Chicken Tikka Masala
Spicily marinated chicken pieces in a robust tomato cream sauce with full depth of flavor.
- Preparation
- 25 min
- Cook/bake time
- 35 min
- Total
- 3 hr
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 616 kcal
- Servings
- 4
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cooking & baking
- 35 min
- Resting
- 2 hr
Only 1 hr of that is hands-on – the rest takes care of itself.
Spicily marinated chicken pieces in a robust tomato cream sauce with full depth of flavor. Unlike the milder Butter Chicken, the sauce here intentionally remains slightly chunkier and the spices are much more present. The dish is considered a British invention with Indian roots and is today one of the most popular curries worldwide.
Why this works
A tandoor cooks through radiant heat of over 400 °C, which only hits the surface. The oven broiler does the same on a smaller scale: It browns selectively and quickly, while the inside barely continues to cook. The dark, almost black spots are therefore not burning, but concentrated Maillard products, and if you leave them out, the dish tastes like tomato sauce with spices instead of tikka.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Marinate the tikka
Mix the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, and all the spices into a thick marinade and thoroughly coat the chicken cubes with it. Let them marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours, preferably overnight. Thanks to its thickness, the yogurt clings to every piece and forms the typical slightly charred outer layer when cooked.
- 2
Broil the tikka
Preheat the oven broiler to the highest setting and distribute the chicken cubes spaced apart on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Broil them for six to eight minutes until they are dark and slightly charred at the edges, turning them once. These black spots are intentional and provide the characteristic tandoor aroma.
- 3
Spice base
Heat the ghee in a large pot and sauté the onions for ten minutes over medium heat until they are golden brown. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for one minute. Then sprinkle the cumin, coriander, Garam Masala, and chili powder over the top and toast everything while stirring for thirty seconds until it is highly fragrant.
- 4
Simmer the sauce
Pour in the chunky tomatoes and let the sauce simmer uncovered over medium heat for fifteen minutes until it thickens significantly and the fat separates at the edge. Crush larger tomato pieces with a spoon, but do not puree completely, because the slight chunkiness belongs to this dish.
- 5
Bring it together
Stir in the cream and add the broiled chicken pieces along with their juices to the sauce. Let everything simmer gently for five minutes so that the flavors combine and the meat finishes cooking. Season to taste with salt, sprinkle generously with fresh cilantro, and serve with basmati rice and naan.
Our best tips
- The oven broiler replaces the tandoor surprisingly well. The dark spots on the meat are not a mistake, but the goal.
- Grinding whole spices yourself in a mortar instead of using pre-ground ones significantly elevates the result.
- The sauce really needs to simmer until the fat separates. In Indian cuisine, this is the signal that the base is ready.
Tasty variations
Vegetarian
Marinate and broil paneer or firm cauliflower florets in exactly the same way, the sauce remains the same.
From the grill
Thread the marinated chicken onto skewers and grill over direct embers, this comes closest to the original.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 616 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 61 g |
| Carbohydrates | 19 g |
| – of which sugar | 13 g |
| Fat | 31 g |
| Fiber | 5 g |
Where the 616 kcal come from
per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
What does tikka mean?
Tikka refers to marinated, grilled pieces of meat without sauce. Masala is the spice sauce. Together, this results in grilled meat in a spice sauce.
Can I shorten the marinating time?
One hour is the absolute minimum. Any shorter and the yogurt brings neither tenderness nor deep seasoning, in which case you might as well just pan-fry it directly.
How do I make it milder?
Reduce or omit the chili powder and add an extra tablespoon of cream. The other spices are not hot, just aromatic.
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