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Chicken Tikka Masala served in a white bowl
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5 from 2 votes

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chunks of chicken are marinated, broiled and served in a creamy, Indian-spiced tomato sauce absolutely bursting with flavor...you'll be licking your plate! 
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

Chicken & Marinade

  • 1.5 to 1.7 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed off and cut into ¾ inch pieces
  • 7 oz. full fat greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced or pressed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced or pressed
  • 2 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 medium fresh jalapeño, minced (take seeds & ribs out for less heat)
  • 1.5 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 2.5 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 4 teaspoon paprika
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
  • 1.5 cups tomato puree
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 3 oz heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 cup uncooked basmati rice (or 3 cups cooked)

Instructions

Marinate Chicken

  • In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, coriander, cumin, and cayenne and stir to combine. Add chicken chunks and stir well so that all chicken pieces are thoroughly coated in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. 

Cook Rice & Make Sauce

  • In a small pot, cook basmati rice according to package instructions.
  • In a large Dutch oven, heat oil & butter over medium heat until the butter is melted and foamy. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until light golden, about 8 minutes. 
  • Add garlic, ginger, jalapeño, garam masala, coriander, cumin, paprika and cayenne and cook, stirring often, about 2 minutes. 
  • Add tomato puree, water, salt, and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Cook Chicken

  • While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper position (about 4-5 inches from heating element) and preheat broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray, and spread chicken pieces out evenly on the sheet in a single layer. Broil until charred on top and cooked through (so that a meat thermometer reaches at least 165°F), about 6-8 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time. Set aside when finished.

Finish Sauce & Combine

  • Remove sauce from the heat. Use an immersion blender to thoroughly blend the sauce until very smooth. 
    (If you used a nonstick pot/pan instead of a dutch oven, be careful not to scratch your pan during blending. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can ladle/pour the sauce into a regular blender, just be sure to remove the circular insert from the top of the blender and cover it with a towel before blending, otherwise you'll have a masala-decorated kitchen on your hands.)
  • Add cream and stir until thoroughly combined. Taste and adjust salt if desired. 
  • Using the foil as a hammock, add the chicken pieces and any juices that have collected into the sauce. Stir to combine, and serve over cooked basmati rice with a sprinkle of cilantro on top. 

Notes

I like to use only half of the ribs and seeds from the jalapeño, that plus the cayenne in the sauce gives this dish a noticeable spicy kick. If you want it to be less spicy, remove all the seeds and ribs from the jalapeño and/or eliminate the cayenne from the sauce. 
 
Let the chicken pieces cook under the broiler until you see noticeable charred bits - they add great flavor!