My Restaurant Trick for Making “Perfect” Chicken Tikka Masala

Creamy chicken tikka masala is a delicious and flavorful curried dish that combines the flavors of onion and tomato with spices like Kashmiri chili powder, ground coriander, and garam masala. While the origin of this dish is debatable, it represents the culinary fusion of South Asia and the West, as it is believed to have been created for a British restaurant by a chef from Pakistan or Bangladesh (countries that were once part of India during British colonial rule before the partition).

One of my favorite appetizers is chicken tikka, which is traditionally marinated chicken breast or thighs that is skewered and grilled in a tandoor and served with mint chutney. To have taken this to the next level by adding chicken tikka to a creamy, tomato-based sauce is the work of a genius. My version features marinated chicken thighs, which I find are juicier and retain more flavor than chicken breast. But they are easily interchangeable. You can play around with the flavors by adding more or less chili, spices, and cream to suit your preference. The best part of Indian cooking is we flavor our food without measurement and by taste. So, feel free to have fun with it!

Why You’ll Love It

• The chicken is anything but bland. Marinating the chicken in yogurt and lemon juice tenderizes the meat while the salt and spices make for a flavorful seasoning.

• You don’t need a tandoor to get that signature smoky flavor. Searing the chicken on high heat mimics the effect of the tandoor. The yogurt marinade will char on high heat, giving it the slightly smoky and burnt flavor that you’re after.

Key Ingredients in Chicken Tikka Masala

• Chicken thighs: While chicken breast is a more popular choice, I like using chicken thighs in all my curries. They are juicy, hard to overcook, and retain flavor very well. My preference is bone-in chicken thighs, however this recipe was made for the boneless version. If you happen to have bone-in chicken thighs, a great tip is to carve out the bones, cut the chicken, and add both the meat and bones into the sauce. The bones enhance the flavor profile of the chicken tikka masala, giving it a deeper and richer taste.

• Kashmiri chili powder: A type of spice made from chilis grown in Kashmir. It is known for providing a vibrant red color without adding too much heat. It’s a great natural coloring agent for curries and roasts.

• Garam masala: A popular Indian spice blend whose name translates as “hot spice mix.” Its contents differ depending on the region of India it originates from. But the generic blend found in most grocery stores is adapted from the Northern Indian region consisting of toasted and ground cloves, cinnamon, green cardamom, black cardamom, cumin, coriander, mace, nutmeg, bay leaf, and black pepper.

• Heavy cream: One of the most important ingredients in chicken tikka masala, heavy cream is used to finish the dish. You can easily substitute coconut cream in its place. Adding cream any earlier can cause the dish to split so I recommend pouring it in at the last moment, just before turning off the heat.

How to Make Chicken Tikka Masala

1. Marinate the chicken. Make the yogurt-based marinade in a bowl, adding the spices, ginger, garlic, and lemon juice and whisking well to remove any lumps of spices. If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, mix the marinade and chicken well in the bowl or add the chicken and marinade to a zip-top bag; seal and mush them around so that the spiced yogurt covers every piece of chicken.

2. Sear the chicken. In order to ensure excess marinade doesn’t end up on the pan, pat dry the marinated chicken. Sear on high heat so charred spots form, which provides the smoky flavor you are looking for and mimics the tandoori effect. Remove the chicken and juices from the pan, and set aside.

3. Make the onion and tomato-based sauce. After wiping the pan clean, heat the ghee up before adding the cumin seeds, chopped onion, and green chili. Sauté well until it turns golden-brown and add the rest of the spices to flavor the onions. Add tomato paste and allow it to caramelize, turning dark red in color. This helps remove the acidity of the tomatoes and impart a sweeter taste. After adding fire-roasted crushed tomatoes and water, let the rawness of the tomatoes cook off. This may take a while, but it is a crucial step. You know the sauce has cooked well when you begin to see the oils separating out along the sides of the pan.

4. Finish the chicken in the sauce. Add the chicken and juices back into the sauce and allow it to finish cooking in it. The chicken juices are important, without which the flavor profile reduces. Pour in the heavy cream once the chicken has cooked, season with salt to taste, and sprinkle with freshly chopped cilantro.

Helpful Swaps

• Kashmiri chili powder can be substituted with hot paprika or cayenne pepper.

• You can substitute 1 3/4 to 2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs for boneless skinless, as I personally love using bone-in chicken for any kind of curry because it changes the flavors immensely. Carve out the bone on each thigh, cut the meat into pieces, and cook the bones with the meat.

Storage and Make-Ahead Tips

The chicken can be marinated up to 1 day ahead. Any Indian chicken curry recipe always tastes better the next day, as the flavors have had time to rest and incorporate well into the dish. Feel free to make this up to 1 day ahead, refrigerate in an airtight container, and reheat over medium heat. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

What to Serve with Chicken Tikka Masala

• Chapati

• Naan

• Steamed Rice

• Pita Bread

Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

Searing marinated chicken thighs on high heat delivers the most flavorful tikka masala ever.

Prep time 30 minutes

Cook time 50 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 6 cloves garlic, finely grated (about 2 teaspoons)

• 1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and finely grated (about 1 1/2 teaspoons)

• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1/2 small lemon)

• 1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

• 2 teaspoons ground coriander, divided

• 3/4 teaspoon garam masala, divided

• 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or hot paprika, divided

• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric, divided

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6 medium), cut into 1-inch pieces

• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)

• 1/2 green Thai chili or serrano pepper, finely chopped (remove the seeds from the serrano before chopping)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil, divided

• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water, divided

• 1 tablespoon ghee

• 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

• 1 teaspoon tomato paste

• 1 (about 14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably fire roasted

• 1/2 cup heavy cream or coconut cream

• Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

• Steamed basmati rice or naan, for serving

Instructions

1. Place half of the grated garlic (about 1 teaspoon), half of the grated ginger (about 3/4 teaspoon), 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon of the ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon of the garam masala, 1/4 teaspoon of the Kashmiri chili powder, and 1/8 teaspoon of the ground turmeric in a small bowl (or medium bowl if marinating in the bowl). Whisk to combine. Transfer to a large zip-top bag if you’d like to marinate in a bag.

2. Add 1 1/2 pounds cut-up boneless, skinless chicken thighs to the marinade and mix until each piece is well-coated. Seal the bag or cover the bowl and let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to overnight.

3. Prepare a double layer of paper towels. Arrange the chicken in a single layer on the paper towels, cover with more towels, and pat dry.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of the chicken in a single layer and sear until dark brown or charred spots form on both sides, about 2 1/2 minutes per side. (It’s okay if some of them burn a little, you want to mimic the tandoori effect as much as possible.) Transfer to a bowl (the chicken may not be cooked through). Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the pan and repeat searing the remaining chicken and transferring to the bowl.

5. Add 2 tablespoons of the water to the skillet and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom. Scrape into the bowl of chicken.

6. Wipe the skillet clean. Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in the skillet over medium heat until melted. Add 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds and cook until they start to sputter, about 1 minute.

7. Add 1 finely chopped medium red onion, 1/2 finely chopped green chili, and the remaining grated ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes.

8. Stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, 1/4 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder, 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric, and 1 pinch kosher salt. Cook, stirring often, until the spices are toasted and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add 1 teaspoon tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until the tomato paste darkens in color and caramelizes, about 3 minutes.

9. Stir in 1 (about 14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes and the remaining 1/2 cup water. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the oils separate out from the sauce along the edges of the pan, 10 to 15 minutes. (This is a good time to prepare the rice or naan for serving.)

10. Return the chicken and juices back to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the flavors meld, about 5 minutes more.

11. Stir in 1/2 cup heavy cream, then turn off the heat. Taste and season with more kosher salt as needed. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and serve with rice or naan.

Recipe Notes

Recipe Notes

Substitutions:

• Kashmiri chili powder can be substituted with hot paprika or cayenne pepper.

• You can substitute 1 3/4 to 2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs for boneless skinless, as I personally love using bone-in chicken for any kind of curry because it changes the flavors immensely. Carve out the bone on each thigh, cut the meat into pieces, and cook the bones with the meat.

Make ahead:

• The chicken can be marinated up to 1 day ahead.

• Any Indian chicken curry recipe always tastes better the next day, as the flavors have had time to rest and incorporate well into the dish. Feel free to make this up to 1 day ahead, refrigerate in an airtight container, and reheat over medium heat.

Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Further Reading

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