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Chicken Tikka Masala is my favorite Indian restaurant dish and it’s surprisingly easy to make at home. Tender pieces of marinated chicken are grilled until lightly charred, then simmered in a rich tomato cream sauce.
The Chicken Tikka Masala That Won Me Over
I was first introduced to Chicken Tikka Masala years ago while living in California, when some dear friends made it for dinner. Since then, I’ve ordered Chicken Tikka Masala at Indian restaurants where I live and when I travel, but I keep coming back to this recipe when I want a good Chicken Tikka Masala. It’s warm and creamy with just the right amount of spice.
I serve it over hot basmati rice with warm naan to soak up every bit of the sauce. It’s an authentic Indian dinner I can enjoy in minutes without ordering takeout or spending a fortune at a restaurant.
❤️ Emily
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs work great in this recipe.
- Plain yogurt: This helps tenderize the chicken while adding flavor to the marinade. Regular plain yogurt (not Greek) works best so the marinade coats the chicken evenly.
- Garam masala: This warm Indian spice blend gives the sauce its incredible flavor. Fresh garam masala makes the biggest difference in getting that restaurant-style taste.
- Tomato sauce and heavy cream: This is what makes the rich, smooth sauce. The tomato sauce brings depth, and the cream balances the spices and gives it that classic silky finish.
- Fresh ginger and garlic: These build the savory base and give the sauce that homemade flavor you expect from a good tikka masala.
- Optional onion: Many restaurant-style versions start with sautéed onion for extra sweetness and depth. This version keeps the sauce smooth and simple without it, but you can sauté ½ cup finely diced yellow onion in the butter before adding the garlic if you’d like that extra layer of flavor.
What is Garam Masala?
You’ll notice garam masala listed as an ingredient in this Chicken Tikka Masala recipe. If you’ve never heard of garam masala, it is a ground spice blend traditionally used in Northern Indian dishes. When purchased, the blend can include cardamom, ground coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, and turmeric.
You can also make your own garam masala blend, but it won’t taste the same if you just use a mix of these powdered spices. Garam masala is so flavorful because the whole spices or seeds are first toasted before they are ground and blended together. This brings out the the richest flavor and fragrance in the spices.
How to Make Chicken Tikka Masala
- Prepare marinade: Combine yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, garam masala, cayenne pepper, ground pepper, ginger, and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for one hour.
- Preheat grill and skewer chicken: Turn grill on high heat and lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto wooden skewers and discard the remaining marinade.
- Grill chicken skewers: Place skewers on the hot grill and cook 4–5 minutes per side, until the edges are lightly charred and the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Prepare the sauce: Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Season and simmer the sauce: Add cumin, paprika, garam masala, chili powder, and salt. Stir for about 30 seconds so the spices bloom in the butter, then add the tomato sauce and cream. Simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and turns silky.
- Add chicken: Remove the chicken from the skewers and stir it into the sauce. Let it simmer 5 more minutes so the smoky grilled flavor blends into the sauce.
- Garnish and serve: Sprinkle with freshly chopped cilantro. Serve with rice, naan bread, and raita. Want Chicken Tikka Masala on the table quicker? Try our Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala recipe.
How To Make It Mild or Spicy
This recipe is easy to adjust depending on who you’re serving.
- For a milder version, reduce or skip the cayenne pepper.
- For extra heat, add more cayenne or a pinch of chili flakes.
- For kids, stir in extra cream or milk to mellow the spices.
Storing and Reheating
Chicken Tikka Masala is one of those dishes that tastes even better the next day.
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze for up to 2 months.
- Reheat: Warm on the stovetop or in the microwave, add a little cream or milk if the sauce thickens too much.
Chicken Tikka Masala History
Chicken Tikka Masala gained popularity in an Indian restaurant in Glasgow, Scotland, even though it was originally created in India. The Ali family who owned the restaurant came up with the creamy chicken recipe in the 1970s and word has it that it eventually became the most popular dish in British restaurants.
The classic dish starts with yogurt-marinated chicken that is grilled, then finished in a rich spiced sauce. It’s easy to see why it became such a restaurant favorite. The tender chicken and creamy sauce are hard to resist!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Place the chicken skewers on a baking sheet lined with foil. Place on the top rack and broil at 390 degrees for 20 minutes, turning once.
Yes, in fact the flavor gets even better after a few hours in the refrigerator, making it a great make-ahead dinner.
Yes, chicken thighs stay especially tender and flavorful and work great in this recipe.
Tikka masala is a tomato based sauce that is creamy, earthy, and spicy.
More Chicken Dinner Recipes
Need a little variety to your chicken dinners? Try these delicious Asian-inspired chicken meals:
Chicken Massaman Curry
Coconut Curry Grilled Chicken
Chicken Panang Curry
Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and Cool Cucumber Salad
The Best Butter Chicken
Mulligatawny Soup
Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe (Better Than Takeout)
Video
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 1 cup yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
- 5 wooden skewers
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garam masala, (optional)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Optional Sides:
- 6 pieces naan bread
- 3 cups jasmine rice, cooked
- 1 cup raita, (raita recipe)
Instructions
For the Marinade
- In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, garam masala, cayenne, pepper, ginger, and salt. Stir in chicken, cover, refrigerate 1 hour.
- Preheat a grill for high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade.
- Grill chicken skewers 5 minutes on each side.
For the Sauce
- Melt butter in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Saute garlic for 1 minute.
- Season with cumin, paprika, garam masala, chili powder, and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on medium low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes.
- Add grilled chicken to the sauce, and simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro. Serve with rice, naan bread, and raita.
Notes
- For a more authentic taste, use a can of full fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream.
- Chicken thighs can be used in place of chicken breasts.
- You can broil the chicken skewers in the oven, instead of grilling. Place the skewers on a pan lined with foil and broil at 390°F for 20 minutes.
- This can be prepared and frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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First off, this has been a family favorite of ours for years, so thank you for posting it.
I was wondering, can this meal be frozen?
Yes it should freeze great!
MAGNIFICENT AWESOME TREMENDOUS DELICIOUS……A CROWD PLEASER
AMAZING…AND PHENOMENAL
DELICIOUS BEYOND MEASURE
This recipe looks too dry with too little sauce dip into or blanket over basmati rice which is the traditional way of enjoying this dish. Also, where are the onions??? Diced onions slowly sauteed until caramelized is a hallmark of indian recipes which is painfully missing here. Means you are not bringing out and optimizing the full favors of the spice mix and results in a blander taste, why bother going through all that cooking and end up with a mediocre dish?
Hi! If you look in the notes of the recipe you’ll see that we left the onions out because of dietary preferences specific to our family, but we provide instructions for adding them.
We added a pepper and onion to the sauce, and broiled the chicken instead of grilling but this was the best tikka masala recipe ever, our 2.5 year old daughter loved it too!!! Thank you so much for sharing.
going to try it at home love Indian food, i have all the goodies to make it with. 80 years young love to cook too.
This is by far my family’s favorite meal and I share it with everyone I know! Anytime I ask for dinner suggestions this is what everyone requests. I usually don’t prep ahead of time enough for it or forget to buy at least 1 ingredient, but it s always turns out great. I don’t ever grill the chicken, I just throw it in the broiler or toaster oven on broil for a little bit.
Loving the flavors!! Bold & tasty! Great over rice or pasta!
One of the most flavorful meals!!! Wasn’t too spicy for my family & they are already asking when I’ll make it again!
This was the most flavorful dish ever! The combination of spices worked so well together! My entire family enjoyed this meal! Making it again soon!
Thanks a lot for sharing this masala recipe! Really delicious!
I loved the original recipe you had for this but lost it! Can I please get the recipe that you had before? It didn’t have garam masala. It has been a family favorite for years and years and we loved it!
Hi! We are so glad you love the recipe! The only thing we changed is adding the garam masala, and that is optional. You can follow the recipe exactly, and just leave that out. Hope this helps!
Excellent! Made it exactly as written. Made fresh naan bread to go with it. Mmm.
Due to this virus “storm”, I’ve been craving something more exotic than our usual and had saved this recipe. Even my country boy, meat and potatoes kind of guy loved it! There were a couple of changes, due to us not shopping often these days: tomato purée instead of sauce, no hot pepper (used extra black), no paprika, and no grilling. After marinading, I dumped the chicken and marinade into a hot skillet, turning the meat til it was done, and then put all of that into the sauce. It would have been perfect if only we had had some naan!
Thanks so much for the recipe!
Is their a substitute for the heavy cream? Half and half or milk maybe? Heavy cream upsets some of our tummies 😥
Thanks In Advance
Absolutely! Half and half or milk is totally fine. You can also add some Greek yogurt if you need to thicken it up. Hope this helps!
My husband and I LOVE this recipe. We just got an instant pot for christmas so I was curious; Have you tried to make this in an instant pot yet? I’m curious as to how it would turn out and how you’d do it!
I like your thinking! We will put it on our list of recipes to make in the future. I will experiment around and see what I come up with. Keep checking back 🙂
Ok, so I am about 6 years late to this party…but THANK YOU for this recipe!! This is one of my family’s favorite dinners!! I love that it doesn’t call for Garam masala, which is not easy to find in my area. I have many Indian restaurants in my area, but it’s nice to have an inexpensive option that I can make at home (and that isn’t spicy for the kiddos).
It’s never too late to comment! 🙂 So glad you like it!!
Is it possible to use anything in place of the yogurt? Lactose allergy… thanks
I don’t know what would be a good substitute– you could probably just leave it out if you need to!
This is a super easy and yummy recipe! I add Curry powder to it and it adds to the flavor! Thank you!
Making this tonight.. problem is i dont have cumin powder.. i dont know how it’ll turn out but i will let you know
Hopefully it will still be ok, let us know how it turns out!
Mine is in the final stage of cooking and the aroma is amazing! Can’t wait to eat!
Delicious!!
We love Indian foods and this really tasty. I made it pretty close. I added some cauliflower to the chicken/marinade and broiled both (didn’t feel like going out to the grill). I also added some chopped onion to the sauce, thought about a bell pepper but forgot. I tossed some turmeric in the marinade and a little cinnamon in the sauce.
Such an easy-to-make and tasty dinner. We have awesome lunches tomorrow
Oh adding cauliflower is a wonderful idea! Good thinking! So glad you liked it!
This recipe is nearly identical to a recipe on allrecipes that I love. I have several recipes on your site that I love, but you never seem to give credit where credit is due.
Sorry Katie, this recipe actually came from my cousin’s wife, which was a family recipe of hers. I’m sure that we have many recipes that are going to look similar to others online just due to the fact that there are a lot of similar recipes out there. Most of our recipes are from our family or ones that we have created. If we do use another online recipe as a resource we always credit them back. We have been posting for almost 8 years now and when we update a recipe it pushes the date up, so some of the ones you may be seeing online are copies of our originals too.
Hi I used your coconut korma recipe and it was amazing!! My boyfriend asks for it at least once a week! I want to try out this recipe but I’m from the uk and we don’t have cans of tomato sauce here! I know this was posted a long time ago so not sure if I’ll get a reply but any idea what I can use as a substitute? Thanks!
Hi Leah- Do you have tomato paste? Send me an email at contact [at] favfamilyrecipes [dot] com and I can try to help you figure you a way to make this recipe a success for you!
Excellent tikka masala recipe. I’ve tried a few others, lost hope then the hubby requested Indian food this evening. I followed the recipe to a “t” but cooked my chicken under the broiler. Delicious. Paired it with cauliflower rice for a wonderful low carb meal. Thank you for posting this will become a staple in our home.
Thank you!!! I love your idea with the cauliflower rice! yum!
And the spice level here tastes like the mild version of their Tikka Masala? Bc I don’t do great with spicy foods, but I LOVE their Tikka Masala (mild).
WOW what a recipe! I’ve made this like 3 times now since I found it. But I have to say I didn’t like white boneless chicken (when we eat out, we found it usually dry and bland), so I used bone in pieces and it tasted AAAAAmazing!!!!! My husband loves Indian Food, and since we’ve been having two little kiddies, eating out is more of a nuisance than an enjoyment so I started looking up recipes of our favorite Indian dishes. So far this is a definite keeper! Thank you for sharing. Because of this recipe I don’t feel like Indian cooking is a mystery nor is it beyond my reach anymore 🙂
I tried your recipe last night with my family. I’ve been an avid fan of food from the Bombay House, and I’ve spent that last two or three years learning to cook Indian Food. Your recipe was really good and my kids really enjoyed it. It’s simple and something you can do from home. However… it did NOT taste exactly like the Bombay House version. I’m not sure if that’s even possible, but I’m pretty particular in specificity. This was a great sauce, might even taste better, but it wasn’t the same. For one thing, I know the Bombay House includes Bell Peppers and Onions in their sauce (it says right on the menu). Great job though, I am going to be trying a lot more of your recipes and endorsing you to other chefs!
I know, I left the onions out on purpose because I hate them. 🙂
This is just the BEST chicken tikka masala I have ever eaten and, as it is my very favorite Indian dish, I have tried it all over the world. SO grateful to have found a recipe that I can make at home that tastes authentic. Thank you, ladies!!
Thank you for a delicious recipe! Made it tonight and me whole family loved it.
I love indian food! this is amazing! I love Bombay House (I’ve only tried the one in SLC), but I love spicy indican food, so my question would be, what spice, chili, do they use to make it hot? is it just cayenne pepper? I would love to try it, but all my family would request spice! I know it, and I am going to try to prepare Naan, basmati rice so we have the whole experience. Thanks!
If you want to kick up the spice, you can add red pepper flakes, but I would use siracha hot sauce.
This looks amazing! Just wondering how many this recipe serves. Thanks!
This serves about 4 to 6, depending on serving sizes.
Initially saw this recipe pinned and thought I had to try it! I made it last week and it was so delicious! Thanks for the great recipe. I am now looking for more!
This is the first time I’ve grilled chicken (I’ve made a point of not knowing how to do it so my husband would have to make dinner sometimes…) : ) but I got tired of waiting to have this recipe and did it myself.
So, here’s my question: Was the chicken supposed to cook all the way through on the grill, or does it finish cooking while it is in the simmering sauce for 10 minutes?
Thank you so much for your website! I LOATHE cooking dinner night after night after night after night and you guys make it bearable (and even fun — don’t tell)!
SO YUMMY!!! Third recipe I’ve made from your site and all three were a home run! I’m so excited to make more!! Thank you so much for all your hard work. We LOVED the change of pace with this indian dish.
Hummm, vou tentar esta receita, amo comida indiana e os ingredientes tenho todos aqui em casa. Vou depois olhar com carinho seu blog, ele promete coisas deliciosas, agora vou levar a neta para a escola.
Um abraço.
What kind of tomato sauce do you use? I’ve seen recipes for crushed tomatoes but just want to make sure I’m in line with all these rave reviews!
I am pretty sure I just used a regular can of Hunt’s tomato sauce, nothing fancy!
Sounds good, thank you! I’m looking forward to making it tonight!
Made this exactly as directed and it was AMAZING!! We love it and will be making it for friends real soon. One word…OUTTADAPARK!! Thank you!!
i live in an apartment and cannot grill the chicken. any ideas on how to prepare this dish without grilling the chicken?? thanks
Instead of grilling, just cook the chicken pieces in a skillet until lightly browned. I have done this when it was raining and I didn’t want to go outside to grill, it still tasted great!
Awesome recipe, had my picky eater asking for seconds.
I assume yogurt means plain low-fat non-flavored yogurt. Anyone try it with plain low-fat greek yogurt?
That’s all I have in the kitchen and I want to try this recipe tonight.
Yes, it is plain yogurt. I have used plain greek yogurt and it works great!
Thanks for the reply back. I trust you and am cooking the dish right now! 🙂
This looks good, I’m going to try it tonight. Love all of your recipes that I’ve tried and your site. I did find it interesting that there is no curry in this recipe. We lived in the West Indies for 4 years and had wonderful Indian food, and I always assumed that the Indian flavor came from the curry. Any thoughts???
All the spices together give it an indian curry taste, it is more authentic than using curry powder.
@Bethany- You will love this dish. It is a rich, savory dish.. I know many Indian dishes call for curry but not this one. It doesn’t have the sweet flavor that curry typically brings and it just works with Tikka Masala. This is one of our very favorite dishes–my husband requests it all the time!
I love love LOVE this recipe. It is now in our regular dinner rotation.
Just made this and it far and away the best Indian recipe I have made at home. It was really easy and so tasty! Will definitely make this again!
I made this for my family a couple of nights ago and it was amazing! Even my 2-year-old was eating it. I just stumbled across your web site a week or so ago, but I have a very long list of new meals to try. Thanks!
@Melissa-
I wish there were a "like" button here because I would "like" your comment. In fact. I love it! Thanks so much! I am glad it turned out great for you!
Erica
I made this for the in-laws, and I warned them befoe-hand not to judge me when I licked the plate clean. This is so so so so so good. I've tried a bunch of different Tikka Masala recipes, hoping to satisfy my craving for Bombay House Tikka Masala, and this was PERFECT. I'll never have to go to Bombay House again! (plus, I don't live in Utah anymore… sad for me…) Not to toot my own horn, but I even made Naan for this dish. The Naan was also delicious, but my pizza stone cracked while making it! Sad day for me, but not too sad since I still had the tikka masala to make it all better. Thank you for sharing!
Made this for dinner and loved it!!!! Can't wait to have it again. Are you still going to post the recipe for Coconut Kurma? Would love to try it as well! Thanks for all the yummy recipes.
I actually do have the recipe for the Chicken Coconut Kurma!!! Coming soon! Keep watching….
I love Bombay House! Do you have any idea how to make the Chicken Coconut Kurma from Bombay House?! I would love to duplicate that recipe!! Thanks! I love your blog!
That's it I'm making this tomorrow. Love the Bombay House in Provo and there's no Indian restaurants in Fairbanks, Alaska.
I used to travel to Provo, UT at least once a month for work and LOVED the Bombay House.
I recently posted that EXACT recipe on my blog. I will vouch that it's AMAZING!
My husband lived in the West Indies for two years and knows his Indian fare. He has declared this recipe the best chicken he has ever had 🙂
Mmm, I love the Bombay House!