Easy Chicken Tikka Masala
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10000x better (and faster) than take-out! And the chicken is perfectly tender with the creamiest, most flavor-packed sauce ever!
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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 tomatoes, cream, and traditional Indian spices such as garam masala and turmeric.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA
- Cook the rice. Let’s get the rice going first so it can cook while we prep everything else. Now we love this over basmati rice but Jasmine rice can be substituted.
- Brown the chicken. Cook the chicken until nice and golden brown – we want a good sear to lock in all the flavors and juices inside the meat.
- Add your spices. Stir in all your spices and aromatics until fragrant – tomato paste, garlic, ginger, garam masala, chili powder and turmeric.
- Make the sauce. Simmer simmer simmer to let all the flavors blend together, about 10 minutes.
- Serve. Stir in heavy cream and sprinkle with cilantro, serving over rice and naan.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SUCCESS
- Use chicken thighs. Chicken breasts are great as a leaner protein source, but chicken thighs will be more tender and juicier due to its higher fat content.
- Add the cream slowly. Always add the heavy cream at the very end, pouring very slowly to prevent curdling.
- Serve with naan. Serve with all the naan for dipping, sopping and dunking!
- Make it dairy-free. For a dairy-free version, swap the heavy cream for coconut milk.
what to serve with chicken tikka masala
Easy Chicken Tikka Masala: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more 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 substitutes, but will yield a lighter result.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the heavy cream in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding heavy cream when serving.
Easy Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- ½ medium sweet onion, diced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 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 water, cook 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 golden, about 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste, garlic, ginger, garam masala, chili powder and turmeric until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in tomato sauce and chicken stock; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in heavy cream until heated through, about 1 minute.
- Serve immediately with rice, garnished with cilantro, if desired.
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this was definitely the best thing I have ever cooked. It was so good. Wasn’t too hard to make. I added less tomato sauce since I thought it was be too much. It was so good!
I just made the Easy Chicken Tikka Masala from Damn Delicious, and it was absolutely fantastic! The recipe was not only simple to follow but also resulted in a dish full of flavor and warmth. It’s the perfect comfort food for any night of the week. Thank you for sharing such a delightful recipe that’s both easy to make and incredibly satisfying!
Its sitting in the pot now as i contemplate whether or not to wait another 10 minutes for my husband to get home, i could literally drink the sauce! Thank you for a very yummy and easy meal
I made this tonight and it was a hit at our house! My 10 year, husband, and I all loved it! I used chicken breast, substituted chili flakes for the chili powder and added a couple teaspoons of sugar. This recipe was fabulous because it was super easy, everything was done in one pot (except the rice), it looked gorgeous, and it tasted sooo good! We will be making this again!
A great place to start with Tikka Masala, you can add whatever you want. I add Cauliflower.
I’ve never marinated in yogurt before, but based on what I’ve eaten at restaurants, you’re not really missing anything going with this recipe.
I made this as a last minute meal prep before going to bed and wow wow wow! This is one of, if not the best and easiest tikka masala revipe I’ve ever tried I followed the amount of each ingredient by eye, and added more of each spice and carrots as a personal preference and I couldn’t help but have a small serving after it was finished. Such a simple and delicious recipe, thank you for sharing it with us
What is the tomato sauce you refer to?
This was really, really good! I messed up by using a new to me chili powder which proved much hotter than I like, but the overall flavor was wonderful.
This is the best Tikka Masla receipe by far! My friends & family beg me to make this meal at least once a month. 10/10 would recommend to anyone.
This recipe was really good and easy! My family eats a lot though, so I doubled the chicken. I also used boneless chicken breasts. Next time I will sear the breasts or grill them and set aside so they stay juicy, and then make the sauce in the pot with the juices from the chicken separately. *I substituted a can of unsweetened coconut cream for the heavy dairy cream and it was delicious*. I also used 2 small cans of paste since I was using more chicken, but I kept the chicken stock and tomato sauce amount the same as was in this recipe. This made for a rich, thick sauce. I also seasoned the chicken with onion and garlic powder in addition to salt/pepper.
We have made this recipe multiple times within the last year because it is so simple and delicious. We’re obsessed!
This was amazing, and such a beginner friendly recipe. I was able to use the chicken breasts I already had in my freezer and they were still so tender! I’m excited to make this again using chicken thighs. This was a last minute dinner idea so I also couldn’t find Garam masala, so I had to use curry powder instead. I can’t wait to make this with no changes, I’m sure it’s going to be even better 🙂
Thanks so much; this recipe is great! I’ve made it twice now, and I’m obsessed. I have two small suggestions. The first is to add in 1/4 tsp of baking soda after adding the tomato sauce. This can reduce some of the brightness and acid of the tomatos for a mellower flavor. Just add it and keep stirring until the bubbling has stopped. The second would be to wait to add the onions until after the chicken has got a nice char on it. I found the onions released a lot of water that made it hard for the chicken to brown.
My hubby love it
First time making Tikka Masala and WOW! My 13 year old loved it too. The flavor is perfect. My only issue I did buy chicken thighs with bone and having to cut into one inch pieces was bit time consuming for me. So dont make that mistake. The chicken was super tender and had great flavor. This one is a keeper
Love this recipe!! I wondered if I could use a slow cooker for it?
so easy and quickly became a family favorite
Al the tomato sauce I can find has garlic and onion powder some have basil or oregano. Is this okay?
Can you freeze the sauce? Thanks
Great recipe, can’t wait to try your other recipes! I made a big batch tonight and was wondering if I could freeze the rest? If so how long will it last in the freezer?
Thanks!
This recipe is really easy and it tastes amazing!