homemade tomato puree and add body and richness to the curry in a very subtle and elegant way.
• Oil: Opt for unflavored vegetable oil, such as canola or sunflower oil. Flavored ones, such as coconut or olive oil won't work in this recipe.
• Fresh Ginger and Garlic, and Onion: This curry calls for a chunky sauce and these ingredients must be fresh.
• Fenugreek Leaves: Kasoori methi is very important in this recipe, as it adds a savory and nutty tone, with a little bitterness, which works wonderfully with the sweet tomato and rich cream.
• Caster Sugar: Sugar, in this recipe, is not used for its sweetness, but to cut the level of acidity the tomato brings.
• Cream: Unsweetened heavy cream is your best choice.

How To Make Chicken Tikka Masala?

Exact quantities and step-by-step instructions can be found in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Prepare The Chicken Tikka

1. Preheat the oven to 400*F, 180*C FAN, 200*C Static, or Gas Mark 6.
2. Mix all the ingredients for the chicken tikka [diced chicken thighs, yogurt, lemon juice, Kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, ground cumin, and salt], mix well and allow to marinate for at least half an hour.
3. Once ready to cook the chicken, put the pieces on skewers and bake the chicken on the middle tray for 25 minutes [or until cooked].
4. Once ready, remove from the oven, and set aside.

Prepare The Tomato Paste

5. In a grinder, blitz the cashew nuts and cardamom pods to a fine powder.
6. Once powdered, add the deseeded tomatoes to the blender, and blend until you achieve a smooth tomato puree, then set it aside.

Start Preparing The Curry

7. In a large pan, heat up the vegetable oil and cook the chopped ginger and garlic until they become fragrant.
8. Next, add the onions and mix with a about half teaspoon salt; cook until the onions are golden in color, which will take about 4 to 5 minutes.
9. At this stage add the chopped tomato [from the curry base ingredients, not the paste you just made], and allow it to soften with a lid on the pan.
10. The tomatoes should be mushy after approximately 5 minutes, at which stage the tomato-cardamom-cashew puree can be added to the pan. Add the water and allow to cook on low flame for a further 15-20 minutes, mixing every now and then.

Adding The Chicken Tikka To The Masala

11. Remove the lid and add the ground coriander, turmeric powder, chili powder, and garam masala powder to the sauce ingredients, mix well, and allow the spices to cook, which should take a maximum of 2 minutes.
12. While the spices cook, put the dry fenugreek leaves on a small kitchen towel or in a ceramic pot and microwave for 15-20 seconds then them into the curry.

13. Add the sugar and then adjust the water and salt level of the curry.
14. Finally, add the chicken tikka cubes, allow them to simmer in the gravy for 3-4 minutes, then add the cream.
15. Mix well and serve with your chosen flatbread or rice!

People Also Ask [FAQs]

How To Store Chicken Tikka Masala?

• In the fridge: Store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days.
• In the freezer: This can be stored in the freezer in an airtight container or freezable bags for up to three months. Fully thaw in the fridge overnight then fully reheat before serving.

Tips & Tricks To Make Chicken Tikka Masala Perfect

• Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, and Instant Pot: This recipe really needs the chicken to be lightly charred and the sauce doesn't need that long to cook, so if you can, on this occasion, please skip using these instruments and go for plain old pots and pans. The extra time used will be very little, but the extra flavor really worth it!
• Coconut Milk or Coconut Cream: Some use a coconut-based cream instead of a dairy one for this recipe, but, as I have not tried it can't say how nice it would taste, but based on the other ingredients it should work.
• Cream: Go for unsweetened heavy cream, whipping cream, half and half, or double cream. Do not use sour cream or Greek yogurt instead, as they have a tangy taste that doesn't work in this recipe.
• Heat: Should you like to make chicken tikka masala a bit [or a lot!] spicier than usual, swap the Kashmiri chili for Indian red chili powder. You can also add a little cracked black pepper to it. Cayenne pepper and paprika are not optimal substitutes here.
• Cook the chicken: While this recipe uses the oven to cook the chicken, this can be also barbecued, cooked in a cast iron pan, grilled, or pan-fried. If baking, as the chicken marinade will lightly drip while cooking, I'd recommend covering the tray with some parchment paper or aluminum foil to make it easier to clean.
• Vegetarian: This great recipe can be made vegetarian by using paneer [or tofu] or boiled diced potatoes instead of chicken. It will still be yummy!

We absolutely love this recipe and make it very often for people who are new to Indian food, and it always pleases our guests.

Thank you so much for reading and if you made this recipe and liked it, it would be great if you could give it 5 stars and leave a comment below. If there is anything that you changed or didn't like, please do share those thoughts too!

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Recipe

The Best Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

Elle

Aromatic golden chicken pieces in a creamy tomato based sauce, easy to make, yet flavor packed, made with ingredients you may already have in your kitchen!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Chicken tikka marinade and bake 1 hr

Total Time 1 hr 55 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine british, Indian

Servings 4 portions

Calories 346 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

For the chicken tikka

• 450 g Chicken Thighs Skinless and Boneless, Diced
• 1 ½ tablespoon Full Fat Set Natural Yogurt Unsweetened
• 2 teaspoon Lemon Juice
• 2 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder
• ½ teaspoon Cumin Powder
• ½ teaspoon Salt

For the Tomato Paste

• 4 Medium Tomatoes Chopped, and Deseeded
• 10 Cashew Nuts
• 2 Green Cardamoms

For the Curry Base

• 3 tablespoon Vegetable Oil Unflavored, like Sunflower Oil
• 1 tablespoon Fresh Ginger Chopped
• 1 tablespoon Fresh Garlic Chopped
• 2 Small Onions Thinly Chopped
• 1 Medium Fresh Tomato Thinly Chopped

Other ingredients

• 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
• ½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri Chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
• 1 tablespoon Dry Fenugreek Leaves Kasoori Methi
• ½ teaspoon Caster Sugar
• 2 tablespoon Heavy Cream Unsweetened
• Water as Needed

Instructions

 

Chicken Tikka

• Preheat the oven to 400*F, 180*C FAN, 200*C Static, or Gas Mark 6.
• In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the chicken tikka [diced chicken thighs, yogurt, lemon juice, Kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, and salt], mix well and allow to marinate for at least half an hour.
• Once ready to cook the chicken, put the pieces on skewers making sure the pieces are close to each other, but not overly squeezed.
• Using a baking tray that is thin enough to put the end of the skewers on each side, so the chicken is not touching the bottom of the tray [or using a cooking rack], bake the chicken on the middle tray for 25 minutes [or until cooked].
• Once cooked, remove from the oven, and set aside.

Prepare the Tomato Paste

• In a grinder, blitz the cashew nuts and cardamom pods to a fine powder.
• Once powdered, add the deseeded tomatoes to the blender, and blend until you achieve a smooth tomato paste, then set it aside.

Start preparing the curry

• In a large pan, add the vegetable oil and warm up on low to medium heat; once the oil is warm, add the chopped ginger and garlic and cook until the smell of rawness of the garlic has gone, and it becomes fragrant.
• Next, add the onions and mix with a pinch of salt; cook until the onions are golden in color, which will take about 4 to 5 minutes.
• At this stage add the chopped tomato [from the curry base ingredients, not the paste you just made], mix well, put a lid on the pan and reduce the heat to low; this will allow the tomatoes to fully cook and become mushy [approx 5 minutes].
• The tomatoes should be mushy after approximately 5 minutes, at which stage the tomato-cardamom-cashew puree can be added to the pan. Add 1 ½ cups [ approx 300ml, or 10 oz] of water to the pan, mix well and apply the lid to the pan again and allow to cook on low flame for a further 15-20 minutes, mixing every now and then.

Adding the Chicken Tikka to the Masala

• Remove the lid from the pan and increase the heat to medium; add the coriander powder, turmeric powder, chili powder, and garam masala powder to the pan, mix well, and allow the spices to cook, which should take a maximum of 2 minutes. You will know the spices have cooked once the smell changes and they start separating from the oil.
• (OPTIONAL STEP) While the spices cook, put the dry fenugreek leaves on a small kitchen towel or in a ceramic pot and microwave for 15-20 seconds; this will make the leaves easier to crush between your palms and will release the fenugreek’s aroma.
• Take the dry fenugreek leaves between your palms and crush them into the curry.
• Add half a teaspoon of caster sugar and mix well.
• At this stage, adjust the water and salt level of the gravy; if you want your gravy more liquid, add some water and salt and bring to a simmer, if you like the consistency, just check for salt.
• At this stage of the recipe, add the chicken tikka cubes and mix well; allow the chicken cubes to simmer in the gravy for 3-4 minutes, then add the cream.
• Mix well and serve with your chosen accompaniment!

Notes

Ingredients 

• Chicken Alternatives: Chicken thighs are the best option when cooking chicken tikka, as their higher fat content makes them flavorful and keeps them moist. Should you wish, this can be exchanged for chicken breast, however, in this case, it is better to marinate it for a minimum of 3 hours, to ensure the yogurt and spices well flavor the chicken. 
• Yogurt: It is essential that a thick yogurt is used for the marination, so that it sticks to the pieces of chicken, and doesn't fall while cooking or marinating. Make sure an unsweetened full-fat version is used. 
• Kashmiri Chilli Powder: This chili powder is milder than red chili powder but has a bright color. Should you like your curry spicier, you can either increase the amount used or change it to Indian red chili powder. 
• Vegetable Oil: You can use any unflavored vegetable oil, such as sunflower or canola. 
• Cream: Make sure you purchase an unsweetened version. You can choose heavy cream, heavy whipping cream, half and half, or double cream. Some use coconut cream, although, as this has a flavor to it, bear in mind the end result will change. 

Cooking Method 

• Chicken: The chicken can be baked in the oven [as per the recipe above], cooked in a skillet with oil, grilled on a griddle, barbecued, or cooked in a tandoor [if you are lucky enough to have one]. 

Storage Instructions 

• In the fridge: This chicken tikka masala can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to three days. 
• In the freezer: This chicken tikka masala can be stored in the freeze in an airtight container or freezable bag for up to three months. Fully thaw in the fridge, before warming up thoroughly in a saucepan adding a little water. 

Nutrition

Calories: 346kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 26gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 116mgSodium: 433mgPotassium: 849mgFiber: 4gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 1875IUVitamin C: 27mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 3mg

Keyword Chicken Tikka Masala

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