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Chicken Tikka Masala
5 from 4 votes

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken tikka masala is a curry dish featuring tender marinated chicken in a bath of a perfectly spiced tomato cream sauce.

Prep Time
35 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Marinate Time
4 hrs
Total Time
5 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 6
Calories: 482 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs chicken thigh cut into 2-inch cubes, or boneless skinless chicken breasts
Marinade
  • 1/2 red onion cubed, medium
  • 1 serrano chile quartered, green
  • 10 cashew nuts raw
  • 1 cup yogurt plain, Greek
  • 1 tbsp ginger paste
  • 1 tbsp garlic minced
  • 1/2 lime juiced, (1-2 tbsp juice)
  • 2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
  • 2 tsp fenugreek leaves dried
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp cumin ground
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp Turmeric ground
Curry Sauce
  • 2 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
  • 2 onion chopped, yellow
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp ginger minced (1-inch piece, fresh
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 2 tsp garam masala (See Note 1)
  • 2 tsp kashmiri chili powder (See Note 2)
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin ground
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 3 Roma tomato chopped or 14 oz chopped tomatoes, aka plum tomato
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream or 14 oz coconut milk
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 tsp fenugreek leaves dried
Garnish/Serving
  • cilantro sprigs
  • naan bread warm
  • basmati rice steamed

Instructions

Marinade for Chicken
    Cup of Yum
  1. In a food processor, puree 1/2 red onion, serrano chile, cashews, yogurt, ginger, garlic and lime juice until smooth. Remove lid and add the Kashmiri chili powder, fenugreek leaves, salt, cumin, garam masala, coriander and turmeric. Pulse several times until blended well.
  2. In a large bowl add the chicken, marinade and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to marinate for 4 hours minimum, maximum overnight.
Make Curry Sauce
  1. Heat the ghee or oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chopped onions and fry for about 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and cook for about 30 seconds.
  2. Next add the curry powder, garam masala, chili powder, salt, paprika, cumin, ground coriander and sugar. Stir this around in the pan to coat the onions. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and then add the cream or coconut milk.
  3. Place the cooled sauce in a blender or use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Stir through the fenugreek leaves and set aside.
Tikka Masala
  1. Heat the ghee/oil over high heat in a large skillet. Add the marinated chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes per side. This will slightly char on edges. Pour the masala curry sauce over chicken and lower heat to simmer. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes and chicken is tender.
  2. Garnish with cilantro leaves and a pinch of some more Garam Masala. Serve over rice and garlic naan bread.

Notes

  • Use more or less Garam Masala depending on your taste for heat. This is not a very hot dish, the spice blend is more flavor than heat. I think sometimes people confuse spicy with heat and there is a difference!
  • Kashmiri chili powder can be substituted by using 3 parts smoked paprika to 1 part cayenne powder (for example, ¾ tsp smoked paprika to ¼ tsp cayenne).

Nutrition Information

Calories 482kcal (24%) Carbohydrates 17g (6%) Protein 37g (74%) Fat 30g (46%) Saturated Fat 16g (80%) Polyunsaturated Fat 3g (18%) Monounsaturated Fat 9g (45%) Trans Fat 0.03g (2%) Cholesterol 213mg (71%) Sodium 997mg (42%) Potassium 776mg (17%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 8g (16%) Vitamin A 1846IU (37%) Vitamin C 21mg (23%) Calcium 137mg (14%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 482

% Daily Value*

Calories 482kcal 24%
Carbohydrates 17g 6%
Protein 37g 74%
Fat 30g 46%
Saturated Fat 16g 80%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g 18%
Monounsaturated Fat 9g 45%
Trans Fat 0.03g 2%
Cholesterol 213mg 71%
Sodium 997mg 42%
Potassium 776mg 17%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 8g 16%
Vitamin A 1846IU 37%
Vitamin C 21mg 23%
Calcium 137mg 14%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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