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Chicken Tikka Masala – tender chunks of marinated chargrilled chicken in a creamy mild sauce with garlic, ginger and spices. Kids and adults alike LOVE this dish.
“I made this last night and my husband reckons it’s the best curry dish he’s ever tasted. Absolutely delicious and so well balanced. It’s going to be a regular in this house from now on!”
Nicky’s Notes
Not exactly a classic Indian Chicken Curry – the world famous classic chicken tikka masala (well, the sauce anyway) was invented in Glasgow of all places, in the 1970s by a Bangladeshi chef.
Supposedly it was created to appease a customer who complained his chicken was too dry!
Now it’s loved all around the world! My kids order it EVERY time we go out for Indian, and Chris and I always sneak a bite to go with our spicier curries.
Table of Contents
- Nicky’s Notes
- 📋 Recipe Overview
- Recipe Tips
- 🍽️ What to serve it with
- 📺 Watch how to make it
- Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe Recipe
- Cooking the chicken – grill or griddle?
- Chicken breasts or chicken thighs?
- Can I make Chicken Tikka Masala ahead?
- Can I freeze Chicken Tikka Masala?
- Nutritional Information is per serving – not including rice.
- 🍲 More Fantastic Curries
📋 Recipe Overview
***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***
We start by marinating the chicken in a mixture of yogurt and spices. It needs to marinade for at least a couple of hours, to really tenderize the chicken, so it can be grilled or griddled later without drying out.
We start on the sauce by softening onions in a pan with a little oil and butter. Add the spices and tomato puree and stir it all together.
At this point I like to add in a chopped red pepper. This is totally optional, and definitely not an authentic addition, but I like to add in a little veg where I can get away with it.
Then add in tinned tomatoes and water and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes while you cook the chicken.
You can cook the chicken on a griddle or barbecue on skewers (or use my air fryer chicken tikka recipe), or if you want to keep it simple, like I do, then spread the chicken out on a tray, brush with oil and grill until lightly charred. If the pieces aren’t too big, you shouldn’t need to turn them to cook them through.
Now stir cream, ground almonds and a little brown sugar in the the sauce, and add in that cooked chicken. Give it all a stir and heat the cream through for a couple of minutes, then serve.
Recipe Tips
- Want a bit of heat? Add in 1-2 tsp of hot chilli powder with the spice ingredients when you’re making the sauce. Alternatively, you can add in 1-2 fresh red chillies (finely chopped) when you add in the red bell peppers. Or you could do both if you like it really spicy!
- Saucy too tangy/sharp? Simmer 2–3 minutes uncovered to mellow the tomatoes, then balance with a pinch of sugar or an extra spoon of cream.
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Pin It🍽️ What to serve it with
📺 Watch how to make it
Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts chopped into bite-size chunks (approx 520g/1.1lbs)
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) Greek yogurt or thick natural yogurt (full-fat)
- 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp mild chilli powder or hot if you like it spicy
- 1 pinch of cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil (for brushing onto the chicken before grilling)
Masala Sauce:
- 1 tbsp neutral oil such as avocado, vegetable or rapeseed
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp tomato puree paste for US
- 1 red bell pepper de-seeded and sliced
- 400 g (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) water
- 180 ml (3/4 cup) double/heavy cream
- 3 tbsp ground almonds
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
To Serve:
- boiled rice
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
- chopped fresh chillies (optional)
Instructions
- Place the chicken breast pieces into a bowl or freezer bag with the yogurt, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, coriander, turmeric, cumin, paprika, chilli powder, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Mix together so that everything is combined, then cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 2-3 hours.3 chicken breasts, 120 ml (1/2 cup) Greek yogurt, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp minced ginger, juice of half a lemon, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp paprika, ½ tsp mild chilli powder, 1 pinch of cinnamon, ½ tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
- About 35-40 minutes before you’re ready to eat, start on the sauce.
- Add the oil and butter to a large frying pan (skillet) and heat on a medium-high heat until the butter has melted. Add the onion, and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened.1 tbsp neutral oil, 1 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 onion
- Add the garlic, ginger, garam masala, ground coriander, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and tomato puree. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the spices to release their fragrance.3 cloves garlic, 2 tsp minced ginger, 1 tsp garam masala, 2 tsp ground coriander, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp cinnamon, 2 tbsp tomato puree
- Add in the chopped red bell pepper, tinned tomatoes and water. Stir and bring to the boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickened (now is a good time to put your rice onto boil).1 red bell pepper, 400 g (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes, 120 ml (1/2 cup) water
- Remove the marinated chicken from the fridge and spread out onto a baking sheet.
- Brush the chicken with the oil, then grill for 8-10 minutes until a little charred on the outside. If your pieces aren't too big, you shouldn't need to turn them, but if they're not cooking through underneath, then give them a turn with some tongs. Make sure the chicken is cooked by slicing it into a larger piece and ensuring it's no longer pink in the middle.2 tbsp vegetable oil
- When the sauce is nearly ready, stir in the cream, ground almonds and sugar, followed by the cooked chicken tikka. Cook for a further 5 minutes to heat through.180 ml (3/4 cup) double/heavy cream, 3 tbsp ground almonds, 1 tbsp brown sugar
- Serve with boiled rice and top with fresh coriander. Add a few chillies too if you like.boiled rice, 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped fresh chillies
Video
Notes
Cooking the chicken – grill or griddle?
I like to cook my chicken on a baking sheet under the grill.If you prefer to griddle or barbecue the chicken, you can thread the chicken pieces onto four long metal skewers (you can use wooden skewers if you prefer, but soak them in water for at least an hour beforehand to prevent them from burning). Cook for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally until no longer pink in the middle.
Chicken breasts or chicken thighs?
I use chicken breasts for this recipe, as I find them a lot less fiddly to chop up and prepare.Chicken thighs tend to retain their juiciness a little more than chicken breast, but we’re marinading the chicken breast, which will help to tenderize it and retain it’s juiciness when it’s being grilled.
Can I make Chicken Tikka Masala ahead?
The chicken is at it’s smokiest and juiciest when eaten straight away, but yes, you can cook this dish ahead and reheat later if you like.You’ve got a couple of options:
- Make marinate the chicken ahead (it will be fine in the marinade for a day), and fully make the sauce ahead. Then cool, cover and refrigerate the sauce up to a day ahead.
When you’re ready to eat, grill the chicken, and heat up the sauce in a pan until piping hot and mix together. - Or you can make the whole dish ahead and stir the chicken into the sauce, then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to two days. Reheat, in a pan, stirring regularly until piping hot throughout.
Can I freeze Chicken Tikka Masala?
Yes, make the whole dish ahead and stir the chicken into the sauce, then cool, cover and freeze. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat, in a pan, stirring regularly until piping hot throughout.Nutritional Information is per serving – not including rice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This chicken tikka masala was first posted in September 2019. Updated since with recipe improvements and for housekeeping reasons.
🍲 More Fantastic Curries
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Absolutely brilliant, so easy and so tasty x
Hi I am going to use double the amount of chicken so do I need to double the marinade and sauce ingredients? Many thanks
Hi Ruth, yes it should be fine to double it up if you’re making it for a lot of people. It is quite saucy, so you could just use 1.5 times the ingredients for the sauce if you prefer.
You’ll also need a pretty big pan 🙂 Hope you enjoy 🙂
Can I use Half and Half instead of heavy Cream? Or what do you suggest for substitution?
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It is really easy and so delicious. My family loved it!
What kind of yogurt did u use? I only see heavy cream in the ingredients or am I just blind?
Hi Kira,
Its there in the ingredients list 🙂 1/2 cup (120g) Greek yoghurt.
Thanks
Chris & Nicky
Too yummy
As a pescatarian I am wondering if prawns would work as a substitute in this recipe (and in the other curry recipies)
Hi David, you could use prawns, but they’ll take much less time to cook (they’ll go rubbery if you overcook them). So go with very high heat for just a couple of minutes to cook the prawns through.
What if we do not have Brown Sugar? Can we replace that with Monk Fruit sugar?
I am incredibly excited to try this recipe!
Hi Neila, I haven’t tried with monk fruit sugar, but I believe it would work as a good replacement.
Made this three times now, turns out beautifully every time.
Great recipe , thank you
1st time ive cooked a curry & thanks to this recipe it was easy to make & follow me & my partner really enjoyed it too & will be making it again & making it a little bit more hotter.