Chicken tikka masala recipe

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Pamela
November 4, 2013
43 Comments

Categories: Meat, Entrees, Gluten-free/gluten-free adaptable, Poultry, Recipes

Did you know that Chicken Tikka Masala is the most popular dish in Indian restaurants in the US and it’s not even Indian? Nope, you won’t find families in India sharing Tikka Masala recipes because as the story goes, this dish was created in a London curry house. Interesting, no? Did you know I had the most difficult time trying to make this dish look appetizing in these photographs? Just needed to get that off my chest.

Regardless of what it looks like, I love this recipe and so does my family. It is so full of flavor and very easy to make. Chunks of chicken are smothered in a rich sauce of tomatoes, spices and some coconut milk to balance it all out. Normally heavy cream is used in tikka masala, but coconut milk is the perfect substitute and I actually like it here better than cream. Yum. For you do-aheaders, you can make the masala sauce the night before and then cook the chicken right before dinner, heat up the sauce and you’re done! Prepping in advance like that is my ace in the hole, allowing me to pull together a delicious and healthful dinner on a busy weeknight with no stress. It’s like having a jar of tikka masala sauce from Trader Joe’s in the pantry. But before you think about doing that, as much as I like Trader Joe’s, this sauce blows theirs away. Fact.

We eat this with my Indian Basmati Rice and Peas recipe and a green vegetable, either green beans, spinach or even a green salad. You can go even simpler by making some plain steamed rice and that is perfect here too. The only ingredient you’ll need for this recipe that you might not have is garam masala, which is a sweet and spicy (not hot-spicy) spice blend that contains coriander, green and black cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, nutmeg, ginger, pepper, and cumin. All awesome anti-inflammatory and warming spices which are great for your health and perfect for this time of year as the weather starts to cool off a bit. Of course you can make your own by toasting the whole spices and grinding them up and I am sure that would make a world of difference in your cooking, BUT…I kind of don’t have time for that so I think store-bought garam masala is perfectly fantastic. All the markets in my area carry garam masala, but you can order it here if you can’t find it.

I am also very excited that my Whole Foods started carrying organic tomatoes in a glass jar by Jovial Foods. Very excited! Remember, canned tomatoes contain tons of BPA which is toxic, especially in large doses for kids. You already consume BPA in places you can’t control (water, eating in restaurants), so try and avoid it when you can. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a company that doesn’t use BPA in their canned tomatoes. Pomi is what I normally use since the tomatoes are boxed in BPA-free tetra-paks, but the tomatoes are not organic. Not ideal, but Pomi says they don’t use pesticides. Anyhow, now my tomato dreams have come true with Jovial Foods and you can also find them on amazon. Is there anything you can’t find on amazon? Just a random thought.

While we’re talking about making our lives easier, the classic way to make the chicken in tikka masala is to marinate it in yogurt, which tenderizes it, and then broil or grill it. I know some of you are not going to want to use yogurt on chicken and I know others will not want to grill. No problem. If you want this to be authentic, you’ll follow the recipe. If you’ve never had this before and won’t know the difference, by all means grill or roast plain chicken seasoned with salt and pepper or roast a whole chicken and cube up the meat. The tikka masala police are not going to get you in trouble. Can you tell I am giving you every excuse to make this?? Let me know if you do!

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Chicken Tikka Masala

Author:Pamela, adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Serves:6

Ingredients

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tablespoon sea salt, divided
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon cumin
½ cup plain whole yogurt
2 Tablespoons ghee (clarified butter) or unrefined coconut oil
1 large onion, finely diced (you can do this in a food processor)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 ½ Tablespoons garam masala
2 pounds fresh, peeled and seeded tomatoes, diced (or the equivalent of boxed or jarred tomatoes, about 28 ounces)
1 Tablespoon maple sugar, coconut sugar or natural cane sugar
1 cup coconut milk, preferably full-fat (you can use the whole can if you want the sauce to be creamier)

Instructions

Place chicken in a dish. Mix 1 teaspoon salt, coriander and cumin together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with spice mixture and pour the yogurt over the spiced chicken breasts. Turn to coat well. You can do this several hours in advance and refrigerate until ready to cook.
Preheat broiler to high and set the oven rack on the second level. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Place a metal cooling rack on top of the foil-lined baking sheet and arrange the chicken on top of the rack. Broil for 5-7 minutes on each side until charred but not burned. Chicken should be cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the ghee. Add onions and cook until tender and slightly browned. Stir in garlic, ginger, 2 teaspoons salt and garam masala.
Add diced tomatoes and continue cooking and while scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add sugar, lower heat and simmer for about 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Pour in coconut milk.
Cut chicken into chunks (remember, it should be cooked through) and stir into sauce until heated through. Taste for seasoning. Serve with basmati rice.

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I come from a large Italian-American family with 28 first cousins (on one side of the family!) where sit-down holiday dinners for 85 people are the norm (how, you might ask – organization! But more on that later …).

Some of my fondest memories are of simple family gatherings, both large and small, with long tables of bowls and platters piled high, the laughter of my cousins echoing and the comfort of tradition warming my soul.

Chicken tikka masala recipe - Pamela Salzman (2024)

FAQs

Can I substitute coconut milk for heavy cream in tikka masala? ›

Dairy Free Chicken Tikka Masala: Coconut milk or light coconut milk can be used and it's delicious! It will just be slightly less thick and creamy.

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How to make tikka masala more red? ›

You can make your tikka masala red by using pinch of red food colour available in the grocery stores. This red colour is used in many dishes like cauliflower manchurian, fritters and pakoras to make it attractive. It's red food coloring. That's what they use in the Indian restaurants.

Read On ›

What's the difference between masala and tikka masala? ›

Tikka refers to grilled or roasted pieces of meat that are either marinated in yogurt or spiced water before being cooked on skewers. Masala refers to a sauce made with cream, yogurt, or tomatoes; or a mixture of spices used to flavor food.

What is the taste difference between tikka masala and Butter Chicken? ›

Butter Chicken has a milder and creamier taste, while Tikka Masala has a spicier, earthy, and tangier taste. Butter Chicken is a buttery and creamy tomato-based sauce. At the same time, Tikka Masala has a slightly sour and tangy tomato-based sauce.

Can I use yogurt instead of heavy cream in tikka masala? ›

So, instead of cream, I use yogurt and butter (cream's close cousin) to get that rich and velvety tomato gravy for my Chicken Tikka Masala.

Learn More Now ›

What to use instead of double cream in tikka masala? ›

Chicken tikka masala is usually made with heavy cream, but I like to use coconut milk instead; its subtle sweetness works beautifully with the spices in the dish. Serve with steamed rice.

Learn More Now ›

What makes tikka masala taste good? ›

To summarise, Indian chicken tikka masala has fresh flavors due to the use of fresh tomatoes. It's creamy, rich and delicious and won't make you feel bloated as there is a very small amount of cream used. Cashews impart a magical creamy texture and flavour without making you feel heavy.

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Why is my tikka masala bitter? ›

Your curry can taste bitter if the spices and garlic are burnt or if you've added too much fenugreek to the dish. You see, the secret to cooking a delicious curry recipe is to create a spicy paste and slowly cook it before adding your meat.

Read The Full Story ›

What makes Chicken Tikka Masala so red? ›

That bright red sadly comes from Food Dyes like Red 40. Growing up, I never even realized this, but in recent years when I picked up a jar of pre-mixed Tandoori spice blend and read the ingredients – there it was – Red 40 right in the ingredient listing.

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Is tikka masala unhealthy? ›

Skip: Chicken Tikka Masala

But like many Indian dishes that were originally low fat, the modern recipe for chicken tikka masala is anything but. An average portion has whopping 1,249 calories and 90.8 grams of fat. A lot of that comes from the ghee and heavy cream.

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Is garam masala the same as masala? ›

It's at once utterly confusing and incredibly simple. Masala means mixture of spices. So, a mixture of warming spices roasted and then ground down to a fine powder is a Garam Masala. A mixture of spices that are slightly tart and perfect paired with chickpeas roasted and ground down is a Chana Masala.

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Is tandoori masala the same as tikka masala? ›

Each dish can have hundreds of variations of seasonings. Tandoori chicken is often marinated with lemon juice and yogurt in addition to various spices before being cooked at high heat, while 'Tikka' dishes are often chunks of meat in a spiced sauce (and thus more commonly called 'Tikka Masala').

What does tikka masala mean in English? ›

/ˌtɪkə məˈsɑːlə/ [uncountable, countable] (in British cooking) a mild Indian-style dish made with pieces of meat, usually chicken, cooked in a sauce with cream and spices.

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What is better than chicken tikka masala? ›

For this matter, the better choice would be depending on your preferences. If you don't have a problem with spices and the kick that come with it, you should try tikka masala. On the other hand, if you enjoy a creamy curry with a less intense spice flavor, the best option is butter chicken.

Is tikka masala hotter than butter chicken? ›

Butter Chicken is much more creamy and rich due to the addition of a generous amount of butter. The Butter Chicken sauce is pureed until smooth, while Chicken Tikka Masala keeps the tomatoes and onions in chunks to add more texture to the sauce. And, Butter Chicken is much less spicy than Chicken Tikka Masala.

Keep Reading ›

Can you replace heavy cream with coconut milk? ›

The fat content of coconut milk should be roughly that of a dairy-based heavy cream. So, when a recipe calls for heavy cream, you just make a one-to-one substitution with coconut milk – so long as the fat content matches up.

Find Out More ›

Can I use coconut milk instead of heavy cream in curry? ›

Coconut milk and cream are mostly interchangeable in recipes such as curries and soups. If you prefer a richer flavour and texture, try coconut cream or vice versa. However, be careful when substituting coconut milk and cream in baked goods.

Read The Full Story ›

What is a substitute for heavy cream in chicken masala? ›

Substitutes for heavy cream can include options like a soy milk-olive oil combo, evaporated milk, and coconut cream, among others. Heavy cream, made from the high-fat part of fresh milk, is used in many recipes. Because its high in fat and contains dairy, it may not be a suitable option for everyone.

Get More Info ›

Can I substitute heavy cream for coconut milk in curry? ›

Cream. If dairy isn't a concern, heavy cream and half and half would also be a good replacement for coconut milk at a 1:1 ratio. Since coconut milk's fat content is between heavy cream and half and half, the consistency of your dish may be slightly thicker or thinner, depending on the replacement used.

Know More ›

Chicken tikka masala recipe - Pamela Salzman (2024)