This Chicken Tikka Masala is just as good, if not better than restaurant bought curries! What makes it better? It can be made in one pan, with love, in the comfort of your very own kitchen.
This rich, creamy curry is so good, it could easily rival any Indian restaurant. Why go out when you can make it better at home? With aromatic, golden chicken pieces swimming in an incredible curry sauce, this Chicken Tikka Masala recipe is one of the best you will try.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA
One of the best things about this recipe is that the ingredients are likely, already in your fridge or pantry. If not, they are easy to find in any grocery store!
Just like Butter Chicken, authentic Chicken Tikka Masala is usually made with yogurt marinated chicken. The chicken is then skewered and chargrilled, giving the meat an incredible charred flavour. To make it easier, I have put this entire dish together using one pot or pan/skillet.
CHICKEN BREAST OR THIGH
We are coating and marinating our chicken with an aromatic, spiced Tikka Masala yogurt using chicken thighs instead of breasts for juicy and succulent results. Using thighs also cuts down on marinating time, needing only a minimum of 10 minutes to soak up all of the flavours.
Similarly to our Thai Chicken Satay, you can use breasts if you wish, but I suggest marinating them overnight for better results. This gives the yogurt time to tenderise them, yielding a better result when cooking over high heat.
POT AND PAN
For the best charred results, use a well seasoned cast iron skillet if you have one. You can also use a regular nonstick pan over high heat. Sear your chicken in batches of two or three to avoid over crowding the pan. This helps to fry or char your chicken pieces instead of simmering them in pan juices.
The chicken will not be cooked through at this point because you are going to finish them in the sauce later on. This will allow the chicken to absorb all of the flavours from the Tikka Masala spices.
WHAT IS TIKKA MASALA SAUCE?
Chicken Tikka Masala is comprised of a tomato puree base with a handful of traditional Indian spices:
- Garam Masala
- Cumin
- Ground Coriander
- Turmeric
IS CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA SPICY?
If you can find Kashmiri Chili, use it! It’s a mild chili but intensifies the colour and adds a wonderful flavour to the Masala sauce. If you can’t find it, don’t worry. Any ground red chili powder or cayenne powder will do! You can adjust the amount to suit your heat preference, or leave it out all together for a less spicy curry.
DO I BLEND TIKKA MASALA SAUCE?
This is personal preference. Over the years, I’ve tried and made both options. In the image above, we blended the sauce and then strained it for a smooth lump free sauce like our Coconut Shrimp Curry.
I prefer the non-blended sauce. It’s easier and leaves you with less mess! Blending means the most crucial flavours are strained right out. You want to keep as much of that classic Tikka Masala flavour in your curry as possible.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA
What is a curry without a steaming bowl of basmati rice? We can also recommend pairing your Chicken Tikka Masala with garlic butter rice and fresh homemade Naan bread or flatbread.
WATCH US MAKE THIS EASY CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA HERE:
Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
For the chicken marinade:
- 28 oz boneless chicken thighs skinless, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 ½ tablespoons garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili or ½ 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 ½ tablespoons garlic finely grated
- 1 tablespoon ginger finely grated
- 1 ½ teaspoons garam masala
- 1 ½ 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 ¼ cups heavy or thickened cream, use evaporated milk for lower calories
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ¼ 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!
Paula says
I bought jarred tikka masala a little while back and it was very good, but wanted to make it from scratch. I am SO happy that this is the first recipe I found — so amazing!!
Patricia says
This is perfect chicken tikka masala. Honestly, it’s out of this world. My whole family (including some tough critics) loves this and asks me to make it regularly. I make it exactly according to the recipe.
Karen Hamlin says
Great recipe. I always double it because it’s so delicious. It’s even better the next day! So close to what I would normally get at an Indian restaurant that it’s worth it to make. The only downside is that I can’t make garlic naan like the restaurant that I love.
Dee says
I agree Karen. We’re having tikka as we speak…and one in the freezer. I also add small bites of potatoes and carrots. Delicious⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Michele says
This is one of my go to recipes. My whole family loves it (kids included) – its easy to make and tastes absolutely delicious! Go make it!
Cassidy Elwood says
This recipe has been in my meal rotation for probably the last 4-5 years. This is easily the most delicious chicken recipe I have, and the best chicken tikka masala I’ve had. Ever since I made this for the first time, there hasn’t been an Indian restaurant that comes close. I’ve even been to chef Asif’s 21 Spices in Naples, FL (this guy beat Bobby Flay in a throwdown) and this recipe still blows his away. I mean that as respectfully as possible lol. Any time I want to impress a crowd for dinner, or want lots of leftovers that are even better the next day, I make this. Even people who say they don’t like Indian food love this chicken.
Tracy says
This woman is not lying when she said that her recipes for Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken are the best! My entire family and friends agree and we have had these dishes from many different (authentic)Indian restaurants and these recipes blow them out of the water. I agree that it is worth your while to find the Kashmiri chili powder for the Tikka Masala. If you can’t find it locally, it is available on Amazon. The garlic butter rice is amazing with these dishes. The rice is so good that I could make a meal out of it. As someone that usually adjusts recipes to my liking, I highly recommend following these directions exactly. You won’t be sorry!
David says
Great recipe that turned out perfect! Other recipes left my sauce a little on the bitter side, but this came out perfect! I baked/broiled the thigh meat on skewers instead of frying for a slight touch of char flavor and added 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper to the sauce for extra heat. While blending the sauce was not necessary, I found it did help replicate the restaurant texture experience when I did.
Gregory Ray says
Cooked this recipe many times, never fails to impress!!!
Over the years I’ve made a couple of tweaks here and there, the addition of kasuri methi is definitely worth it.
Thank you so much xx
Guust says
What an absolutely mind-blowing and delicious recipe this is! I recently received a tikka masala spice mix as a gift and found this recipe through Google Search. As a foodie, I had all the ingredients on hand, so I jumped right in. I marinated the chicken overnight and also prepared the sauce the night before. Today, it was just a matter of frying the chicken thighs in a skillet and finishing the sauce with heavy cream. I paused after adding about two-thirds of the cream mentioned in the recipe and decided to taste it… That was it! The perfect balance of spices, the sauce, and the chicken completely blew my mind – out of this world!
Celeste says
I’ve made this so many times but tonight I made it a bit different and I’ll never do it another way again! This time I left the chicken thighs whole while marinating and then grilled them on indirect heat five minutes a side. Then I cut them up and finished cooking them in the sauce for 10 minutes. AMAZING!
Chelsea says
This is a great idea!! Thank you!