Chicken Tikka Masala – at home – on the couch – in 30 minutes. THIS IS HAPPENING.
click here to Pin this recipeWelcome to the most creamy, luscious, medium-spicy, weeknight-manageable, must-have-it-NOW chicken tikka masala.
It is everything you want tikka masala to be: packed with flavor, with just enough browned bits on your chicken to keep it interesting, tangy but also rich, with that signature bronze-orange tikka masala color. Scoop it up over hot rice with a shower of fresh cilantro and you are in tikka masala biz-ness.
The Secret Ingredient
Okay, you might have opinions about this, but personally I like to approach chicken tikka masala as a five ingredient recipe:
- Chicken
- Yogurt
- Tomato sauce
- Cream
- Masala paste
Let’s talk about the masala paste. In order to approach this as a five ingredient recipe, we need to establish that one of the “ingredients” is a MASALA PASTE with lots of fragrant and punchy and deeply flavored ingredients.
You make this masala paste once, it is done in about five minutes, and then it lives in your freezer so that forevermore you will have the ability to make this chicken tikka masala as a – you guessed it – quick, easy, five ingredient recipe.
Are you following?
So the first order of business here is making the masala paste. Today. Right now. End of story. One five minute batch of masala paste = many batches of this five ingredient CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA with hardly any thought or effort.
If you can, if you will, if you need good recipes that taste like your favorite Indian restaurant just came into your house, please make that masala paste which will transform into this sauce which will cover this chicken which makes the simplest chicken tikka masala happen in your life, in your very own home, on your very own couch in your very own sweats because HELLO.
Only the best for tikka masala.
Ways to Make Chicken Tikka Masala
This recipe is written to be done on the stovetop, but you could make it in the Instant Pot or a slow cooker for a more hands-off approach. I prefer the traditional stovetop version, but all ways are very delicious.
Check out the notes section of the recipe below for specific instructions for both!
Check out our video for how to make Chicken Tikka Masala:
Chicken Tikka Masala
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 1x
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Chicken Tikka Masala – creamy, perfectly spicy, and ready in 30 minutes! you won’t believe how easy it is to make this at home!
Ingredients
Chicken Tikka Masala:
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup masala paste (recipe follows)
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1–2 tablespoons oil
- 2 cups tomato puree
- 1 cup heavy cream (sub a 14-ounce can of regular coconut milk)
- 1–2 teaspoons kosher salt
- rice and cilantro for serving
Masala Paste:
- 2 onions (about 3 cups when chopped)
- 5 cloves garlic
- a 2-inch piece of fresh ginger
- 3 tablespoons garam masala
- 1 tablespoon each chili powder, turmeric, and cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- a small pile of of cilantro stems
- juice of one lemon
Instructions
- MASALA PASTE: Pulse all ingredients into a food processor until smooth. Set aside about 1/4 cup of the paste for this recipe – freeze the rest for your next batch! Boom!
- MARINATE CHICKEN: Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Marinate with 1-2 tablespoons of masala paste and the yogurt for about 30 minutes in the fridge.
- COOK CHICKEN: Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil. Cook the chicken in batches, undisturbed, until each piece is nice and browned on the outside. Remove from pan and set aside. (Chicken does not need to be fully cooked at this point.)
- SAUCE: Add 2-3 tablespoons of masala paste to the same skillet. Stir fry for a few minutes. Add the tomato puree and browned chicken; simmer for 10-15 minutes. (Chicken should now be fully cooked.)
- FINISH: Stir in cream or coconut milk. Season with salt. Let stand for a while so the sauce will thicken up a bit. Serve over rice with cilantro. HEAVEN.
Notes
Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala: Same ingredients and instructions for steps 1 and 2. At step 3, add chicken, masala paste, and tomato puree to the Instant Pot, and cook at high pressure for 8 minutes. Use the quick release. Add cream in at the end.
Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala: Same ingredients and instructions for steps 1 and 2. At step 3, add chicken, masala paste, and tomato puree to the slow cooker, and cook for 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. Add cream in at the end.
Tomato Puree: You can buy canned tomato puree at a lot of grocery stores. Otherwise just plain tomato sauce (it’s just a little thinner) or use canned tomatoes and run them through the food processor or blender till smooth. The idea is just plain pureed tomatoes without seasoning.
Dairy Free Chicken Tikka Masala: Coconut milk or light coconut milk can be used and it’s delicious! It will just be slightly less thick and creamy.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: Indian
Keywords: chicken tikka masala, masala paste, Indian restaurant, chicken dinner recipe
Nutrition Facts are for 6 servings, not including rice.
One more thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of best healthy gluten-free recipes. Check it out!
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Question: you mention to make this dairy free to sub coconut milk for the heavy cream. What can I sub for the yogurt? Should I just omit it? Thanks!
You could use plain unsweetened coconut milk yogurt here instead.
Question! Do you need to defrost the frozen paste or can you just throw it in the microwave to heat it back up before you marinade?
Either option should work. 🙂
This is super easy to make and delicious! Second time making it this evening and it was even easier than last time as I had the paste already made and frozen. We’re from the UK and have been missing our curries while we’ve been living in the US so this went down a storm! I used extra paste in the marinade and when I was cooking this time round as I wanted a richer flavour and it was perfect for us. Will be a regular week night meal for sure. Thank-you!!
★★★★★
So glad to hear you enjoyed this, Kelechi!
I have to say as someone who cooks Pakistani food on a regular basis, this is one of the best chicken tikka masala recipes I have used to cook at home. I experimented with 2 ingredients in addition to what you have above are dry fenugreek and ghee (indian clarified butter). Along with the heavy cream, I added 1 tablespoon of Ghee and 1 Teaspoon of dried fenugreek and let it simmer for about 5 min on low heat. This really brings that authentic smell in chicken tikka masala. Thank you for posting such an incredibly easy recipe which I cherish almost every week 🙂
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed this, Anila!
Made this last night! I’m already planning to make it again this week!! Delicious!! So so delicious!! We are vegetarian so I made paneer and then followed the directions as if making chicken. Oh my yum! Then I made a panini for my husband for lunch today and used the masala paste as a spread on his sandwich. Wowee wow wow!
★★★★★
Sounds delicious!
Very tasty curry: lots of flavour but not heat. My husband asked when I could make it again, so it’s just as well I have 2 portions (I used way more than 1/4 cup today) of spice paste in the freezer! Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★
So glad you enjoyed this, Fiona!
So, I’ve made numerous attempts at cooking Indian food at home, and my success has ranged from ‘just okay’ to ‘throw-that-recipe-away-immediately’.. This is the first recipe I’ve tried that 1) doesn’t come with ridiculously long list of ingredients and steps that 2) tasted really good! It’s very, very close to the tikka masala we get at our local restaurant.
I had the same issue as another commenter, where a lot of marinade ended up in the pan, so I didn’t get much browning. If one wanted to avoid this, they could try patting off excess marinade with paper towels before putting the chicken in the pan.. but it seems like a lot of extra mess for something that is going to be drowned in sauce at the end anyway. 😉
Thank you so much for the recipe! I will be making this again.
★★★★★
So happy to hear this, Erin!
Delicious! My whole fam demolished it. So easy too
★★★★★
Very tasty recipe. We really enjoyed it. When I cook the chicken pieces, a lot of liquid from the marinade and the chicken come out on the pan. It doesn’t brown or look more dry like in the video. It just simmers in the liquid.
★★★★★
Absolutely incredible! Pinch of yum made me love cooking!!!
★★★★★
This makes us so happy to hear! ❤️
We doubled the masala paste as recommended by others. It was delicious, my family devoured it.
★★★★★
So happy to hear this, Lina!
Giving this recipe any less than 5 stars should be considered a crime against humanity. This is amazing, my whole family gobbled it up.
★★★★★
So happy to hear this, Claire!
this was amazing! i substituted the heavy cream for light coconut milk and it was perfect. i also do recommend using more of the masala paste – it definitely adds more flavor. i used 1/2 cup instead of 1/4. i’m really impressed – there aren’t too many healthy tikka masala recipes out there but this one really delivered
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed this, Mia! 🙂
Flavor combination was amazing! I think I will double the paste used next time because I want the flavor combo you created to be more center stage.
★★★★
Love that idea, Sally! Let us know how it goes! 🙂
Sooooooo good! Maybe the best chicken tikka masala recipe we’ve ever made? It’s definitely worth doubling the masala paste too.
★★★★★
💯
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. I didn’t find it too spicy in fact I think I would use a bit more of the masala paste next time. My 6 yr old loved it! And asked for seconds which is always a nice surprise. Thanks for another easy and tasty recipe!
★★★★★
So happy to hear this, Emily! 🎉
Made this for dinner last night. Super yummy. And now I have Masal paste! what the what??
★★★★★
Woot woot! Homemade masala paste for the win!
I love your recipes and site. I don’t know how to cook, but a big food appreciate.
Your site & recipe r easy to follow, and very yummy.
Appreciate from the bottom of my heart. And please keep doing the good job
★★★★★
Thanks for the valuable information and insights you have so provided here.
Swap the chicken for paneer for a meatless option – oh my goodness, it is lovely! The sauce here is the best one I’ve found with authentic flavour.
★★★★
YUM! Sounds delicious, Kristin!
Is the chilli powder a blend of spices or just plain chilli?
Chili powder is usually a blend of spices that you can buy in the spice section at your local grocery store.
We need a lot of vegetables in our life…What 2 or 3 would you suggest on the side? Thanks!
We think some peas, carrots, or even a simple green salad would be great with this. 🙂
Hello, how funny this post popped up today as I just made CTM last week for the second time! I love the recipe, and froze the extra paste in 1/4 cup blobs in the freezer for quick access. I’ve made the recipe twice now, and note that the recipe makes a LOT of sauce. I adore lots of sauce, but there was soooo much I increased the chicken amount a little to help use it up. Next time I will use at least three pounds of chicken and will up the amount of paste I add to the saute. It’s a fabulous recipe!
You’re a rockstar for having that extra paste all portioned out in your freezer! That’s awesome, Jaimie!
I love chicken tikka masala but have never tried making it. I also ordered it VERY mild at the restaurants. Is there a way to adjust the spice down a little bit for those of us that might be a little more spicy adverse?
We’d say this recipe has a lot of flavor but isn’t very spicy. If you wanted to cut back though, you could omit the cayenne pepper from the paste.
Chicken Tikka Masala is my ALL-TIME favorite Indian dish. And this recipe is divine. Thanks so much for sharing.
★★★★★