The Only Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe That Matters

 
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Growing up in Allentown lent many different ethnic cuisine choices. My parents favorite — and now mine — is Indian food. There were a couple of Indian restaurants we could choose from, but we had our favorite — Spice India. Spice India made top-notch Tandoori Chicken, Samosas, Pakoras… and the best of all: Chicken Tikka Masala. Our family loved this place so much that for my parent's wedding reception, they had a Spice India buffet, basically if you didn’t like Indian food you could get the hell out.

Fast forward, I’m an adult — but am I? — still madly in love with Spice India (duh) but have no one to dine with because my parents are gone and friends are not interested. I met this cool, adventurous guy and he took me out on a date…. to Spice India — his idea and without a clue of my undying devotion — yes, that scored major points. We explored the spices of India (pun intended) in our favorite booth for years, until the fateful day it closed. We tried to stay in touch with the owners — they had plans of opening another Indian restaurant, but heard nothing. We tried other Indian restaurants, but no one could make Chicken Tikka Masala like Spice India. Then we moved to Oregon. I love Oregon, mountains, rivers, and lakes, oh my, but one thing that is lacking is ethnic cuisine choices. This is why I decided to develop my own Chicken Tikka Masala recipe.

I’ve tried many Chicken Tikka Masala recipes, but the one I’m sharing is (in my eyes and stomach) the best. Warning: If you make this dish you might not support your local Indian restaurant anymore (at least not their Chicken Tikka Masala).

This Chicken Tikka Masala goes great with Basmati Rice and naan — personally, I like garlic naan *extra*.

Servings: 4

Active time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

I am going to break this down for the chicken and for the sauce as each will need separate prep.

Chicken

  • 2 pounds (about 3 breasts) of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-inch squares)

  • ½ cup of plain Greek yogurt (use the full fat — it’s worth it)

  • 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

  • Juice from ½ of a lemon or a whole lime

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

  • ½ teaspoon of salt

  • ½ teaspoon of cayenne

Sauce

I am going to list out the spices I use — if it seems overwhelming you can substitute all the spices for Garam Masala (they even sell it at Walmart). If you choose to do that, you will need 3 tablespoons of Garam Masala.

  • 1 tablespoon of ground coriander

  • 1 ½ teaspoons of cumin

  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

  • ½ teaspoon of nutmeg

  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

  • 1 ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika

  • 1 teaspoon of cayenne

  • 1 inch of ginger, minced

  • ¼ of a jalapeno, minced

  • ½ stick of butter (I use salted)

  • 1 small red onion, chopped

  • 15 ounce can of tomato puree

  • 1 cup of chicken stock

  • ½ cup of half and half

  • 1 teaspoon of salt

  • ½ cup of fresh cilantro, chopped (plus additional for serving)

Serve with

  • Basmati Rice

  • Naan

Preparation

Chicken

Cut your chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. Place your cubes in a dish. In a bowl, whisk together the yogurt, oil, citrus juice, garlic, salt, and cayenne. Pour this marinade on the chicken, make sure each piece of chicken is completely covered. Set chicken aside to marinate while you work on the sauce.

Sauce

In a bowl whisk together the coriander, cumin, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, paprika, and cayenne, set aside. In a heavy, wide 4-quart pot (I use a wok) melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute, stirring occasionally until they are soft. About 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add the spice mixture, ginger, and jalapeno and stir occasionally. Allow spices to brown, 3 - 5 minutes. Add tomato puree, chicken stock, half and half, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and gently simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.

While your sauce is simmering, cook the chicken.

Chicken

Heat a heavy nonstick pan over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. It is easier to work with the chicken in two batches. Start with the first batch cook on one side for 3 - 4 minutes, then flip the cubes and cook for another 3 - 4 minutes, the chicken should for a total of 6 - 8 minutes. You want your chicken to look brownish. Set cooked chicken aside and repeat with the second batch. Once you’ve finished all of the chicken, add it to your sauce. Continue to gently simmer the sauce for 5 minutes and stir in cilantro. Remove from heat and season with salt.

Serve

Transfer chicken and sauce to a serving dish and garnish with cilantro. Serve with rice and naan.

There you go, my favorite Chicken Tikka Masala dish! If you took a stab at this classic Indian favorite, let me know in the comments below!

Cheers,

JJ

 
RecipesJonalyn Kasanderchicken tikki masala, Indian dishes, Indiana cuisine, recipes