Authentic Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe
Chicken tikka masala is two recipes joined together. First there’s chicken tikka: pieces of chicken marinated in spiced yogurt and cooked under fierce heat until charred at the edges. Then there’s the masala: a sauce of browned onion, ginger, garlic, ground spices and tomato, finished with cream. The chicken goes into the sauce for the last few minutes so its smoky edges flavour the whole pot.
The dish is usually credited to Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants in Britain in the 1960s or 70s. A restaurant in Glasgow is the best-known claimant, though there are others. Whatever the origin, it’s built on North Indian technique, and the method below follows that. It’s written for a home oven grill (broiler) instead of a tandoor.
Serves 4. Allow 20 minutes of prep, at least an hour of marinating, and about 50 minutes of cooking.
Ingredients
For the chicken tikka
- 700 g (1 ½ lb) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 4 cm (1 ½ in) pieces
- 150 g (⅔ cup) thick, full-fat plain yogurt
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) neutral oil or melted ghee
For the masala sauce
- 2 tbsp (30 g) ghee or neutral oil
- 1 tbsp (15 g) butter
- 1 large onion (about 225 g / 8 oz), finely chopped
- 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 4 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped (optional)
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1–2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 400 g (1 ⅔ cups) tomato passata, or a 400 g (14 oz) can of whole tomatoes, blended smooth
- 1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1 tsp sugar
- 180 ml (¾ cup) water
- 120 ml (½ cup) heavy cream (double cream)
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro, to serve
A few ingredient notes
Thighs stay tender after charring and simmering; breast dries out more easily. If you prefer breast, cut it into larger pieces and cook it for less time under the grill.
Yogurt needs to be thick so it clings to the chicken and chars rather than running off. If yours is thin, strain it in a sieve lined with kitchen paper for 30 minutes. Greek yogurt can be used as is.
Kashmiri chilli powder is mild and gives the dish its deep red colour. If you can’t find it, use 2 parts sweet paprika to 1 part cayenne. Ordinary hot chilli powder adds heat without the colour, so use less of it.
Kasuri methi, dried fenugreek leaves, gives restaurant-style curries their savoury, slightly bitter aroma. Crumble it between your palms as you add it. It’s optional, but it makes a noticeable difference. Don’t swap in fenugreek seeds, which are much more bitter.
Method
Marinate and char the chicken
- Marinate. Mix all the tikka ingredients except the chicken in a bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. Beyond a day, the acid in the yogurt and lemon starts to make the meat soft and mealy.
- Heat the grill. Turn the oven grill (broiler) to its highest setting and set a rack about 10–15 cm (4–6 in) below it. Line a baking tray with foil and set a wire rack on top, if you have one.
- Char. Spread the chicken on the rack in one layer, with space between pieces, leaving most of the marinade clinging to it. Thread them on skewers if you like. Grill for 6–8 minutes, turning once, until the edges are blackened in spots and the chicken is almost cooked through. It finishes cooking in the sauce. Set aside with any juices.
Make the masala
- Brown the onion. While the chicken marinates or cooks, heat the ghee and butter in a wide, heavy pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, for 10–12 minutes until deep golden. This is where most of the sauce’s sweetness and body come from, so don’t rush it.
- Add the aromatics. Add the ginger, garlic and green chilli and cook for 1–2 minutes until the raw smell has gone.
- Toast the spices. Add the coriander, cumin, chilli powder, paprika and turmeric and stir for 30–60 seconds. If they start to stick or catch, add a tablespoon of water. Burnt spices make the whole sauce bitter.
- Cook the tomatoes. Add the passata, salt and sugar. Simmer, stirring often, for 10–15 minutes until the sauce is thick, darker red, and you see oil separating at the edges. This is called bhuna, and it’s the sign that the tomato’s raw taste is gone.
- Blend, if you like. For a smooth sauce, blend it now with a stick blender. For a more rustic sauce, skip this.
- Simmer the chicken. Add the water and bring back to a simmer. Add the chicken and its juices and simmer gently for 8–10 minutes until the chicken reaches 74°C (165°F) in the centre.
- Finish. Stir in the cream, garam masala and crumbled kasuri methi and simmer 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt, and add a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes taste sharp. Scatter with cilantro.
Tikka masala vs butter chicken
The two dishes are often confused, and many restaurants cook them from the same base. They do differ, though.
Butter chicken (murgh makhani) is usually credited to the Moti Mahal restaurant in Delhi in the mid-20th century, although even that is the subject of a dispute between two restaurant families. It was a way to use leftover tandoori chicken in a rich tomato and butter sauce. That sauce is built mainly on tomatoes cooked with butter, often with cashews, and is usually strained or blended very smooth. It’s mild, slightly sweet, glossy and heavy on butter and cream, with kasuri methi as its signature aroma. Onion is often left out or used only lightly.
Tikka masala starts with a base of slowly browned onion, which gives it more body and a more savoury, deeper flavour. It’s usually spicier, more strongly seasoned with ground spices, and less sweet. It’s often a little thicker and more textured, and some versions include peppers or onion chunks.
In short: butter chicken is tomato, butter and cream, smooth and mild; tikka masala is onion, tomato and spices, deeper and more robust.
To turn this recipe into something closer to butter chicken, cut the onion to half, add 40 g (⅓ cup) cashews soaked in hot water with the tomatoes, blend the sauce until very smooth, and finish with 2 tbsp (30 g) extra butter and the full amount of cream. Reduce the chilli powder to 1 tsp.
Looking for more? See our easy chicken dinner recipes from around the world, sorted by time.
Common mistakes
- Pale onions. Onions that are only soft and translucent give a thin, sharp sauce.
- Wet chicken under the grill. Too much marinade on the chicken makes it steam. Shake off the excess.
- Skipping the bhuna stage. If the tomatoes aren’t cooked until the oil separates, the sauce tastes raw and acidic.
- Boiling after the cream goes in. A hard boil can split the cream. Keep it at a gentle simmer.
- Using old spices. Ground spices lose their aroma within months. If they don’t smell strong when you open the jar, replace them.
Substitutions
- No grill: sear the chicken in a very hot cast-iron pan with a little oil, 2–3 minutes per side, in batches. You get colour but less smokiness.
- Dairy-free: use coconut yogurt in the marinade, oil instead of ghee and butter, and full-fat coconut milk instead of cream.
- Paneer: use 450 g (1 lb) paneer cubes in the same marinade for 30 minutes, grill for 4–5 minutes, and add them at the end, simmering only 3 minutes.
- Milder: leave out the green chilli and reduce the Kashmiri chilli in the sauce to ½ tsp.
Make ahead and storage
Curry is a good make-ahead dish because the flavour improves overnight. Make the sauce up to 3 days ahead, leaving out the cream, and keep it covered in the fridge. Marinate the chicken the day before.
Cooked tikka masala keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw it overnight in the fridge. Reheat gently in a covered pan, adding a splash of water, until it’s bubbling and the chicken is hot all the way through (74°C / 165°F). If the sauce has separated slightly after freezing, a vigorous stir usually brings it back.
Serving
Serve it with basmati rice, naan or both. To cook rice for four, rinse 300 g (1 ½ cups) basmati until the water runs clear, soak it for 20 minutes, then simmer it covered with 450 ml (1 ¾ cups + 2 tbsp) water and a pinch of salt for 12 minutes. Rest it covered for 10 minutes off the heat. Kachumber, a simple salad of diced cucumber, tomato and onion with lime and salt, cuts through the richness of the sauce.
For a quicker curry with completely different flavours, try our Thai green curry, which is ready in about 40 minutes. Our Ethiopian doro wat is another chicken stew built on slowly cooked onions and warm spices.
Can’t find kasuri methi? Our world pantry guide lists the closest swaps.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
- 700 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs 1 ½ lb, cut into 4 cm / 1 ½ in pieces
- 150 g thick full-fat plain yogurt ⅔ cup
- 1 tbsp lemon juice 15 ml
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 3 garlic cloves finely grated
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp neutral oil or melted ghee 15 ml
- 2 tbsp ghee or neutral oil 30 g
- 1 tbsp butter 15 g
- 1 large onion 225 g / 8 oz, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 4 garlic cloves finely grated
- 1 green chilli finely chopped, optional
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1–2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 400 g tomato passata or blended canned tomatoes 1 ⅔ cups
- 1 tsp fine sea salt plus more to taste
- 1 tsp sugar
- 180 ml water ¾ cup
- 120 ml heavy cream ½ cup
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp kasuri methi dried fenugreek leaves, crumbled
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Mix the tikka ingredients, add the chicken and coat. Cover and refrigerate 1–24 hours.
- Heat the grill (broiler) to high with a rack 10–15 cm (4–6 in) below. Spread the chicken on a rack over a foil-lined tray, shaking off excess marinade.
- Grill 6–8 minutes, turning once, until charred in spots and almost cooked through. Set aside with the juices.
- Heat the ghee and butter in a wide pan over medium heat. Cook the onion 10–12 minutes, stirring often, until deep golden.
- Add the ginger, garlic and green chilli and cook 1–2 minutes.
- Add the ground coriander, cumin, chilli powder, paprika and turmeric and stir 30–60 seconds, adding a splash of water if they catch.
- Add the passata, salt and sugar. Simmer 10–15 minutes, stirring, until thick and the oil separates at the edges. Blend smooth if you like.
- Add the water, return to a simmer, then add the chicken and juices. Simmer gently 8–10 minutes until the chicken reaches 74°C (165°F).
- Stir in the cream, garam masala and kasuri methi and simmer 2 minutes. Adjust salt, scatter with cilantro and serve.
Notes
Photo: Alberta Studios on Pexels
