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Authentic Chicken Tikka Masala
Everyone loves Indian buffet and I am no exception. One of my favorite dishes at Indian restaurant is the orange hued, creamy, rich, and delicious chicken tikka masala.
I love it with naan, basmati rice or chicken biryani. In this recipe tutorial, you’ll learn Indian Chicken Tikka Masala recipe.
How to Make Chicken Tikka Masala
To make chicken tikka masala, first you make Tandoori chicken, grilled over fire or baked in oven. For home cooks, baking is the easiest option.
Secondly, you make the delicious tikka masala sauce and cook the chicken until a rich creamy consistency.
Tikka Masala Sauce
Tikka Masala Sauce consists of the following key ingredients:
- Tomato Paste
- Garam Masala or Indian Spice Mix. You can get it from Indian/Asian stores or online
- Ketchup
- Whipping Cream
This Chicken Masala Recipe involves a two-step process but I will assure you that end result is worth your effort. Once you try my Chicken Tikka Masala recipe, you will never go back to Indian buffets again.
It tastes just just like your favorite Indian restaurant if not better.
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 297 calories per serving.
What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
- 1 lb. tandoori chicken
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon finely minced ginger
- 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
- 1/2 cup canned tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- salt to taste
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream/yogurt
- 2 sprigs cilantrom leaves only (roughly chopped)
Instructions
- Cut the Tandoori Chicken (click for recipe) into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
- Heat the butter in a pan over low heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and saute for about 1-2 minutes or until aromatic. Add the tomato paste and chili powder, stir to mix well, about 30 seconds.
- Add the Tandoori Chicken and Garam Masala into the pan, stir and let simmer for 10 minutes. Cover the pan with its lid.
- Add the ketchup, sugar, salt, water, and simmer for another 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the heavy whipping cream or yogurt, stir to combine well with all the ingredients in the pan. Transfer the Chicken Tikka Masala to a serving platter and garnish with the chopped cilantro leaves before serving.
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
Would boneless chicken work for this recipe?
Yes.
I’m a senior in high school and made this dish for an assignment. Everyone really liked it in my family, and once I found out where to get all of the ingredients for it, it was pretty simple overall to make. Those that wanted to make it more spicy could build on what I made and my younger brother had his with less sauce. It wasn’t expensive to make either. I will make it again, thanks!
Awesome!😊👍
Made again this evening…so delicious!! Thank you for this amazing recipe as well as so many more!!!
Fantastic Recipe! Definitely just like the Indian buffets that are prolific in Silicon Valley Calif. We used chicken tenders and added after the chicken was cooked to the Tikka Masala sauce. Didn’t have chili powder so we used 1 Tablespoon of red pepper flakes. It had a nice kick to it but not overwhelming. Doubled the garlic and ginger. We were using fresh Hawaiian ginger which also adds some spice and sweetness.
Amazing!😊
The chili powder, is that the chili powder used in American beans and chili, or another variety?
Thanks
Stacey
Yes that’s fine.
Hi Rasa, I really want to try your recipes of Tikka Masala, which calls for tandoori chicken and garam masala spices. I live in Toronto, and my local Indian store owner told me that I could just use Tandoori Masala by Desi instead of both. I’d love to hear your opinion since Tandoori Masala offers a simpler solution and doesn’t involve buying different types of spices. Look forward to hearing your advice. Thank you!
Sure you can try!
Will fresh cherry tomatoes be ok instead of tomato paste can’t find here
Yes, you can use 1:2 or 1:3 ratio, but it is up to you, and you will need to chop or crush the cherry tomatoes.