About Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken tikka masala is a classic curried dish with soft tender chunks of char-grilled chicken, simmered briefly in a delicious & super aromatic tikka masala sauce/gravy. The dish comprises of 2 components – one is chicken tikka and the other is the masala, which is the gravy or sauce in which the tikkas are simmered. The word tikka literally means a piece or chunk and here chicken tikka are grilled chunks of chicken that are first marinated in spiced & herbed yogurt and then char-grilled to perfection. These smoky and aromatic tender chunks are simmered in a creamy, delicious and flavoursome onion tomato masala, known as tikka masala. The finished dish has a super addictive smoky flavour, tastes creamy and supremely delicious!!! This world popular dish has its origin from Northern India, where chicken tikka kebabs were cooked in a tandoor consisting of live charcoal or wood fire. These are served as an appetizer with coriander/ Cilantro Chutney and Mint Chutney. However tikka masala sauce/gravy is said to be a British curry, popularized by the Indian Chefs, working in Britain. As you research, you will find many stories on the origin of chicken tikka masala and a few dozens of variations to cook this dish.

Chicken Tikka Masala Vs Butter Chicken

A lot of people think Chicken tikka masala and Butter Chicken and Chicken Jalfrezi are same but in fact they are not. Chicken tikka masala is on the spicier side, is made with boneless chicken and has a chunky sauce due to the usage of chopped onions. It is also cooked in oil and sometimes a small amount of butter is used. But authentic Indian Butter chicken has no onions and can be made with bone-in chicken and is essentially cooked in butter. The main characteristic of an authentic Butter chicken is its smooth silky sauce and is low on the spice levels, with sweet notes but not prominently sweet tasting.

My Recipe

My recipe is easy enough for beginners and gives you the best chicken tikka masala that actually tastes better than in any restaurant. You can easily tweak the spice levels by following my notes and tips below. Here are the key differences between the Indian Chicken Tikka Masala and the British Chicken Tikka Masala: My recipe works well for both the versions The Indian version of tikka masala has whole spices like bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms. 2 interesting ingredients you always find is the bell pepper & onions in the tikka skewers. However I have not added them here just to keep the recipe simple. You won’t find any of these in the British curry. The Indian style Tikka Masala uses cashews to give that creamy and naturally sweet flavour. Very little quantity of cream is used at the end mostly for garnish and to adjust the flavours. The British tikka masala has a lot of cream and no cashews are used. Indian masala makes use of fresh tomatoes (chopped or pureed) so your dish has more fresh flavours. The British chicken tikka masala is essentially made with passata/ bottled or canned tomato puree which imparts umami flavors. Some recipes even use canned tomato soup & tomato paste.

Indian Vs British Tikka Masala

To summarise, Indian chicken tikka masala has fresh flavors due to the use of fresh tomatoes. It’s creamy, rich and delicious and won’t make you feel bloated as there is a very small amount of cream used. Cashews impart a magical creamy texture and flavour without making you feel heavy. The British tikka masala has more deep flavors due to the use of passata and you will love this if you love the delicious umami flavour. But this requires plenty of cream to balance the taste of passata else you will only taste tomatoes in the curry. Over the years I have tested this recipe with fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes – fire roasted, bottled tomato puree/passata from different brands. So I have updated the recipe for both the versions and note that all brands of tomato puree or canned tomatoes won’t work here. Avoid using canned tomatoes with citric acid added to it. This results in a metallic taste in the dish. I use passata from Mutti brand. It is sweet (no added sweetener) and won’t make your dish overly sour/tangy.

How to Make Chicken Tikka Masala (Stepwise photos)

Chicken Marinade

  1. Dice chicken to 1 to 1½ inch pieces and add to a large mixing bowl. Pat dry with a few kitchen tissues to make sure there is no excess moisture. For this recipe, you will need about 22 to 23 oz (635 to 650 grams) boneless chicken thighs or breasts. A little more or less is just okay. Add the following:

½ to 1 teaspoon red chilli powder 1 teaspoon garam masala ½ teaspoon cumin powder 1 teaspoon coriander powder ¼ teaspoon turmeric ½ teaspoon salt

  1. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon oil. Try to avoid lime juice here. For authentic Indian tikka flavors, use mustard oil.
  2. Add 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste and 1 tablespoon kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves).
  3. Add ½ cup Greek yogurt / strained yogurt or Hung curd. You won’t use the runny yogurt with whey here because that will let out a lot of moisture and ruin your tikkas. If you do not have it, you can make your own from my post here – Strained yogurt or Hung Curd. But note that you have to make this 12 hours in advance because this takes time.
  4. Mix up everything well. Cover with a cling wrap and let it rest for a minimum of 8 hours & up to 48 hours in the refrigerator. If you are in a rush you may cook them after 3 hours but longer the better as they really become juicy and soak up all the flavors well.

Make The Tikka Masala

  1. Pour 3 tablespoons oil or ghee or a mix of both to a pot or pan. When it turns hot, add 1 ½ cups onions (1 large or 2 medium) and sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt. Saute on a medium heat until they turn deep golden. We don’t want the onions to be half cooked here.
  2. Add 1 chopped green chilli (optional) and 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste. If you don’t have it, you can make your own by following this Ginger garlic paste recipe. Saute for about 40 to 60 seconds until you begin to smell the ginger garlic.
  3. Turn the heat to low, add

1 teaspoon red chilli powder 1 tablespoon coriander powder 2 teaspoons garam masala 1 ½ teaspoons cumin powder

  1. Stir well quickly. We don’t want to burn the spices.
  2. Immediately pour the tomato puree. If using fresh tomatoes, you will puree 500 grams (1.1 pounds) ripe red tomatoes in a blender to a smooth puree. Or use 1 ¼ cup (10 oz) bottled tomato puree/ passata.
  3. Cook this on a medium high heat stirring often until the masala thickens as shown in the picture. This step takes some time so be patient and cook down the tomatoes as the curry develops a flavor at this stage. You may check the video in the recipe card for consistency. While you cook the tomatoes here, bring 2 cups of water to a rolling boil in another pot.
  4. When the tikka masala turns thick, pour the hot water and give a good mix.
  5. Cover and simmer on a low heat until the sauce becomes fragrant and thick.

Grill the Chicken Tikka

  1. While the tikka masala cooks, grill your chicken tikka. Thread the chicken on to the skewers and place them on a prepared tray. Place the tray in the middle rack, in a preheated oven at 240 C or 460 F for 9 to 10 mins.
  2. Later turn them with the help of a tong and bake for another 9 to 10 mins. If they look dry in between you can baste the tikkas with the marinade. To char your chicken, broil for 2 mins or until slightly charred. To Air fry, place the tikkas in your tray or basket. Air fry for 6 mins at 200 C or 400 F. Turn them to the other side and air fry for another 6 mins. To Cook them on the skillet/ pan, Pour 1 tablespoon oil to a heavy bottom skillet or cast iron pan. When the pan is hot, you will place the tikkas in the pan one by one, spacing them apart. Cook for 3 to 4 mins on a medium high heat and turn them to the other side. Cook on the other side until your chicken is almost cooked and charred. I have a picture of this at the end of this step by step photo section.

Make Chicken Tikka Masala

  1. When the tikka sauce has cooked well and thickened, pour half cup heavy cream or thickened cream. Or make your own cashew cream. For this, make a fine powder of 30 whole cashews in a grinder, then pour 1/3 cup water and grind to smooth puree. You will get ½ cup thick cream similar to thickened cream. Pour 2 to 3 tbsps water to the grinder and swirl gently and pour that to the tikka masala. If you do not have a powerful grinder, read my tips below.
  2. Add sugar and give a good mix.
  3. Let it simmer until thick and aromatic.
  4. Add all of the grilled chicken tikka and 1 tablespoon kasuri methi. Make sure your curry has reached a thick and almost serving consistency before you add chicken. Taste test and add more salt or sugar if required to balance the flavors.
  5. Mix and cook covered, until the chicken is soft and tender. This takes only 2 to 3 mins.
  6. Garnish with 2 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or thickened cream and 3 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves. Serve chicken tikka masala with Butter Naan, paratha, roti or over Jeera rice or plain basmati rice.

Pro Tips

Yogurt: Use Greek yogurt or strained yogurt also known as Hung curd in Indian cuisine. Using runny yogurt makes your marinade runny and will drain all of the spicy marinade to the pan when you grill them. The chicken won’t have any flavors. So make sure your marinade is thick. Yogurt is the key ingredient here. It tenderizes, prevents the chicken from drying out while grilling at high temperatures and adds a unique flavor. Red Chilli Powder: Use Kashmiri red chilli powder as it is low on heat levels. You will use Indian Chilli powder which is simply pure 100% ground dried red chilies. You can substitute this with paprika. Again you have many kinds here, use smoked paprika. Adjust the quantity to suit your taste. Chicken Thigh Vs Breasts: You can use chicken thighs or breasts. But note that breasts need long marinade time, a minimum of 8 hours is recommended. Without this they are most likely to dry out and turn chewy. If you are in a rush, use chicken breasts and marinate for a minimum of 3 hours. Cooking tikka on Skillet or Pan: If you want to cook the tikkas in a skillet or pan, ensure your marinade is thick and not runny else your tikkas will ooze out plenty of moisture and all the masala will come over to the pan and not stay on the tikkas. Here is a picture of the tikkas grilled in a pan. For the authentic Indian restaurant version, use bell peppers and onions in your marinade. But grill the chicken and bell peppers separately not in the same batch. Related Recipes

Recipe Card

Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe first published in September 2012. Update and republished in June 2022.

Chicken Tikka Masala Old Recipe

Marination400 to 500 grams chicken cubes (boneless chicken)1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powderLemon juice from ½ lemon (refer notes)½ cup Greek yogurt or hung curd or 1 cup curd (refer instructions and notes)⅛ tsp turmeric1 tsp coriander powder½ tsp cumin powder1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)Salt to taste1 tbsp. oil for fryingIngredients for gravy3 tbsps. oil½ tsp cumin1 bay leaf1 to 2 black cardamom3 green cardamoms3 cloves (can use up to 5)1 inch cinnamon stick (can use 2 inch stick)3 medium onions finely chopped3 medium tomatoes (pureed)2 tsps ginger garlic paste1 ½ tsp coriander powder1 tbsp red chili powder¼ tsp turmeric4 tbsp cashewnut and melon paste (you can just use cashew paste)½ tsp Kasuri methi¼ cup cream (optional, can even use smooth almond or cashew milk or cream)½ tsp. Garam masalaCoriander leaves chopped½ tsp. sugar (optional)Vegetables (chop large cubes)1 large onion (separate the layers of onion cubes)½ small green capsicum½ small red capsicum (optional)1 tomato (remove the pulp) (optional)

How to make the recipe

Make Hung yogurt or curdAdd yogurt or curd to a thin cheese cloth or muslin cloth and knot it. Hang it inside the refrigerator for 5 to 6 hours for the whey to drip off completely.Make the chicken tikkaPat dry chicken with kitchen tissues.Add the marination ingredients to a bowl and marinate the chicken. Set aside in the refrigerator for at least 2 hrs, overnight yields the best.You can grill these in a preheated oven at 240 C for 20 minutes. Adjust the timing slightly.If you do not have a oven, you can pan roast the chicken tikka. Add one tbsp. oil to a non-stick pan and heat it. Swipe off the excess marinade from the chicken and fry them on a high flame till they are almost cooked. The masala burns quickly at this stage, so take care. Do not cook on a low flame, the tikka gets spoilt with all moisture oozing out. Do not overcook the tikka, they turn hard.While the tikka is getting cooked, marinate the veggies in the left over marinate that was swiped off the chicken. Repeat swiping off the excess marinade from the veggies and fry these for 2 minutes or more till the marinade dries up. Transfer this to a wide tray. The chicken should look moist, tender and veggies crunchy, with the marinade almost dried up. Make the gravy Grind tomatoes to a smooth puree in a blender. Set this aside. You can also use chopped tomatoes.Pour oil for the gravy to the same pan. Add whole spices, allow them to sizzle.Add chopped onions, fry evenly till they turn golden.Stir in garlic ginger paste, fry till the raw smell disappears.Pour in the tomato puree, red chili, coriander powder, salt. Mix and fry for 2 to 3 minutes.Stir in cashew & melon paste, fry till the mixture leaves the sides of the panAdd sugar, tikka pieces and veggies, stir well and fry for 2 to 3 minutes.Add water just enough to make a gravy. Bring it to a good boil & cook until the gravy turns thick.Add kasuri methi cook for 2 to 3 mins.Pour in the cream, add garam masala and add coriander leaves, off the flame. Keep covered for at least 15 minutesServe with paratha, roti, naanNotesLemon juice- you can skip using lemon juice if using sour yogurtmaking hung curd- one cup yogurt usually yields ½ cup hung curd. But that depends on the kind of yogurt

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