Why You’ll Love This this Chicken Tikka Masala From Scratch
This homemade chicken tikka masala brings all those complex, restaurant-quality flavors right to your kitchen, and honestly, once you taste how creamy and aromatic it is, you’ll wonder why you ever bothered with takeout.
The marinated chicken gets beautifully charred under the broiler while those warming spices create the most incredible sauce that’s rich without being overwhelming.
I mean, when you’ve got tender chicken swimming in a velvety tomato-cream curry that’s perfectly balanced with garam masala and cashews, you’re basically guaranteed to impress anyone lucky enough to sit at your dinner table.
Ingredients List
Let’s gather everything you need to make this restaurant-worthy chicken tikka masala that’ll have your kitchen smelling absolutely incredible.
- 1 lb chicken breast
- 3 ounces tikka paste
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 4 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large tomato, cut into eight sections
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 15-20 cashews, ground
- You can make this dish a bit lighter by swapping the heavy cream for coconut milk or even Greek yogurt mixed with a splash of milk, though you’ll lose some of that signature richness
- Those cashews aren’t just for show – they actually add healthy fats and help thicken the sauce naturally
- If you’re watching sodium, you can reduce the salt since the tikka paste likely contains some already
- The spices here are loaded with antioxidants, so you’re getting more than just amazing flavor
Step by Step Directions
Ready to transform those ingredients into an aromatic masterpiece that rivals your favorite Indian restaurant?
- Cut chicken breast into 1-inch cubes
- Mix chicken with yogurt and tikka paste, then marinate in refrigerator for 4-6 hours
- Thread marinated chicken onto bamboo skewers
- Broil in oven for 10-12 minutes until chicken is almost cooked and starts to blacken on top
- Rotate the pan at least once for even cooking
- Remove chicken from oven and set aside, keeping the remaining marinade
- Heat vegetable oil in pan at medium temperature
- Add chopped onion and fry for 3-5 minutes
- Add ginger and garlic pastes, stir for 2 minutes
- Add turmeric followed by remaining spices (coriander, cumin, chili powder, garam masala)
- Fry spice mixture for 2-3 minutes
- Combine 1/2 cup lukewarm water with reserved marinade
- Slowly add water-marinade mixture to pan, letting half the liquid evaporate
- Add tomato sections and stir briefly
- Add salt and fry until tomatoes begin to soften
- Add ground cashews, heavy cream, and cooked chicken pieces
- Cover and simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes
- Remove from heat and let cool slightly
- Serve with rice or naan
For your next culinary adventure, consider investing in a premium pasta maker to create fresh homemade noodles that pair beautifully with rich Indian sauces.
Substitutions and Variations
- Cashew alternatives – Almonds, heavy cream cheese, or even a roux made with butter and flour will thicken that sauce just fine, because sometimes the grocery store is mysteriously out of cashews.
- Tomato options – Canned diced tomatoes work when fresh ones look sad and mealy, or tomato sauce if you want something smoother without all that chunky business.
- Garam masala magic – Make your own by mixing cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and black pepper, though measuring out tiny amounts of six different spices might make you question your life choices.
Additional Things to Serve With This Dish
Sure, rice and naan are the obvious choices, but there’s a whole world of delicious possibilities that’ll make your dinner table look like you actually know what you’re doing.
- Basmati rice – The classic choice that soaks up all that creamy sauce like a little grain sponge, though jasmine rice works too if basmati feels too fancy for a Tuesday.
- Garlic naan or chapati – Perfect for scooping up every last bit of sauce, because using a spoon feels wrong somehow, and store-bought naan heated in the oven tastes almost homemade if you squint.
- Cucumber raita – Cool yogurt with diced cucumber and mint that calms down the spices, which your mouth will thank you for if you got a little heavy-handed with the chili powder.
- Pickled onions – Quick-pickled in vinegar and sugar, they add that sharp bite that cuts through all the richness, plus they make everything look restaurant-fancy.
- Roasted vegetables – Cauliflower, bell peppers, or eggplant tossed with a little oil and cumin, because sometimes you need something that didn’t come swimming in cream sauce.
- Mango chutney – Sweet and tangy store-bought stuff works perfectly fine, adding that fruity contrast that makes your taste buds do a little happy dance.
Cooking Tips & Tricks (Chef’s Notes)
Look, I’ve learned a few things about making this dish that’ll save you from the rookie mistakes that turn a beautiful curry into a tragic mess.
- Don’t skip the marinade time – Yeah, 4-6 hours feels like forever when you’re hungry, but that tikka paste needs time to work its magic into the chicken, otherwise you’ll just have boring meat floating in fancy sauce.
- Pat the chicken dry before broiling – Wet chicken just steams instead of getting those gorgeous charred bits that make tikka masala actually taste like tikka masala, not just chicken in orange soup.
- Keep your heat medium when building the curry base – Cranking it up high will burn your spices faster than you can say “garam masala,” leaving you with bitter, sad flavors that no amount of cream can fix.
- Add the cream slowly and stir constantly – Dump it all in at once and watch it curdle into cottage cheese lumps, which is about as appetizing as it sounds.
- Grind those cashews fine – Big chunks turn your silky sauce into chunky peanut butter texture, and while that’s great on toast, it’s weird in curry.
- Taste and adjust at the end – Every tikka paste is different, some brands pack more heat or salt than others, so trust your tongue over the recipe when it comes to final seasoning.
Nutritional Facts
- Calories: 485 per serving
- Protein: 28g – excellent source for muscle maintenance and growth
- Fat: 36g – primarily from heavy cream and cashews, providing sustained energy
- Saturated Fat: 18g – about 90% of daily recommended value
- Carbohydrates: 12g – mostly from onions, tomatoes, and natural sugars
- Fiber: 2g – contributed by vegetables and spices
- Sugar: 8g – naturally occurring from dairy and vegetables
- Sodium: 650mg – mainly from salt and tikka paste
- Calcium: 120mg – from yogurt and heavy cream
- Iron: 2.5mg – from chicken and spices like turmeric and cumin
- Vitamin C: 15mg – from fresh tomatoes and onions
- Potassium: 580mg – chicken and tomatoes are good sources
Key Nutritional Notes:
- High in protein making it great for post-workout meals
- Rich and calorie-dense due to cream and cashews – perfect for special occasions
- Contains beneficial spices like turmeric with anti-inflammatory properties
- Good source of healthy fats from cashews
- Provides essential B-vitamins from chicken
Fun “Did You Know?”
Despite being widely considered a traditional Indian dish, Chicken Tikka Masala was actually invented in Britain during the 1960s.
I find it fascinating that this “Indian” curry was created by Bangladeshi chefs in Glasgow, Scotland. They developed it to satisfy British palates by adding a creamy tomato-based sauce to traditional chicken tikka.
Today, it’s Britain’s national dish, outselling fish and chips. The dish doesn’t exist in traditional Indian cuisine, yet it’s become synonymous with Indian food worldwide.
It’s a perfect example of how fusion cooking can create something entirely new that becomes culturally iconic.
