Beloved by millions the world over, Chicken Tikka Masala is made with tender chunks of marinated chicken in a rich, creamy spiced gravy or sauce. It’s one of the original fusion dishes combining both Indian and British tastes. Don’t be intimidated by the long ingredient list, because it’s actually really easy to make with less than 20 minutes of actual work.
Tikka Masala
Chicken tikka masala is the arguably the most popular dish in Indian cuisine in the Western world for good reason – it’s unbelievably delicious. We have eaten it all over the world – in England where it was invented, New York, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. – but the best version anywhere is from the Bombay House restaurant in good old Provo, Utah!
So thanks, Provo and more specifically Bombay House, for introducing and converting this mostly mid-west girl to the bold, rich and exotic flavors of the largest country in South Asia.
If you love making restaurant copycat dishes at home, be sure to try our Chicken Madeira, Creamy Chicken Marsala, or Honey Walnut Shrimp next!
Why You’ll Love this Tikka Masala Recipe!
- It is rich with a creamy sauce, and you can adjust the spiciness to your personal preference and tastes!
- It’s just as good as the original, which is great since we don’t live in Utah anymore and have a tendency to crave Bombay House chicken tikka masala.
- The leftovers taste even better the next day. You might even want to make a double batch so you have enough leftovers for a delicious Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza!
Chicken Tikka Masala Ingredients
This is a quick overview of some of the important ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- Chicken: We like to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this easy chicken tikka masala recipe, but boneless, skinless chicken thighs could be used as well instead.
- Plain yogurt: Any plain yogurt will work, but we like a thick Greek yogurt best for the thick marinade. Sour cream could also work in a pinch.
- Spices: Don’t be intimidated by the list of spices! Most, like the ground cumin, black pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, and ginger and already familiar and in your spice cabinet. The two spices that might be less familiar to some home cooks are garam masala and methi powder. Garam masala is a spice blend that you can find at any regular grocery store. Fenugreek (aka ground fenugreek or fenugreek powder, or sometimes called methi powder) is available in the spice section of my local grocery store, but it can also be found online or at an Indian market. But if you have trouble locating it, know that I have made this recipe for years without it and it’s still excellent. But if you can get your hands on it, it adds a distinct flavor to this recipe that makes it even closer to the version served at our favorite Indian restaurant.
- Tomato sauce & tomato paste: These two ingredients add depth to the sauce and help thicken it slightly. Tomato puree will also work in place of the tomato sauce, but you might want to decrease the tomato paste by half.
How to Make Chicken Tikka Masala
- Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a glass container and add in the chicken pieces. Cover with a tightly sealed lid, and toss to coat. Allow chicken to marinate for 1 hour.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter or a little olive oil. Stir in the minced fresh garlic and jalapeno. Cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds), stirring frequently. Add in the coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala, and salt. Stir to combine and lightly toast the spices for 30-60 seconds.
- Stir in the tomato sauce and let simmer for 15 minutes until it’s thickened. Simmering the sauce helps develop a more complex flavor while also getting the right consistency.
- Meanwhile, thread the chicken onto soaked skewers or shake off excess marinade and spread the chicken out onto a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Discard any remaining marinade.
- Grill or broil the chicken on a hot grill or under a broiler for 5 minutes on each side until the chicken is done. Traditionally the chicken is cooked in a tandoor oven but the high heat of a grill or broiler doesn’t a good job of caramelizing the outside of the chicken. Remove the chicken from the skewers and keep warm.
- Transfer the chicken to the simmering sauce and stir in the cream. Allow the sauce to simmer for another 10 minutes or so until sauce thickens slightly.
- Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the cilantro. Serve with basmati rice (traditional) or brown rice (not so traditional) and garlic naan.
Best Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe Tips
- Be sure to cut bite-size pieces of chicken. This ensures that each piece of chicken gets thoroughly flavored in the marinated and maximizes surface area for caramelization during the grilling or broiling stage.
- Don’t skip toasting the spices. It’s tempting to add the spices and tomato sauce all at once, but the extra 30-60 seconds of heat for the spices really brings out their flavor for a more robust sauce.
- Be sure to simmer. Allowing the sauce to simmer gives time for all of the ingredients to combine and really work together for this delicious sauce.
- Dairy-free version: If you need to make this dairy free, use olive oil in place of the butter and full-fat coconut milk makes a good substitute for the heavy cream. For the marinade, I would use either a dairy-free yogurt or coconut cream, which is thicker than coconut milk.
- Vegetarian version: If you want to do a meatless version of this, you could replace the chunks of chicken with cauliflower florets.
How to Store Tikka Masala
If you have leftover chicken tikka masala (lucky you!) let it cool to room temperature than store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. I highly recommend using glass storage containers because the strong flavors of the sauce are likely to be absorbed by plastic storage containers.
How to Freeze Tikka Masala
You can also freeze leftovers for 2-3 months. Just thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat gently on the stovetop. You may want to add a little additional cream, milk, or even a splash of chicken broth to help thin out the sauce as needed.
Chicken Tikka Spiciness Adjustments
- Mild version: If you are worried about the chicken tikka masala being too spicy, you can make a completely mild version by simply leaving out the cayenne pepper and jalapeno and using a full 2 cups of heavy cream to make the sauce.
- Medium version: If you like some heat, use the full amount of cayenne pepper and jalapeno along with 1 ½ to 2 cups of heavy cream.
- Hot version: If you really love the spice, use the minimum amount of cream and double the amount of garam masala in both the marinade and sauce. You might also consider looking for some kashmiri red chili powder to add to the sauce along with the other spices. Even just 1 teaspoon of kashmiri red chili powder brings a whole other level of heat to this dish!
Chicken Tikka FAQs
Chicken tikka masala isn’t completely a traditional Indian dish. The original recipe was created in England, not India, when Brits returning from assignments in colonial India brought back a taste for Indian food (like spiced, grilled meat) and it got combined with English food traditions. Some of the histories I have seen describe “gravies” as being particularly popular at the time chicken tikka masala was created, hence the sauce part of this dish. The rest is culinary history.
I get it that buying a bottle of a particular spice for one recipe can be annoying. But this is an ingredient you will want for other recipes like our Salmon Steaks or Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza.
Yes, this particular chicken tikka masala recipe is gluten-free. While I can’t speak for every variation of this recipe out there, this one doesn’t have any ingredients that typically contain gluten. If you’re afraid of gluten for allergy reasons keep in mind to double-check ingredient labels and to serve the chicken tikka masala with a gluten-free side dish such as rice or a gluten-free bread variety.
This saucy chicken dish begs to be served with a nice plate of white basmati rice and some garlic naan bread for soaking up all that delicious spiced sauce. A vegetable side dish like sauteed spinach also goes well with tikka masala, or you could serve a fresh salad with crunchy lettuce, crisp cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions with a simple vinaigrette to provide a refreshing contrast to the richness of this dish. Or try raita, which is a cooling yogurt-based condiment with cucumber, mint, and spices that can balance the heat and richness of Chicken Tikka Masala. And a mango lassi is the perfect drink recipe for enjoying with chicken tikka masala.
In my experience, they definitely are two distinct dishes, even though both are similar in terms of being made with marinated chicken in a creamy spiced sauce. Chicken tikka masala recipes most typically uses chicken breasts cut into chunks while butter chicken is usually made with chicken thighs. Butter chicken also often has butter included as part of the sauce, which changes the flavor profile a bit. Keep in mind that recipes differ from person to person and chef to chef, and sometimes I think there is crossover between these two dishes.
More like this Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe
- Grilled Thai Pork Tenderloin with Coconut Lime Peanut Sauce
- Cambodian Chicken Red Curry [Somlar Kari Saek Mouan]
- Slow Cooker Korean Beef Short Ribs (Kalbi)
- Butter Chicken
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch chunks (about 2 large or 3 small chicken breasts)
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek powder (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Masala Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 jalapeno seeds and stem removed, then finely diced
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons fenugreek powder (optional)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can tomato sauce (about 1 ½ cups)
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 ½ to 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup Chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Whisk all marinade ingredients except for the chicken together in a large glass bowl or Ziploc bag. Add chicken pieces, toss to coat, then cover or seal. Marinate for 1-2 hours.1 cup plain yogurt, 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, 2 garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon fenugreek powder, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the garlic and jalapeno. Cook for 30-60 seconds until fragrant, stirring frequently. Add the coriander, cumin, fenugreek, paprika, garam masala, and salt. Stir to toast the spices for another 30-60 seconds, being careful not to burn the garlic or spices. Stir in the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and gently simmer for 15 minutes until thickened.2 Tablespoons salted butter, 3-4 garlic cloves, 1 jalapeno, 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons fenugreek powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon garam masala, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 (14.5-ounce) can tomato sauce, 2 Tablespoons tomato paste, 1 ½ to 2 cups heavy cream
- Meanwhile, thread the chicken onto soaked skewers or shake off excess marinade and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Discard remaining marinade. Grill or broil for 5 minutes on each side until the chicken is slightly charred around the edges and cooked through.
- Transfer the chicken to the simmering sauce and stir in the cream. Less cream makes the dish more spicy. More cream makes the dish more mild.
- Simmer for another 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens to your liking. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the chopped fresh cilantro. Serve with basmati rice and garlic naan.¼ cup Chopped fresh cilantro
Notes
- Mild version: If you are worried about the chicken tikka masala being too spicy, you can make a completely mild version by simply leaving out the cayenne pepper and jalapeno and using a full 2 cups of heavy cream to make the sauce.
- Medium version: If you like some heat, use the full amount of cayenne pepper and jalapeno along with 1 ½ to 2 cups of heavy cream.
- Hot version: If you really love the spice, use the minimum amount of cream and double the amount of garam masala in both the marinade and sauce. You might also consider looking for some kashmiri red chili powder to add to the sauce along with the other spices. Even just 1 teaspoon of kashmiri red chili powder brings a whole other level of heat to this dish!
- Storage: If you have leftover chicken tikka masala (lucky you!) let it cool to room temperature than store in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. I highly recommend using glass storage containers because the strong flavors of the sauce are likely to be absorbed by plastic storage containers.
- Freezing: You can also freeze leftovers for 2-3 months. Just thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat gently on the stovetop. You may want to add a little additional cream, milk, or even a splash of chicken broth to help thin out the sauce as needed.
Nutrition
Originally adapted from a site called Mattawa Mum that doesn’t seem to exist any more.
This post was originally published in August, 2016. The photos and content were updated in January, 2022.
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Thank you so much for sharing this outstanding recipe with us. Keep up the good work.
I just went into a panic because I couldn’t find my printed copy of this recipe. I make this at least twice a month. I’ve never grilled the chicken on skewers, I just add the marinated chicken to the simmering sauce. So yummy!
Absolutely fantastic, my family including a picky teenager loved it. This will go into our dinner rotation for sure.
Delicious. Chicken is so tender.
Thank you!