Skip the takeaway and jazz up your dinner with this delicious, flavorful and authentic chicken tikka masala recipe. It's all about grilled chicken pieces in a rich tomato-based sauce for a lip-smacking meal you'll want again and again. Serve this with naan or rice, and pappadums for an awesome, flavor-packed meal!
Even though life is super busy these days, sometimes I try to find time to cook and enjoy classic recipes. This is the
kind of comfort food that make me feel at home. And I want to enjoy this day with a big bowl of this chicken tikka masala and obviously, a big, fluffy naan to dunk in that rich, colourful sauce. A super satisfying, comforting meal, indeed!
Obviously, this chicken tikka masala paired with rice or naan makes for a simple dinner. However, it's also perfect when you want to throw a party.
This authentic chicken tikka masala recipe is all about chicken cooked in a delicately spiced sauce. The tomato based sauce makes this absolutely lip-smacking. There are a few tomato based curries in Indian cuisine. I'm talking butter chicken, paneer butter masala and this tikka masala curry. To be honest, it's hard to pick a favorite.
This curry is not a simple recipe. And not a quick one at all. In fact, it's a three step process that involves marinating the chicken, grilling the tikkas and lastly preparing the curry. Ok, let's go through each and every step in detail.
The recipe for this chicken tikka masala starts with marinating the chicken pieces. Actually, the marination itself is a two-step process. First, chicken is marinated with salt and lemon juice for ten minutes. Then it's marinated with a mixture of garlic, ginger, cumin, ground coriander, garam masala, chili powder, paprika, and yogurt for another two hours. A tad of oil keeps it moist while grilling.
Now the grilling. Well, this is the best part of the recipe. Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers and grill them. Just sit back and relax until they are done. Or you can start making the sauce.
To make the sauce, throw in some onions into hot oil and sauté until lightly browned. Add ginger and let it release all its awesome flavors. Next, all the ground spices - turmeric, coriander, paprika and chili powder - goes in. The tomato paste and the canned tomatoes give this curry its beautiful red color. Substitute the canned tomatoes with fresh ones if you like. Finely chop two large tomatoes and add it to the curry to make thick sauce. Canned tomatoes are more convenient, so I decided to go that way.
Add cream to make the sauce rich and luscious. Finally, a touch of garam masala and plenty of coriander (cilantro) leaves. And the tender grilled chicken goes into the sauce to make lip-smacking chicken tikka masala.
Doesn't this authentic chicken tikka masala recipe sound totally delicious?
Make this chicken tikka masala in Instant Pot - Recipe here.
More Authentic Indian Recipes
- Fish Tikka Masala
- Chicken Tikka
- Butter Chicken
- Tandoori Chicken
- Chicken Lollipop
- Chicken Vindaloo
- Chicken Madras
- Chicken Jalfrezi
- Chicken Korma
- Lamb Rogan Josh
- Paneer Butter Masala
Authentic Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe| Video
Ingredients
- 600 g chicken thigh fillets cut into cubes
- Marinate Chicken:
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 6 garlic cloves
- 3 cm piece fresh ginger
- 1 and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 2 tablespoon yogurt
- 2 tablespoon oil
- Salt to taste
CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA:
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger ginger paste
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree tomato paste
- ¼ cup canned tomatoes or 2 medium tomatoes chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¾ cup fresh cream
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- A handful coriander cilantro leaves, chopped
- Salt to taste
- Water
- Naan or rice to serve
Instructions
- Place chicken pieces in a large bowl. Rub with lemon juice and enough salt. Marinate for 10 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Meanwhile, place garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, garam masala, chili powder, paprika and yogurt in a blender. Process until smooth. Add this paste to the bowl of chicken. Add in oil and mix well. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight if possible.
- When you are ready, preheat grill. Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers. Grill, turning occasionally, for 15 – 20 minutes or until cooked through. Remove chicken from skewers. Set aside.
- Meanwhile heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned. Add ginger. Saute until aromatic. Add ground turmeric, ground coriander, paprika and red chili powder. Saute for a minute. Add tomato paste and fry for a few seconds. Now add in the tomatoes. Saute until they are soft and mushy. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Add lemon juice and cream. Add in enough water to make a thick sauce. Season with salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. Add more water if needed.
- Add garam masala and coriander (cilantro) leaves. Heat through. Stir in the grilled chicken. Garnish with more coriander leaves if you like. Serve with naan, roti or rice.
Video
Nutrition
More Indian authentic recipes
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Hetal Vasavada says
I might have to do this and substitute the chicken with paneer! Looks great Nisha!
Anu - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
Love this delicious & authentic recipe of chicken tikka masala, Rose. A must try recipe.
CHCooks says
Looks so so so good 🙂 Especially with rice!
kushi says
Lovely color and flavorful recipe. Delicious 🙂
Pooja saha says
Love the colour.
Sonja Haag says
I love this recipe. I have been using it for over a year now. I am a personal chef and this is a favorite of all my clients as well. When it is to cold to fire up the grill I put a rack on a sheet pan and broil the chicken for about 15 minutes. Works just as well. Thanks Nisha!
Ratna Das says
Wow this is such a great recipe! I first did the recipe from the tasty website and it didn’t have a 100% authentic taste. I follow this recipe on my second try and adjusted the serving number, it came out AMAZING! Wow so authentic and flavored very well. Instead of using puree i just used tomato sauce and it was just as great. I made it for dinner for my family and they were surprised with how well it was. Thanks for sharing!
Szandra says
It was my first attempt at making chicken tikka masala, and I was hoping for an authentic, no shortcuts recipe. It turned out divine!!!! We enjoyed it so much, it is definitely going into my recipe collection. Thank you for sharing
Lee says
Can a coconut milk/cream be a substitute for the heavy cream?
Rose Mary George says
Yes 🙂
Trevor says
I remember having chopped/ground almonds and also cashews in restaurants which adds thier own unique flavours and sweetness, however I have had it with coconut and for me it overpowered the taste, and frankly its not for me, but if that's your preference, why not, you know what you like👍
rohit says
your recipe is so good, I tried making it and it was so delicious. Thank you.
Samantha says
Can you make this dish spicy?
Rose Mary George says
Yes, with more red chili powder. 🙂
Anu Prabhakar says
Such a lovely combination of ingredients. Looks amazing. Can't wait to try this out
Siddharth dilawri says
I just made this!! My Wife and I both LOVED this recipe. thanks
Julie says
Hello! I have made this recipe several times and it always goes down a treat! I would like to make this for a big family get together but I am at a wedding the day before and so I am wondering how well this freezes if I make it in advance (or if certain bits could be done ahead of time)?
Thanks!
Rose Mary George says
Yes, to store this in the freezer, make the dish without cream and then add cream before serving.
Jaime says
Hi there, the red chili powder. Is that this kind? Kashmiri red chilli powder
Rose Mary George says
You can use your favorite - regular red chilli powder for spicy curry, or Kashmiri red chilli powder for mild curry
Julie says
Hi Rose, I have made this several times for big family get-togethers and it has been requested for a Christmas gathering this year - but as we already have a couple of chicken options I was wondering if you have ever made it with lamb, or if not if you think it would still work ok? I know I'd need to figure out the cooking of the lamb differently, but flavour-wise do you think it would work?
Thanks!
Rose Mary George says
Lamb tikka masala sounds perfect, but you'll need to adjust the cooking time.