This is an amazing Indian chicken tikka masala recipe — it’s restaurant quality, made from scratch, and easy to make. The chicken is tender and flavorful, and the sauce is creamy, thick, and decadent. It’s also low carb, keto, and gluten free.
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, only about 20 minutes is spent simmering the sauce on the stove. This homemade version is perfect for days when you’re craving Indian food but you don’t feel like going out to eat!
My history with chicken tikka masala
Let me provide some background on my relationship with chicken tikka masala. My obsession with it started about a decade ago, when I was living with a roommate who introduced me to the world of Indian food. I fell in love with chicken tikka masala and since then, I’ve ordered it every time I’ve seen it on a menu.
On average, I eat chicken tikka masala a few times a week — whether it be at a restaurant, the store-bought frozen kind (anyone else equally obsessed with Trader Joe’s frozen chicken tikka masala?), or various homemade ones. I’ve experimented with more chicken tikka masala recipes than I can count, and this recipe is my favorite. It’s the perfect combination of not-too-complicated (I’ve tried to pare it down to the essentials) and super tasty (I can’t tell the difference between this recipe and the kind I’ve had in restaurants).
Yogurt Marinade
I use plain Greek yogurt with 2% fat, and I prefer the FAGE brand which comes in 7 ounce containers. I’ve bought them at both Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. If you don’t use FAGE, pick one that’s relatively low in carbs, about 6g per 7 ounce container.
The marinade should have a very thick consistency that easily coats the chicken chunks. It shouldn’t be thin or watery.
The chicken should marinade for at least an hour in the refrigerator. I’ve marinated as long as a few hours and a few readers have marinated overnight.
Cookware & Alternate Cooking Methods
I typically use a 10-inch nonstick pan, as shown in these photos. The pan is about 2 1/2 inches deep and has a volume capacity of 3 quarts. Any nonstick pan with similar dimensions will work well. You don’t need a lid for this recipe.
This recipe is one of several methods I’ve used to make chicken tikka masala. I also have recipes for Crockpot or Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala and Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala.
All about tikka masala sauce
What is it? Tikka masala sauce is simply tomato sauce mixed with heavy whipping cream and spices, most importantly garam masala. The sauce is simmered until thick and flavorful.
Where to buy garam masala? Garam masala is a mix of dried spices including cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and others. You can pick up this dried Indian spice mix at supermarkets like Whole Foods, or purchase online at Amazon. A small amount will last you a long time, through many homemade chicken tikka masala dinners.
Is it spicy? While this sauce is certainly heavy on spices, it’s not that spicy or hot. I usually add jalapenos or cayenne, but it’s optional 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. Note that these substitutions will result in a different net carb count.
Does this make a lot of sauce? This recipe makes a very 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 all that extra sauce, you can certainly increase the amount of chicken so that the sauce-to-chicken ratio isn’t so high.
Serving Ideas
Given all the sauce that this recipe makes, I highly recommend preparing complementary side dishes to help sop up the extra sauce. Since I follow a low carb diet, I usually pair with plain cauliflower rice (as photographed here) instead of the usual Indian sides like basmati rice and naan.
You can make cauliflower rice a number of ways. First, you can buy pre-riced bags in the refrigerated section of many grocery stores, including Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. This is what I usually do to save time. Or you can use a food processor or hand grater to break down cauliflower florets into rice-sized pieces. Then you can cook them by microwaving or pan-frying with a bit of oil until tender. I usually prefer the pan method as used in my bacon kimchi cauliflower fried rice recipe because microwaving can yield soggy rice.
You can also serve chicken tikka masala with a variety of vegetables including onions, tomatoes, carrots, beans, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, and potatoes. Many of these vegetables are quite high in carbs, so I usually avoid them.
Best Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe
An amazing Indian chicken tikka masala recipe — restaurant quality, made from scratch, and easy to make. The chicken is tender and flavorful, and the sauce is creamy, thick, and decadent. It’s also low carb, keto, and gluten free.
Ingredients
For marinating the chicken:
- 12 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts chopped into 1/2-3/4 inch pieces
- 7 ounces plain 2% fat greek yogurt (about 1 cup)
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
For the sauce:
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 jalapeño seeded and diced (or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne)
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 4 teaspoons garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For serving:
- cauliflower rice
- cilantro
Instructions
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Marinating the chicken: In a large bowl, add all marinade ingredients except the chicken and stir until well-mixed. Add chicken chunks and stir to coat with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
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Sautéing the chicken: Heat a wide 3 quart or larger pan over medium-high heat for a few minutes until hot. Add chicken chunks and any marinade sticking to them. Saute until the chicken is cooked on the outside, a few minutes, stirring and flipping occasionally. Add jalapeño (or cayenne) and garlic to the same pan. Stir with the chicken and cook until aromatic, about a minute.
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Simmering the sauce: Reduce to medium heat. Add tomato sauce, heavy cream, garam masala, paprika, and salt. Mix well. Bring to a simmer. Let the sauce simmer for about 20 minutes until it thickens a bit and develops an orange color, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a simmer.
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Serving: Serve with cauliflower rice. Garnish with cilantro.
Nutrition Info
This recipe yields 10 g net carbs per serving. Nutrition information does not include serving ingredients.
| Nutrition Facts Per Serving |
| Calories 480 | |
| Total Fat 35g | 54% |
| Saturated Fat 21g | 107% |
| Trans Fat 0g | |
| Cholesterol 155mg | 52% |
| Sodium 400mg | 16% |
| Potassium 540mg | 16% |
| Total Carb 14.5g | 5% |
| Dietary Fiber 4.5g | 17% |
| Sugars 7.5g | |
| Protein 28g |
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!
Made it a few times now, vwey tasty! I am on a paleo diet so used the cream gpfrim the top of a can of coconut milk, was rich and tasty! Also served with cauliflower rice. This is a keeper!
Absolutely delicious and so simple! Will be adding to our monthly rotation for sure 🙂
If I plan on adding some veggies at what stage should I add them to the recipe? After I’ve sautéd the chicken?
It depends on what kind of veggies and how long they take to cook. If you’re simply adding green peas, you can just stir them in at the end. If you’re adding something that takes longer, like chopped carrots, then I would add them after sauteing the chicken.
Looks wonderful but has anyone tried replacing the cream with milk? Thank you.
By tomato sauce, are you referring to a jar of pasta sauce like Rao’s, Ragu and Prego?
No, I’m not referring to pasta sauce. I’m referring to tomato sauce that comes in canned form. It’s in the supermarket aisle with canned vegetables. Look for canned diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, etc. and canned tomato sauce should be there.
Turned out really tasty. Tasted pretty authentic. Even the wifey liked it, and she’s very particular about Chicken Tikka Masala. Just needed a touch more cream than the recipe called for, because it tasted too tomatoey to me. I saw other recipes that added additional spices, but I don’t think that would be necessary.
Delicious! Oh man, didn’t change a thing, made just as you say, and it’s splendid!
It’s really good. I added 1/2 teaspoon of paprika and its delicious 😋 perfect for our garlic Naan.
Very good, I only used 1/2 the garam masala that the recipe called for in the sauce which worked for me. Will definitely make again.
Hello, are you suppose to add the marinate to the sauce when cooking or just pick out the chicken?
Add the chicken chunks and any marinade already sticking to them.
Hoooly garam masala! It was far too clovey for me, and I even left out a teaspoon of it on the second part. Also a little saucy, so I added cornstarch which helped. Next time I’ll add less garam masala and try tomato paste instead. Other than that it was so delicious and easy!
Very tasty. My kids loved it too! They don’t usually like saucy stuff so I didn’t think they’d eat it. Win!! I doubled the meat and only increased the sauce recipe by half, but I still had a TON of leftover sauce. So I’m cooking up some lentils to add to the leftover sauce to extend the meal.
This was delicious! I made this for my kids – my little girl is a chicken tikka masala connoisseur (she orders it EVERY time at EVERY Indian/Pakistani restaurant). She declared this a winner and had 3 servings! I tried the stove top version this time, but will make the slow cooker version next time. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us!
You’re welcome, Jennifer 🙂 Your little girl sounds adorable!
Is this spicy?
It’s mildly spicy. If you can’t handle spicy foods, I suggest skipping the jalapeno or using less cayenne.
Absolutely delicious.
When making the sauce, do you put it in a separate pot or mid it with chicken when the chicken is cooked? That part confused me.
Only one pan is used in this recipe. So when you add the sauce ingredients, you add it to the SAME pan that the chicken is already in.
This is my favorite tikka masala recipe! Any ideas on how to make it with chickpeas instead of chicken? I want to make a vegetarian version this week.
Hi Christina! I’ve made a vegetarian version of this with cauliflower, and it’ll be posted on the blog mid-October. You might be able to replace that with chickpeas.
Dear Julia,
As a new cook, I was a little timid to try this Tikka Masala dish. I can’t tell you how happy I am that I did! I have made this about three times now, and every time it is easy, delicious, and basically fool proof. It has become a staple in my household, and my husband begs me to make it. Thank you so much for sharing!! I will be checking out your other recipes.
Thanks Jill! I’m thrilled to hear that you and your husband love this dish.