Easy Chicken Tikka Masala
100x better (and faster) than take-out! And the chicken is perfectly juicy and tender with the dreamiest, creamiest, most flavor-packed sauce!
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
Equipment
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.
Notes
- 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.
- Tomato paste adds so much flavor. Tomato paste is a key ingredient in chicken tikka masala, adding body and richness in small amounts without adding too much liquid to the dish. Opt for tomato paste in a tube, using up only what you need at a time without having to open up a whole can.
- Heavy cream will add ultra-richness. For that restaurant-quality richness, use heavy cream, adding at the very end and pouring very slowly to prevent curdling. Half-and-half can certainly be used instead to lower calorie and fat intake but it can curdle easily and result in a thinner, less authentic sauce.
- Make it dairy-free. For a dairy-free version, swap out the heavy cream for coconut milk.
- Serve with naan. Serve with all the naan for dipping, sopping and dunking!