Best Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe (Rich & Creamy Sauce)
(Ratings: )INGREDIENTS
Marinating Chicken:
- 1 pound boneless skinless fresh chicken breasts
- 7 ounces plain 2% fat greek yogurt (I use the Fage brand; do not use regular yogurt)
- 1 tablespoon
garam masala - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon
ground ginger
Sauce:
- 15 ounces
canned unsalted plain tomato sauce (not pasta sauce) - 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 teaspoons
garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon
paprika - 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1/4 teaspoon
ground cayenne (this yields medium spiciness, and can be substituted with 1 diced jalapeño with seeds removed)
Serving:
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Trim off excess fat, if any. Cut them into bite-sized chunks, about 1/2 to 1 inch in size.
- In a large bowl, stir together all marinade ingredients except the chicken, until well-mixed. Add chicken chunks and mix until well-coated with the marinade; the marinade should be thick, not thin or watery. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Heat a large nonstick pan over high heat (I use a 10-inch wide and 3-inch tall nonstick pan) until very hot, no oil needed. Add only half of the yogurt-covered chicken chunks, spreading them out in the pan. Cook for a few minutes until they are golden brown and a bit charred, frequently stirring and flipping the chicken to sear different sides (tongs are useful for this).
- Once the chicken chunks are seared, transfer them to a large plate. Repeat the searing process with the remaining half of the chicken chunks. Doing this in 2 batches prevents the pan from cooling too much, resulting in a better sear.
- Reduce to medium heat. Add all sauce ingredients to the now-empty pan, stirring for a minute until mixed. Add seared chicken chunks without pan drippings and submerge them into the sauce; no need to stir. Bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and decreasing the heat as needed to maintain a light simmer. After simmering, the chicken should be cooked through and the sauce slightly thickened and orange.
- Turn off the heat. Serve into bowls, and garnish with chopped cilantro.
NUTRITION
| Makes 4 Servings |
| Amount Per Serving: |
| Calories 510 | |
| Total Fat 35g | 54% |
| Saturated Fat 21g | 107% |
| Cholesterol 172mg | 57% |
| Sodium 410mg | 17% |
| Net Carb 10g | |
| Total Carb 14.5g | 5% |
| Dietary Fiber 4.5g | 17% |
| Sugars 7.5g | |
| Protein 34g |
This Indian recipe can also be made in a Crockpot (see Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala) or Instant Pot (see Pressure Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala), or converted to vegetarian (see Cauliflower Curry). It’s also very similar in flavor to Butter Chicken, which has a less spiced and more buttery curry sauce.
Why This Recipe Works
I’ve been experimenting with chicken tikka masala recipes for years, and this recipe is my favorite. It’s the ideal combination of not-too-complicated (the recipe is pared down to the essentials), super tasty (you can’t tell the difference between this recipe and restaurant ones), and low in carbs (great for anyone on a keto diet).
Making your own Indian food at home without store-bought sauces may seem daunting, but in practice it’s a lot easier than it sounds. After marinating the chicken chunks in a thick yogurt mixture (which accelerates the searing process and keeps them tender), they’re browned in a hot pan followed by 20 minutes of simmering in a rich sauce on the stovetop. This homemade version is perfect for days when you’re craving Indian food but you don’t feel like going out to eat.
tikka masala sauce
What is tikka masala sauce? Tikka masala sauce is a tomato-based sauce mixed with heavy whipping cream and spices (most importantly, garam masala). The sauce is rich and thick, with a characteristic orange hue.
What is garam masala? Garam masala is a mix of dried spices including cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and others. It adds a very unique flavor that cannot be substituted with another spice. You can pick up garam masala at major U.S. supermarkets or purchase online at Amazon.
Is the sauce spicy? While this sauce is certainly heavy on spices, it’s not that spicy or hot. I always add cayenne or diced jalapeños, but you can skip them if you can’t handle the heat.
Substitutes for cream? I’m often asked whether heavy whipping cream can be substituted for something else. Personally, I prefer the texture and taste of the sauce with heavy cream, but I know that many readers have had success using less heavy cream, or substituting all or some of the heavy cream with half and half or coconut milk. It’ll result in a thinner sauce but will likely still taste quite good.
Does this make a lot of sauce? This recipe makes a generous amount of tikka masala sauce. Extra sauce is always appreciated for pairing with side dishes (see suggestions in the next section). If you don’t anticipate needing extra sauce, you can increase the amount of chicken so that the sauce-to-chicken ratio isn’t so high.
Low Carb Serving Ideas
Like many Indian dishes, chicken tikka masala is often served with basmati rice and naan. You can replace them with lower carb options like fried cauliflower rice and low carb tortillas. Bags of pre-riced cauliflower can be found in the produce section of many U.S. grocery stores, or you can buy florets and use a food processor to grate them into rice-sized pieces. Low carb tortillas are also prevalent in many U.S. supermarkets — look for wraps by brands including Mission, La Banderita, and Kroger.
You can also serve chicken tikka masala with a variety of vegetables including onions, carrots, peas, cauliflower, spinach, and broccoli. For more ideas, check out these low carb sides and appetizers.
I consider myself an Indian food connoisseur, and this recipe is completely on point…WHEN you follow the directions and use the ingredients listed. Outstanding work here, Julia! I served this over brown rice, with cucumber raita and garlic butter naan. I doubled the cayenne as suggested for more spice, and it was perfect. Absolutely wonderful, thank you for sharing with us!
This base recipe is THE BOMB! Thank you so much! Tomato sauce is what I was doing wrong. I kept using crushed tomatoes, which are still too bright.
I made this exactly like the recipe with the exception of the heavy whipping cream. I used coconut cream instead. Ah mazing!!!
I have made this recipe 15 or so times at this point and we love it so much. I do substitute chicken breast with tenderloin instead because it’s not as tough and I prefer the texture. Also easier to cut since they’re basically the perfect thickness/width. I also try my hardest to wait for the marinating but half the time I’m cooking it within 15 minutes or so and it’s still delicious…just a note for those as anxious and unorganized as me lol.
Maybe just once you can wait overnight for it to marinate to see the difference in the depth of flavor the chicken takes on.
Love it.
I love this recipe! As someone who is particular and well versed in Indian food, this is the best tikka masala recipe I’ve found. I use 5% Fage cause I love the texture it produces, and a generous serving of cayenne. I’ll make this 2-4 times a month, and it’s good for meal prep, too!
(oh and other recipes waste a lot of the marinade, this one uses it all)
Substitutes: plain whole milk yogurt was substituted in place of Greek, and whole VitD milk was substituted in place or heavy whipping cream. Still turned out and tasted great. Thanks for the great recipe 👍
I was skeptical about this recipe at first. I’ve tried many different chicken tikka masala recipes and this is hands down the best batch I’ve ever made. This recipe is a winner! I did adjust some spices like adding turmeric, cinnamon, ground coriander, and fenugreek but everything else was the same. Thank you for the awesome recipe!!
How much did you add? (Measurements)
About a 1/4 tsp. Turmeric, 1/4 tsp Cinnamon, 3/4 tsp. Ground Coriander, and about a tablespoon of crushed fenugreek leaves.
It irritates me so much when people make adjustments to the recipe and then have the nerve to leave a low rating. This recipe is so delicious. My brother brought some home from an indian restaurant but it was ridiculously expensive. This was better than the restaurant’s tikka masala! I enjoy the fact that there is extra sauce to dip bread in or cover my rice or use on top of veggies. So good! Thank you for this recipe!
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe Julia!
How did you get the light color in the end if you slightly charred the chicken in the beginning? There is always some char left in the bottom of the skillet after the chicken is done and it ends up mixing into the sauce somewhat. Also, I meant to give this 4 stars since it is pretty good. Mine just turned out darker even though I followed the directions to a T.
It sounds like your chicken is overly charred; note that the instructions in Step 3 state “Cook for a few minutes until they are golden brown and a bit charred.” The chicken can go quickly from golden brown to overly charred, so transfer them to a plate promptly to avoid this issue.
Another thing to pay attention to is the fact that I use a nonstick pan (Step 3). If you used a stainless steel pan, the chicken and its marinade will easily stick to the pan and burn.
I have made this recipe a lot, it’s easy and tastes delicious. I can’t wait to eat it again tonight. I use any leftovers in puff pastry, just cut a sheet of pastry in 4 and put some of the leftovers on a half of the sheet, fold and crimp the sides, and freeze or eat as a Sunday snack. Delicious!
Can I make this without Fage yogurt? Why is this yogurt different?
Use yogurt that is Greek style (because they are much thicker than regular yogurt, making it a more effective marinade that easily coats the chicken chunks). It doesn’t have to be the Fage brand; I mention it because that’s the brand that I use and have tested this recipe with. I also haven’t found any other yogurt brands besides Fage in my local stores that are Greek style, plain unflavored, and not the nonfat kind.
I want to make this recipe however I can’t have heavy whipping cream can I sub it for something else?
A lot of people substitute with canned coconut cream or canned full-fat coconut milk.
Looking for ways to prep ahead of time. Could I sear the chicken the day before and refrigerate, then cook in sauce the next day?
Yes, I think that would work nicely. You should also be able to make everything ahead of time. In my experience, leftovers reheat well on the stovetop as well as in the microwave.
what happens to the marinade once the chicken goes to searing? do I use it or do I only need the meat and sauce? I did the recipe once and it was delicious but I wasn’t sure about the marinade thing, I’d appreciate if you could let me know 🙂
I’m not exactly sure what you’re asking. Since the chicken chunks are coated in thick marinade, that means that the chicken chunks are seared with the marinade on them. You don’t remove the marinade from them — that would be messy and hard to do. Any excess marinade (usually not much) left in the marinating bowl can be discarded or later incorporated into the sauce while it’s simmering. Does that answer your question? If not, let me know how I can elaborate further.
I’ve been using this recipe for a year or so now. We love it! I noticed you changed the recipe and now say to “sear the chicken”. I have so much liquid from the marinade that I don’t know how to get a great sear. Thoughts?
Some thoughts:
– Make sure your chicken chunks are dry. Pat them with paper towels.
– The marinade should not be liquid-y. It should be thick. Verify that you’re using Greek yogurt. Cut down on the lemon juice, if needed.
– The pan should be very hot before searing. Don’t add the marinated chicken until it’s fully heated.
– Add only one-quarter of the marinated chicken to the hot pan at a time, sear, then repeat.
Usually a poor sear is the result of the pan cooling too much, which can happen when you add too much marinated chicken at a time. Hope that helps!
How could I do this recipe with already cooked chicken breast chunks??
Thank you so much for this recipe. Chicken tikka masala is in my top three favorite dishes and I made this last night it was wonderful just like at a restaurant and it was so simple to make. I already had everything on hand except for the coriander in which I had ground coriander and it still came out wonderful! The only thing I did different was that I already had yogurt marinated chicken breast that I broiled in the freezer that I keep for my keto diet and also I added an extra half cup of heavy cream to the sauce it made it taste more like the creamier authentic chicken tikka masala and less like Curry chicken or butter chicken that I’m used to from restaurants. And I also put one packet of splenda naturals in the sauce to cut down on some of the acidity and Bam! That really did the trick. I couldn’t stop eating it but I had to it was so delicious! I just couldn’t have my naan bread and my basmati rice 😞but it still deserves more than five stars to me! 😀
We used cauliflower rice instead of basmati to keep it healthy
Coriander? I’m old. Where did it use coriander?
Cilantro is coriander
Cilantro is not coriander. Coriander is dried cilantro seed pods. The flavor is much different.
In Australia we do not use the term Cilantro. We say Coriander for fresh or dried.
I love this dish and have made it many times now. However, the spice level is low in my opinion, does anyone have anything they do to make it spicier?
Try doubling the cayenne or jalapeno.
I add extra cayenne pepper
Made this a couple days ago, followed recipe exactly and wouldn’t change a thing. It turned out fantastic, I served it with steamed rice and homemade Naan. Will definitely make again
I’ve made this recipe several times now and we love it. Here are the changes I make:
I use a package of chicken thighs- usually a bit over a pound. I also basically double all the dried spices. Not for the marinade, but for the sauce for sure. I also use two jalepeños with all the seeds I can save. And lastly, I’ve recently been adding in a bit fenugreek to get it to taste closer to a restaurant style. My dudes. Fenugreek is amazing. We made a broccoli & spinach scramble this morning using only fenugreek, some cayennes and salt & pepper and it was so so good. Anyway, thanks for this recipe! It’s a once a week staple for us now!!
Yum! Thanks for sharing, Sarah.
How much fenigreek you used. thank you
Loved this recipe!! Made a few substitutions so I wouldn’t have to leave the house for ingredients, and it worked. Tomato paste instead of sauce, a little extra heavy whipping cream, and vanilla yogurt instead of plain. Picking up some plain yogurt next grocery store trip to try it the original way. Looking forward to that batch : )
I’m glad those changes worked out for you. Thanks for sharing your feedback, Libby.
I absolutely love this recipe, but I’m wanting to use extra-firm tofu instead of chicken so I can enjoy it on Fridays during Lent. Has anyone tried this?
I have a similar vegetarian version using cauliflower: https://www.savorytooth.com/cauliflower-curry/
Trying this tonight and I am super excited for the outcome! question though! I go plant based once a week. Do you think there’s a way to make this plant based? Instead of the heavy whipping cream use coconut milk? What do you think!?
Check out my cauliflower curry — it’s basically a vegetarian tikka masala. To make it vegan, I would start by replacing the heavy cream with coconut cream, and find a dairy-free yogurt to use for the marinade.
My husband was so ridiculously happy with this recipe. He has been dragged along on my keto adventure and this was the first time in a while he has complimented me so much on a dish.
Thanks so much for sharing!