Chicken Tikka Masala is a delicious creamy tomato sauce based Indian recipe made with white meat chicken and plenty of bold spices including garlic, ginger, cumin and coriander.
Chicken Tikka Masala is the spicier, bolder almost twin brother recipe to the Indian fan favorite Butter Chicken.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Indian Food hasn’t had it’s due on this blog to date which is a shame because it is one of our FAVORITE variety of foods we love to cook together in the kitchen. This Chicken Tikka Masala is the beginning of a new series of Indian recipes I’ll be posting on the blog and is the product of a few weekends spent learning from a family friend’s Indian grandmother about all the flavors, feelings, tips and tricks that go into delicious Indian recipes.
The day we made this Chicken Tikka we also made a DOZEN other dishes (I kind of wish I could just share all of them with you right now!), so as we go we’ll be sharing them while still bringing in a good mix of other non-Indian dishes to the blog.
That being said, if you have a request? Please let me know in the comments I would love to post that next if it is a recipe we have made already. AND we are going to be getting together again to cook a lot of appetizers and sides next time too, so I really do hope you all love Indian food!
Don’t worry, we’ll be going at a once every 2-3 week pace on these recipes so it doesn’t take over the natural mix of recipes you all love.
How do you make Chicken Tikka Masala?
Chicken Tikka Masala is made in two parts with a spiced yogurt and lemon marinade on the chicken and a creamy tomato spiced sauce that are combined after cooking much like Butter chicken.
What is the difference between Chicken Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken?
Chicken Tikka Masala is traditionally made with white meat chicken while Butter Chicken (Chicken Makhani) is traditionally made with bone in dark meat and contains a significant amount of oil to create a creamy mouth texture. Both contain creamy tomato sauces and similar spices.
In many restaurants they are regarded as the same dish, but in authentic restaurants there is a distinction. Often times Chicken Tikka Masala will also contain less cream than butter chicken.
Tools used in the making of this Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe:
Cast Iron Dutch Oven: I used to fry in my cast iron skillet, but this dutch oven is perfect for frying larger pieces of food and it keeps heat really well. Plus the lid is a second pan so it is all you need to make this recipe.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts , boneless skinless
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 1 lemon , juiced (just under 1/4 cup)
- 6 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into 2 inch chunks.
- Mix the cumin, paprika, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper and salt into a small bowl.
- Toss the chicken with half the spices, the greek yogurt and the lemon juice and let it sit while you make the sauce.
In a large saucepan on medium high heat, add the butter and the rest of the spices, stirring well for 30 seconds until you can smell them well.
- Add in the garlic and ginger and stir an additional 30 seconds.
Add in the crushed tomatoes and heavy cream, stir and let simmer on a low-medium heat for 7-10 minutes.
- Heat the canola oil in a large skillet on medium high heat.
- Remove most of the marinade from the pieces of the chicken before cooking.
- Cook the chicken in batches until just cooked through.
- Add the sauce to the chicken and mix well before serving.
So Im having a problem with the chicken, when I make it, and mix it in with the sauce and take a bite, the chicken tastes bland. The sauce is on point except for the chicken, which i mix with the yogurt and the spices, suggestions?
Hi Sabrina!
This is my first ever food blog post and I have been making my way through your entire website. I haven’t tried a recipe that I haven’t absolutely loved (and added to my forever favorites box). Is it possible to make the Tikka Masala as a slow cooker recipe? I was reading your butter chicken recipe and I like the process for that better than this one. It seems like the meat would be more tender and absorb more flavor since it’s cooking in the sauce longer; however, Tikka Masala is my favorite (and vindaloo) Indian restaurant order. Looking forward to hearing back! Can’t wait to make one or both 🙂
Stay tuned for a slow cooker version of this!
Is there a slow cooker version yet?
It’s still on research list of recipes to test. I’ve been so busy with the holidays that it fell to the back burner. Stay tuned in the new year for it. Thanks for your patience.
Hello – New to this, so I need an answer to a silly question – how do I find my Saved Recipies?
Not a silly question at all. Once you’re logged into the site, you’ll see a saved recipe section at the top of the page. Hope this helps.
Can you marinate the chicken overnight or for at least an hour or so?
Sure 🙂
Please explain step 8 in your instructions for this recipe. How does one discard most of the marinade from the chicken when its already all coated in the stuff?
You want it coated but not dripping in it when you cook it. I hope this makes sense.
Can you share the recipe you use for the rice? Thank you for sharing such delicious recipes! Every single time I try one, it comes out great 🙂
I’m so glad you’re loving the recipes.
Here’s the link to one of my favorite rice recipes: https://dev.dinnerthendessert.com/easy-light-coconut-rice/
Thanks for the link! One more question for you. What do you think about making this Chicken Tikka Masala dish in the slow cooker similar to how the chicken is cooked in your Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken recipe?
Hmm, not too sure what would make it that color because the only red ingredients are such small amounts that it would surprise me that it could change the color that much.
This is a keeper! I made this tonight and it was delish. The sauce is yummy enough that I could make a meal of sauce & naan and the yogurt marinade helped the chicken cook to perfection. The only thing I did differently was to grill the chicken in the oven for @ 10 minutes. So good! TY!
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Your slow cooker butter chicken is the best I’ve ever had. Can you adapt this to the slow cooker as well? Do you have any other favorite Indian, Thai or Asian slow cooker recipes you could share?
Have you tried the Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken yet? https://dev.dinnerthendessert.com/slow-cooker-thai-peanut-chicken/
Stay tuned for the slow cooker version of this recipe. 🙂
About to make this, In looking at other recipes, the Tablespoons for paprika, cumin & coriander seem very high, is this correct as in Tablespoon vs Teaspoon?
They’re correct. Half of the spices are used for a marinade so they won’t all make it into the dish. You can always adjust to more of your liking. I hope you enjoy it!
what veggies are served with this dish? It looks wonderful and I can’t wait to try it!
A minted cucumber salad would be perfect served alongside Naan bread. Enjoy!