Easy Chicken Tikka Masala
by Chungah
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100x better (and faster) than take-out! And the chicken is perfectly juicy and tender with the dreamiestcreamiestmost flavor-packed sauce!
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why i love this chicken tikka masala recipe
- Weeknight superhero. Dinner is handled with this easylightning fast dish made in 30 min start to finish.
- No more boring chicken. Winner winnerchicken dinner! The chicken is tenderjuicysaucy and so flavorful (thanks to a lovely blend of a few pantry staples – we’re talking tomato pastegarlicgingergaram masalachili powder and turmeric).
- Flexible recipe. Use chicken thighs or breastsserve over naan or basmati rice (or a grain of your choosing).
WHAT IS CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA?
Tikka masala is a very popular Indian dish (that may have actually originated from Great Britain) that consists of boneless chicken in a spiced curry sauce of tomatoescreamand traditional Indian spices such as garam masala and turmeric.
BUTTER CHICKEN VS. CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA
Butter chickenoriginating from Delhiis generally mildersweeter and richer than chicken tikka masalamade with more cream and butter.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA
- Let’s get the rice going first so it can cook while we prep everything else (we love this over basmati rice but jasmine rice can be substituted)
- Cook the chicken until nice and golden brown – we want a good sear to lock in all the flavors and juices inside the meat
- Stir in all your spices and aromatics until fragrant
- Simmer simmer simmer to let all the flavors blend togetherabout 10 minutes
- Add in your finishing touchesstirring in heavy cream and sprinkling with cilantro
- Serve over rice and all the naan
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SUCCESS
- Use chicken thighs. Chicken breasts are great as a leaner protein sourcebut chicken thighs will be more tender and juicier due to its higher fat content.
- Tomato paste adds so much flavor. Tomato paste is a key ingredient in chicken tikka masalaadding body and richness in small amounts without adding too much liquid to the dish. Opt for tomato paste in a tubeusing up only what you need at a time without having to open up a whole can.
- Add the cream slowly. Always add the heavy cream at the very endpouring very slowly to prevent curdling.
- Serve with naan. Serve with all the naan for dippingsopping and dunking!
- Make it dairy-free. For a dairy-free versionswap the heavy cream for coconut milk.
what to serve with chicken tikka masala
- Roasted Cauliflower
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Garlic Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
- Garlic Butter Mushrooms and Cauliflower
- Baked Garlic Herb Potato Wedges
Easy Chicken Tikka Masala: Frequently Asked Questions
Yeschicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juiciermore flavorful chicken.
Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) has one of the highest fat contents with about 36-40% fat. Half and half or whole milk are suitable substitutesbut will yield a lighter result.
Basmati ricea sprinkle of fresh cilantro leaves and toasted naan for sopping and dunking are crowd-favorites!
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the heavy cream in individual freezer bagsthaw overnightand reheat on the stovetopadding heavy cream when serving.
Easy Chicken Tikka Masala
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 ½ pounds bonelessskinless chicken thighscut into 1-inch chunks
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepperto taste
- 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ medium sweet oniondiced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlicminced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons garam masala
- 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- In a large saucepan of 2 cups watercook rice according to package instructions; set aside.
- Season chicken with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chicken and onion to the stockpot and cook until goldenabout 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in tomato pastegarlicgingergaram masalachili powder and turmeric until fragrantabout 1 minute.
- Stir in tomato sauce and chicken stock; season with salt and pepperto taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmerstirring occasionallyuntil reduced and slightly thickenedabout 10 minutes.
- Stir in heavy cream until heated throughabout 1 minute.
- Serve immediately with ricegarnished with cilantroif desired.
Equipment
Did you make this recipe?
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So easy and delicious. I made it with my 10-12 year old students during an enrichment class. One boy was drinking the sauce!
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! Full of flavor and such an easy dinner to make during the week. My family loves it and we will make again!!
So close! I followed the recipe as written and it was way too acidic. Next timeI would use less tomato sauce (halfmaybe?) and I think it would be great.
I added 2 tablespoons of buttermostly in an effort to neutralize the acidity of the tomato sauceand I would keep that next timeeven with less tomato sauce.
Amazingly delicious and such an easy weeknight dinner. Just as delicious as the dish we get at our favorite Indian restaurant.
My wife and I like it more than takeout!
This is a go to! Friends joke it is fake(no yogurtetc) but everyone loves it! So easy to make and possibly even better the next day.
I do add some spicedepending on what I havecrushed red is always addedand I have used finely a couple diced fresh jalapeño(put this in with the onion) Definitely a keeper!
Absolutely wonderful!
My hubby and daughters loved it and kept repeating how delicious it was.
Definitely will repeat and repeat 🙂
I just added cayenne pepper to the sauceand cummin to the rice (not ground).
It was fantasticthank you!!
This was really easy and delicious thanks!! I was wondering if you had any idea if subbing the heavy cream for nonfat greek yogurt? I just don’t buy heavy cream oftenbut I always have greek yogurt in the fridgeso I was hoping this could work!
Someone commented right below that they used Greek yogurt. That’s a great idea!
Made this tonight it was absolutely delicious just the right amount of pice.I added greek Yoghurt instead of cream. Will definitely make this again and again. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe with us.
quick and easy. so good.
Made tonight for husband who loves tikka masala! He said this was the best he’s ever had in the U.S. quite a compliment! We tripled the spices and could go even higher. Added cuminfenugreek leavesKashmiri chili. We like spicy. Thanks for the easy recipe!
I add 10X the seasoning because we like it extra spicy. It’s great with carrots and serrano peppers added as well. It’s my son’s favorite dish.
Can I use coconut milk instead of cream?
This was incredible!!! To make it a bit softer on the palette for my littlesI added double the heavy cream. We served it two wayspasta and rice. It was loved by all!
This recipe is an absolute STAPLE in my house!! It’s SO delicious and such a simple mealyet so filling! I make it exactly as it’s recommended and we eat it at least twice a week in my home! lol has a GREAT flavorbut not too spicy at all! I’m a wimp when it comes to spice and this is totally fine. Has the tiniest kick to itbut more flavorful than anything! MAKE IT! You won’t regret it!
Very good for my first attempt was a bit watery/tomato forward as it’s my first attempt at Indian food what do I need to change to kick it up. A notch.
Delicious! I made it following the recipe with the exception of using half-and-half instead of heavy cream.
My go-to Chicken Tikka Masala recipe!
Wonderful
Easygreatright amount of spice and can spice it up if you prefer moremy boyfriend who thinks he doesn’t like Indian food loved it. Had to leave to pick a friend up from the airport mid-cook – after adding the tomato sauce and chicken brothwe let it rest. Got backbrought to boilsimmeretc.added creamand it was great. Good to know if you need to prep and dip. Delicious regardless.
I haven’t tried anything from here that hasn’t been a home runand this is no exception.
I have tried a ton of chicken tikka masala recipes and my go-to before this one was a several hour ordeal making lots of dirty dishes.
I always double this recipe hoping for leftovers but I’m usually disappointed as the kids will eat this til they bust. Sometimes I’m smart enough to put some aside for a lunch for myself the next day before they wreck it.
Only a couple of small tweaks –
I serve it over brown rice and sautée up a bunch of veggies to serve with it – usually at a minimum summer squash but sometimes also colored bell peppers and onions. I scoop out the rice then top with veggies then chicken and sauce – it’s a great way to get more veggies in and the super delicious sauce makes the veggies go down easy for the kids.
Also since I had it on hand from another recipeI used kashmiri chili powder for the regular and add a couple of tablespoons of dried fenugreek leaves with the tomato sauce before simmering. These two additions really take it to the next level.
This recipe is super delicious and super easy and always a huge hit!