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Creamy, comforting, and bursting with bold flavors, Chicken Tikka Masala is the dinner you’ll keep coming back to! This simplified one-pot recipe skips the grill but delivers the same tender, spiced chicken in a luscious tomato-based sauce. Just like my rich Butter Chicken, this dish brings authentic flavors straight to your table with minimal effort. Serve it alongside a crisp Honey Dijon Apple Bacon Cranberry Salad for a refreshing contrast, and you’ve got a meal that’s both hearty and bright—perfect for busy weeknights or a special weekend treat!
Why This Tikka Masala Works!
What sets this recipe apart? It’s all about bringing restaurant-quality flavor to your home kitchen, with less effort and more love. Unlike most recipes out there, this version comes together in just one pan, making cleanup a breeze. Plus, you won’t need a tandoor to achieve that iconic charred flavor—smart cooking techniques do the trick!
The creamy, velvety sauce is packed with layers of spices and tender chicken, making it just as good—if not better—than your favorite takeout. Pair it with Homemade Naan for the full experience. Why dine out when you can create magic at home?
Recipe Ingredients
The secret to this Chicken Tikka Masala lies in its bold and vibrant ingredients. Tender chicken thighs soak up a spiced yogurt marinade, garam masala adds layers of warmth, and Kashmiri chili brings a pop of color. Simple staples, extraordinary flavor!
- Boneless Chicken Thighs (or Breasts) : Opt for fresh, skinless chicken thighs with even thickness for tender, juicy results. Their higher fat content makes them less likely to dry out compared to chicken breasts, ensuring every bite stays succulent. That is the reason why I chose to use them also in my Thai Chicken Satay recipe.
- Yogurt: Use plain, unflavored yogurt for the marinade—Greek or regular will work. Look for full-fat yogurt for richer flavor and to tenderize the chicken beautifully during the marination process.
- Garam Masala: Pick a high-quality garam masala blend, preferably fresh, as its warming spices are key to the dish’s deep flavor. Store it in an airtight container to preserve its potency and aroma.
- Kashmiri Chili: Choose Kashmiri chili for its vibrant color and mild heat—it’s all about that balance of flavor and aesthetics. If unavailable, you can substitute it with paprika for color, though the flavor profile may slightly differ.
- Tomato Puree: Select a smooth, rich tomato puree (Passata) without added salt or sugar for optimal control over the flavor. Its tangy, velvety base is essential to the creamy curry sauce.
*Note – See recipe card at the bottom for full list of ingredients and measurements
Step By Step Instructions
Let’s get started! With just a few simple steps, you’ll have a rich, creamy Chicken Tikka Masala bursting with flavor, ready to impress anyone at the table. Let’s dive straight into making this irresistible dish!
- Marinate the Chicken: Combine chicken, yogurt, garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, chili, and salt in a bowl. Mix well, cover, and marinate for at least 10 minutes or up to overnight for deeper flavor.
- Sear the Chicken: Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the marinated chicken in batches for 3 minutes per side until browned. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
- Make the Sauce: In the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Sauté diced onions until soft and caramelized, then stir in garlic, ginger, and spices. Cook for 20 seconds to release their aroma.
- Combine Ingredients: Add tomato puree and mix with the onions and spices. Season with chili powder and salt. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and deepens in flavor.
- Add Cream and Chicken: Stir heavy cream into the thickened sauce, then add the seared chicken and its juices. Coat the chicken in the sauce, cover, and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Adjust with water if needed for desired consistency.
- Final Touches: Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve hot with basmati rice, naan, or flatbread for a complete Indian meal experience.
Chicken Tikka Masala is a choose-your-own-adventure kind of dinner. Keep it fresh with Easy Tomato Salad, Garlic Green Beans, Honey Roasted Carrots, or Cowboy Caviar for extra layers of flavor.
Warm garlic naan and fluffy basmati are a must, and a cooling cucumber raita (or quick kachumber) keeps things bright. Want a playful start? Try my Buffalo Chicken Deviled Eggs—spicy, creamy little bites that vanish fast. Craving a twist? Swap the chicken for paneer, shrimp, or tofu—the sauce loves them all.
And if you’re craving another comforting curry with deep, rich flavors, don’t miss my Massaman Beef Curry—it’s hearty, aromatic, and absolutely satisfying.
Recipe FAQ’s
The level of spiciness in Chicken Tikka Masala can vary based on the amount of chili powder used in the recipe. Kashmiri chili powder is milder and adds color without excessive heat, while the quantity can be adjusted according to personal spice preferences. If you prefer a less spicy dish, simply reduce the amount of chili powder.
While both dishes are similar, the main difference lies in the preparation and sauce. Butter Chicken typically has a richer, more buttery sauce and is often sweeter, whereas Chicken Tikka Masala has a more robust spice flavor and is creamier.
The color comes from a mix of tomatoes, turmeric, and paprika in the sauce.
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Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe
Ingredients
For the chicken marinade:
- 28 oz boneless chicken thighs skinless, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger fresh, crushed or minced
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili or 1/2 teaspoon ground red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 small onions or 1 large onion, finely diced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic finely grated
- 1 tablespoon ginger finely grated
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 14 ounces tomato puree tomato sauce/Passata
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili optional for colour and flavour
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder adjust to your taste preference
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups heavy or thickened cream, use evaporated milk for lower calories
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/4 cup water if needed
- 4 tablespoons cilantro fresh coriander to garnish
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine chicken with all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade; let marinate for 10 minutes to an hour (or overnight if time allows).
- Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add chicken pieces in batches of two or three, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry until browned for only 3 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm. (You will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce.)
- Melt the butter in the same pan. Fry the onions until soft (about 3 minutes) while scraping up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan.
- Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant, then add garam masala, cumin, turmeric and coriander. Fry for about 20 seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.
- Pour in the tomato puree, chili powders and salt. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and becomes a deep brown red colour.
- Stir the cream and sugar through the sauce. Add the chicken and its juices back into the pan and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling. Pour in the water to thin out the sauce, if needed.
- Garnish with cilantro (coriander) and serve with hot garlic butter rice and fresh homemade Naan bread!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Not wanting to rain on anyone’s parade, and this is a dish I do like. But, I’ve seen a lot of posts commenting on how ‘authentic’ it is. There is nothing authentic, in an Indian context, about chicken tikka masala. It’s a dish that originated in Britain, Scotland to be precise, in 1969.
There’s a long established Indian restaurant in Glasgow. One of its regulars was a local bus driver who ate there once a week. He always had chicken tikka. This is a dry dish, made with spiced, tandoor baked chicken, served on rice, usually pilau, and with no or little chilli. One cold evening, he asked the proprietor if he could have his usual, but with a spicy sauce. The guy went into his kitchen, and had s look and a think.
His eye fell upon a can of Heinz Cream of Tomato soup. He opened it, added some spices to it, heated it, and poured it over the chicken tikka. Our bus driver friend loved it, and the next week brought a load of friends with him. A star was born. There are as many different recipes as there are people who cook it, but all on a common theme. It is now the single most popular restaurant/take-away dish throughout the UK. And utterly alien to anyone who actually lives in India or Pakistan.
Whatever, I love it, and this recipe is a winner.
Speechless. My first attempt at Indian food and I couldn’t believe how good this was. I bought Garam Masala from the local big box supermarket but everything else I had, almost. I used Chipotle chili powder instead of Kashmiri, but my Kashmiri will be arriving from Amazon in a few days so I can try again. I also made the Naan and Garlic Rice and had a complete Indian feast. All three recipes were easy and fairly quick. I agree with the other comments to marinade overnight and I also tossed in the leftover marinade into the sauce (and cooked thoroughly because it had raw chicken in it. No one got sick :-)). The chicken itself, after frying in the pan, could have been eaten as is. It was so incredible. No sauce was needed (but I made it anyway). I’m going to use the marinade next time to grill some chicken outside.
This is truly a 5-star recipe! Absolutely incredible. The combination of spices made this a party in my mouth. And your instructions were perfect! Thank you!!!
Fantastic recipe, i adjusted quantites for 600g of chicken, this equated to 1 tablespoon of minced garlic instead of what is mentioned. i ended up grating about 14 cloves to get this quantity! very strong garlic taste, can you confirm i need that much or is it a type and its actually teaspoons? will defo make again but with less garlic.
The best recipe ever! Been using it ever since and everyone always loves it! Thank you!
This is the first time I’ve posted a review for a recipe, I absolutely had to! I was so nervous to try this, but when I was done and took a bite, I legitimately said to myself “I made this??” Sometimes I get nervous when trying recipes with marinades and more than 3 different types of spices, but this recipe was easy to follow. Thank you so much for sharing this!
This recipe is AWESOME!!! I have tried this to make Chicken Tikka Masala several times using other recipes and this one was by far the BEST!. My wife, who is new to Indian cuisine, loved it also. I followed the recipe “almost” exactly, and it came out perfect. I marinated the chicken for an hour and backed off a little on the chili powders since my wife doesn’t like spicy. Didn’t need to add water. I served it over basmati rice and garnished with fresh cilantro and chopped, roasted peanuts. DIVINE! Thank you all so much for this recipe. We will make it again…SOON!
This recipe is amazing! It is better than any of the Masala sauces we have had in an authentic restaurant. I make this at least once a month. I use chicken breast instead of thighs, just like them better. Shop Rite has a naan bread from their world class line that is delicious. Thank you for this recipe, we look forward to this meal every time!
This recipe is definitely a keeper! I made this yesterday and didn’t have any ground coriander but the recipe still turned out amazing and hubby was impressed! And it was my first time making chicken Tikka masala too! Thank you for this delicious recipe! I will definitely be trying your other recipes as well!
Has anyone adapted this recipe for a slow cooker? If so, what was/is the best way and order to go about that?
I used my crock pot- amazing! I marinaded chicken overnight and did not use the excess marinade in the crockpot, just put in the chicken. I did not precook the chicken in a pan. I added the raw marinaded chicken and all ingredients (except cream) to the crockpot, mixed well, and cooked on low for 5 hours. I removed the ceramic pot from the crockpot base, then added the cream and mixed well. Delicious! (*Cooking cream in a crockpot for a long time is not recommended. It can curdle and separate. Add it at the end.)
I marinated and grilled my chicken. Sautéed the onions, garlic and ginger in a small pan and dumped them into the slow cooker. Added everything but the heavy cream and cilantro garnishment. Cooked on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
When done, in a medium bowl, whisk together heavy cream and corn starch, then pour the mixture into the crockpot and gently stir. Let cook an additional 20 minutes to thicken up.
Garnish with cilantro and serve.
I’ve done it by cooking the chicken according to the recipe, cooking the onions and garlic, then putting it all in the slow cooker (along with brown bits scraped from the pan), then adding everything else except the sugar and cream. I add those a bit before I’m ready to serve. It’s still very good!
Sorry to add a reply that isn’t, but I can’t see how to make my own comment.
Great recipe, but the times stated for preparation and cooking are way out.
Add an hour to the total time and you will be about right.
I made it in the slow cooker. I marinated the chicken and seared it in the pan then put it in the slow cooker. I sautéed the onions, garlics, seasonings, tomato sauce and cream in the pan and then poured it all into the slow cooker. I cooked it for about 2 to 2.5 hours on high (I threw a bag of frozen green beans in about 30 minutes before it was finished). The dish came out pretty tasty – served over jasmine rice. I also did the same using the Butter Chicken recipe on this site.
Hiya!
I always cook curries in a slow cooker.
Follow Stage 1 and leave it OVERNIGHT!
Follow Stage 2(Don’t “Cook” the chicken, just brown the outside!) and put the chicken in the Slow Cooker (slow cooker cold)
Continue to Stage 6 but DONT put the chicken in the lovely Masala you have created!
Will ruin it!
Pour the Masala over the chicken in the slow cooker and give a gentle stir.
I normally put my slow cooker outside, so it annoys the neighbors! (They’re only jealous) 😂
Cook on high for an hour or so until bubbling (not boiling) and turn down to low.
leave for 1-2 hours until chicken is cooked (not overcooked!) through!
Enjoy!!! 😀
The use of a slow cooker is not at all appropriate for this recipe. After browning the chicken pieces for three minutes on each side, it will need a further 15 minutes in the sauce, if you are using breasts, and 25 minutes, if you are using thighs. Overcooking will dry up the sauce and the chicken.
This recipe is fantastic. Better than my local Indian restaurant! I’ve made it several times, but tonight added 1/3 cup white wine to the onion mixture before adding the tomato sauce. Just let it de-glaze for about 30 seconds before continuing. It added more depth of flavor Don’t forget the naan to wipe to every drop of the sauce!
I have! Me and my brother loveee the slow cooker with this recipe. I’m not sure if the following significantly changes the flavor profile but here’s what we do:
Use all the sauce ingredients. We usually end up doing about two lbs of chicken when we make it, so we add just a pinch extra of our favorite spices to keep the flavor. Then we add in 1 cup Greek yogurt (regular yogurt works too). If you start it the night before eating, make sure to mix up the yogurt with the rest or it will get chunky. We usually cook it around 12-16 hours before eating and the chicken gets soo tender its incredible. However, it does turn into a little bit of a ‘pulled chicken’ situation.
If you want your bitesize pieces of chicken to stay cubed, I recommend that you flash cook them on high heat in the marinade, so the outside gets some color. Then throw the chicken/marinade in the slow cooker with the sauce ingredients.
I also serve this with buttery garlic naan with the dough I prepare the night before. If you try this let me know what you think!
This recipe is outstanding. The flavor component is so well developed and not lacking in any way. Thank-you for sharing!!! We absolutely enjoyed your Chicken Masala recipe for dinner tonight.