Chicken Tikka Masala
Yogurt-marinated chicken thighs grilled until charred, then simmered in a spiced tomato-and-onion sauce with cream. The two-stage process is the point: first the tikka — small pieces of chicken cooked hard over direct heat — then the masala, the spiced sauce they finish in. The char on the chicken is not incidental. It sits in contrast to the cream, and without it you have a decent tomato curry rather than tikka masala. The sauce needs properly browned onion, bloomed spices, and enough cooking time for the tomatoes to lose their sharpness.
Ingredients
- 700 gboneless chicken thighs, cut into 4 cm cubes
- 120 gplain yogurt
- 1 tbspKashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tspground coriander
- ½ tspturmeric
- 1 tbspginger-garlic paste
- 1 tbsplemon juice
- 2 tbspneutral oil or ghee
- 2 large onions
- 1 tbspginger-garlic paste
- 2 tbsptomato paste
- 400 gcanned crushed tomatoes
- 1.5 tspgaram masala
- 1 tspKashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tspground coriander
- 80 mldouble cream
- 1 tspkasuri methi
- 1 tspsugar
Method
- Marinate the chicken. Combine yogurt, Kashmiri chilli powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken and massage the marinade into each piece with your hands. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour — overnight gives the best result. The yogurt-acid combination tenderises the meat and lets the spices penetrate rather than just coat the surface.
- Cook the tikka. Heat a wide heavy pan or cast-iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Add a tablespoon of oil or ghee. Shake excess marinade off each piece and lay the chicken in a single layer — do not crowd. Sear without moving for 3 to 4 minutes until real char forms on the base. Turn and repeat. The chicken should look almost burnt in places. Remove, rest briefly. This char is the whole point of tikka — it gives the finished dish its smoky edge against the creamy sauce.
- Brown the onions. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the diced onions with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring every few minutes, for 15 to 20 minutes until deep golden-brown. This is the flavor base — pale onions make a pale, one-note sauce. Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook 2 more minutes.
- Build the sauce. Add the tomato paste and stir into the onions, cooking for 2 to 3 minutes until it darkens. Add the garam masala, Kashmiri chilli powder, and ground coriander. Stir for 60 seconds until the spices smell toasted. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce reduces and oil begins to separate at the surface.
- Finish and serve. Add the charred chicken pieces with any resting juices. Simmer for 8 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked through. Stir in the cream on low heat. Crush the kasuri methi between your palms and scatter it in — this is the ingredient that makes the finished dish smell like a restaurant kitchen. Taste and adjust salt. Serve over basmati rice or with naan, topped with a little fresh coriander.
FAQ
Tikka means 'piece' or 'chunk' in Urdu and Hindi. In cooking, it refers to small cubes of meat skewered and cooked in a tandoor over intense heat. The name tells you this is a two-stage dish: first the tikka — the chicken is marinated and cooked hard over direct high heat until charred — then the masala, the spiced sauce the chicken finishes in. The two-stage process is what gives the dish its character: smoky char from the first cook, creaminess from the sauce. A curry made by simply adding raw chicken to sauce is not tikka masala.
Rate this
Keep browsing
More dishes from the Indian archive — picked by overlap with what you're cooking now.
Join the conversation
Comments (2)
So much better than takeaway! I halved the chilli because my kids dont like too much heat and added a bit more yogurt at the end. Husband said it tasted exactly like our local indian place but cheaper.
There is an ongoing debate about whether tikka masala is Indian or British. I have eaten versions in both countries and this recipe sits right in the middle — proper tandoori-style marinade with yogurt and Kashmiri chilli, but the sauce has that creamy British touch. The single most important step is charring the marinated chicken under a very hot broiler, not just baking it. Those blackened edges are where all the flavour lives. Scrape the pan drippings into the sauce.