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Writer's pictureRashmi Gharat

Chicken Tikka Masala

Updated: Apr 15

Chicken Tikka Masala is one of the most popular and loved curry dish in Western countries, especially in Britain. It has flavoursome Chicken Tikka pieces (marinated and roasted boneless Chicken chunks) immersed in a rich, creamy sauce.

Chicken Tikka Masala

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Although the origins of this dish are from Northern India where Chicken Tikka pieces are served as a starter, Indian Chefs living in Britain added in the Masala gravy to this dish and made it popular as a curry.


This Chicken Tikka Masala goes perfectly well with Naan bread or steaming, hot rice.


Learn how to make Chicken Tikka Masala at home in a quick video with precise measurements below.


Quick, easy to follow video with step-by-step instructions of how to make Chicken Tikka Masala:


Although due to its name this Indian Chicken Curry might seem hard to make, but it’s fairly straightforward and easy process and if you follow this recipe closely you will be able to get restaurant-style flavours and textures at home.


Marinate to sink the flavours in

For this chicken recipe, you need to marinate chicken chunks in a mixture of spices and yogurt for at least an hour.


If you have more time, let it marinate for longer; but if you are living in a hot place, remember to keep marinate in the refrigerator so that it doesn’t spoil.


If you are really short of time, I will say you marinate it for at least half an hour, the bare minimum.

Yogurt/Curd in the marinade helps to tenderise the chicken meat as well as imparts a slight tangy flavour to the chicken pieces. The spices in the marinade add complex yet delicious flavours to chicken chunks.


These marinated chicken pieces are then roasted on a pan till chicken is cooked and all the moisture has evaporated. Try and use a non-stick pan while roasting as marinated chicken pieces have a tendency to stick to the pan.


Or instead of using a pan you can even thread these chicken chunks onto skewers and broil/grill them until done.

Make sure chicken pieces are soft and white from inside and NOT pink before removing them from the pan/grill/broiler to ensure that they are properly cooked from inside as well.


Rich and Flavourful Tikka Masala Sauce

Again, it might seem hard to make Tikka Masala gravy, but it’s actually just a tomato-based sauce which is very easy to make, even if you are a new cook.


To make this thick, rich, creamy and flavourful tikka masala gravy / sauce you first need to blend tomatoes and some cashew nuts to a fine purée, then add it to sauteed onions along with a variety of spices.

This should then be cooked till most of the moisture evaporates. This is an important step, if you don’t cook tomato purée enough, tomatoes as well as spices might stay raw and the curry won’t be as flavourful as it should be in the end.


Then roasted chicken pieces should be added to the pan and allowed to simmer for a short while and finally fresh cream and cilantro / coriander is added to make this chicken curry even more rich, creamy, and flavoursome.

Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

I like to use Kashmiri chilli powder in the marinade as well as in the gravy/sauce as it gives a nice bright colour to the dish without adding in too much of heat. If you don’t have Kashmiri chilli powder, you can use normal chilli powder, but reduce the quantity slightly to avoid curry from becoming too spicy.


This delicious chicken dish can be customised to your liking making it less or more spicy according to your taste.

This Chicken curry of Indian origin, that’s loved all over the world, is very versatile and can be enjoyed with plain boiled basmati rice, chapati, paratha or naan bread.


With its unique blend of flavours and textures, this Chicken Tikka Masala is a favourite dish amongst non-vegetarians and is perfect to cook for a night in or as a treat for special occasions and parties. Try it today…


 

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Step-by-step instructions with photos for Chicken Tikka Masala:

In a bowl add chicken, ginger paste, garlic paste, salt, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi), lemon juice, turmeric (Haldi) powder, oil, yogurt (Thick Dahi/Curd) and mix well. Let it marinate for at least one hour.

Chicken Tikka Masala - Method 1


After an hour, heat a non-stick pan on medium setting and add oil and marinated chicken pieces.

Chicken Tikka Masala - Method 2


Roast till chicken gets cooked and moisture evaporates. When you cut a chicken piece it should be soft and white from inside and NOT pink.

Chicken Tikka Masala - Method 3

• Blend tomatoes and cashew nuts to a fine puree.

Chicken Tikka Masala - Method 4


• Heat a pan on medium setting and add oil, onions, garlic paste, ginger paste and cook till onions are soft and shiny.

Chicken Tikka Masala - Method 5


• To this add tomato puree, turmeric (Haldi) powder , red chilli powder, coriander (Dhaniya) powder, cumin (Jeera) powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, salt and cook well till moisture evaporates.

Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe - Method 6

• Then add roasted chicken pieces, water and garam masala powder.

Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe - Method 7


• Crush roasted dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi) by rubbing between your hands and add to the pan and mix well.

Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe - Method 8


• Finally add single cream and cilantro / coriander and again mix well. Do not cook for long after adding single cream.

Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe - Method 9

• Chicken Tikka Masala is ready, serve hot. Garnish with some more single cream and cilantro / coriander.

Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe - Method 10
 

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