I’m a huge fan of Indian food. If I’m not grilling something up, chances are, we are having Indian for dinner. But why not make it myself? This chicken tikka masala was better than any Indian dish I’ve ordered for take out. It was creamy, spicy, savory and aromatic. Served with some basmati rice and naan bread, this is a recipe I will be making over and over again.

And yes, you can just buy the sauce in a jar, but the aromatics and flavors you get from making it at home will surprise you. It takes a little bit of effort and has multiple steps, but it’s not an all day cook like some of my smoked meat recipes.

What is Chicken Tikka Masala?

Tikka Masala is a tomato based creamy curry sauce. Full of rich roasted spices, onions and tomatoes, this dish is a common Indian food recipe that is spicy, earthy and tangy unlike a milder version which is a butter chicken recipe.

Tikka stands for chunks. Therefore, this recipe contains boneless pieces of marinated chicken but can also be made with lamb or fish.

Step 1: Make the marinade for the chicken.

Chicken Tikka Masala has flavor in not only the creamy sauce, but the protein as well. Start by cubing up chicken breast or thighs into bite size cubes. Place them into a large mixing bowl.

To make the marinade, add yogurt, freshly squeezed lemon juice, crushed garlic cloves, minced ginger, red chili powder, cumin, salt and black pepper.

Mix the marinade ingredients with the chicken cubes.

Allow the chicken to marinate in the sauce for at least 1 hour. Ideally, this should go in the fridge overnight. The longer it marinates, the more flavorful the chicken will be.

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Step 2: Grill the marinated chicken.

Preheat the grill to a high direct heat. Instead of my usual cast iron skillet, I went with a blue carbon steel comal.

This recipe can be make on the stove top using a pan or cast iron skillet. Also, air frying the chicken is an option.

Melt some ghee or butter to grease up the pan and add the marinated chicken cubes. Cook the chicken until the internal temperature reads 160 degrees. Remove if from the pan.

Step 3: How to make the Tikka Masala sauce.

While the chicken is cooking on the grill, it’s time to prep the veggies and spices for the tikka masala sauce.

Chop tomatoes into quarters and cut thicker slices of red onion. If you are daring and are not afraid of next level heat, cut up some green chilies for that extra kick.

On a clean pan, add some ghee again or oil. Add a bay leaf, green cardamom pods, black cardamom pod, and cloves. Toss these around in the pan allowing the aromatics to be released. Next add in the chopped onions and sauté until they are nice and soft.

Add the rest of the veggies which include chopped tomatoes, chilies, garlic, ginger, a handful of cilantro and cashews. For the spices, add salt, black pepper, cumin, coriander powder, turmeric, Kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala and a 1/2 cup of water. Mix it all together and stir occasionally over medium heat. Total cook time is about 5 minutes.

Once all the veggies are soft and tender, transfer then into a food blender. Make sure to remove the bay leaf and black cardamom pod before blending the ingredients.

Mix until you get a smooth creamy consistency.

Step 4: Final steps of a Chicken Tikka Masala.

Before we start combining all the chicken tikka masala ingredient pieces together, there is one final step.

Finely chop up a red onion and tomato and set aside. On a clean pan, a ghee again. Add cumin seeds, red chili powder, turmeric, and the chopped veggies. Sauté for 3-4 minutes and add in the blended curry sauce.

To finish the recipe, add in some butter, heavy cream and fenugreek leaves. Drop on the grilled chicken cubes and mix everything together.

Sprinkle some freshly chopped cilantro over the aromatic chicken tikka masala, serve with some basmati rice or garlic naan and enjoy!

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Chicken Tikka Masala

This chicken tikka masala recipe was creamy, spicy, savory and aromatic. It's a common Indian recipe that I highly recommend everyone try.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Keyword chicken tikka masala, indian food, indian cuisine, grilled chicken, chicken recipe, dinner recipes, grilling recipes, grillin with dad recipes, grilling with dad recipes.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4 People

Calories 544kcal

Author Maciek Zurawski

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade Ingredients

• 2 large Chicken breasts
• 1 Lemon
• 2 Garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp Yogurt
• 1 tbsp Ginger paste
• 2 tsp Red chili powder
• 2 tsp Salt
• 1.5 tsp Cumin
• 1.5 tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp Pepper

Curry Sauce Ingredients

• 20 Cashews
• 5 Tomatoes
• 4 Red onions
• 2 Green cardamoms
• 2 Garlic cloves
• 1-2 Green chilies (optional)
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 Black cardamom
• 1 cup Cilantro
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1/2 cup Heavy cream
• 2 tbsp Ghee
• 2 tbsp Butter
• 2.5 tbsp Red chili powder
• 1 tbsp Oil
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Dried fenugreek leaves
• 2 tsp Cumin
• 2 tsp Coriander powder
• 2 tsp Turmeric
• 2 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1 tsp Salt

Instructions

Chicken Marinade Instructions

• Cube up chicken breasts into bite size pieces. Add to a large mixing bowl.
• To the chicken, add 2 tbsp yogurt, freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 tbsp minced ginger, 2 tsp red chili powder, 1.5 tsp cumin, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper. Mix the marinade ingredients with the chicken cubes.
• Allow the chicken to marinate in the sauce for at least 1 hour. Ideally, this should go in the fridge overnight.
• Melt 1 tbsp ghee or butter to grease up the pan and add the marinated chicken cubes. Cook the chicken until the internal temperature reads 160 degrees. Remove if from the pan.

Curry Sauce Instructions

• Chop 4 tomatoes into quarters and cut 3 thicker slices of red onion. Chop up 1-2 green chilies - this is optional.
• On a clean pan, add some ghee again or oil. Add a bay leaf, 2 green cardamom's pods, a black cardamom pod, and 2 cloves. Toss them around in the pan allowing the aromatics to be released.
• Next add in the chopped onions and sauté until they are nice and soft.
• Add the rest of the veggies which include the chopped tomatoes, chilies, garlic, ginger, a handful of cilantro and cashews. For the spices, add salt, black pepper, cumin, coriander powder, turmeric, 1.5 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala and a 1/2 cup of water. Mix it all together and stir occasionally over medium heat. Total cook time is about 5 minutes.
• Once all the veggies are soft and tender, transfer then into a food blender. Make sure to remove the bay leaf and black cardamom pod before blending the ingredients.
• Chop up a red onion and tomato and set aside. Ona clean pan, a 1 tsp ghee again. Add cumin seeds, 1 tsp red chili powder, turmeric, and the chopped veggies. Sauté for 3-4 minutes and add in the blended curry sauce.
• To finish the recipe, add in some butter, heavy cream and fenugreek leaves. Drop on the grilled chicken cubes and mix everything together.
• Sprinkle some freshly chopped cilantro over the aromatic chicken tikka masala, serve with some basmati rice or garlic naan.

Nutrition

Calories: 544kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 1741mg | Potassium: 1362mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 3845IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 170mg | Iron: 6mg

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