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.
How to Make Chicken Tikka Masala Happen
Step 1: Make very simple, very flavorful masala paste.
Step 2: Now that you are armed with masala paste, this is going to be shockingly easy. Marinate chicken with yogurt and masala paste.
Step 3: Brown your chicken. Here we’re showing it in an enameled pan, but with a few extra rounds of testing we’ve come to prefer a nonstick pan for this step. Take the chicken out.
Step 4: Add a little more masala paste + tomato sauce to the pan. There’s your sauce base. Now add chicken back in.
Step 5: Cream goes in sauce, sauce goes on rice, and all of it goes in mouth.
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!
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.
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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.
★★★★★
I just made this recipe. It was super easy to prepare and was so looking forward to tasting it but I’m not sure what happened but it wasn’t as tasteful as I imagined. Also, the sauce was watery whereas I imagined it more dense. I made it in the Instant Pot. The texture of the chicken was very good. Too bad it lacked flavor. I used all the ingredient as described.
★★★
So sorry to hear this didn’t turn out for you, Antonio. Thanks for sharing this feedback with us – we really appreciate it!
Hi You are awesome with your recipes and no words to say how good your food tastes
I’ve tried and made some new recipes and would like you to have a look and give me your feedback
https://www.brandshelpline.com/how-to-make-chicken-tikka-masala/
Hi jut wondering do you use fat free yogurt or full fat? Thanks!
Hey, Tegan! We love using full fat plain yogurt here. 🙂
I make this all the time. It is one of my favorites.
★★★★★
So glad to hear that, Patrick! 🙂
This recipe is awesome. I put more that 1/4 cup of masala paste because I love the extra flavor. Thank you!!!!
★★★★★
Hello, do you mean 2 x 14oz or 214oz coconut milk?
Hi Deb! It’s just one 14-oz can of coconut milk – possible that you have the scaling feature set to 2x!
CTM is my family’s favorite Indian dish and I’ve never made it well — this was my most delicious homemade version ever, by far! We had a lot of sauce leftover, which I turned into a soup by adding chicken broth, more spice paste, cooked chicken, and chopped cauliflower. So yummy! Can’t wait to use the extra paste for a quick meal soon!
★★★★★
This recipe has been a lifesaver for meal preps for night shift!! It was missing something the first time we made it, but by adding juice from a lemon it made it A+. Highly recommend the added acidity to brighten and for balance. (Also adding the cilantro to the rice for easy prep!)
★★★★
omg it seems so easy!! 😮 thanks for sharing
Nice recipe i will try it.
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I can’t find the Instant Pot video!! Can you send me the link or post it, please??
Okay this recipe is unreal. Made it last night. The left overs I had for lunch today are even better!
First of all I love how much masala paste the recipe makes. I will now easily be able to whip this up any night of the week with the left overs.
Second, the flavors are just spot on. Absolutely delicious!
Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
I just found you and I don’t want to lose you. Your recipes look groovy and tasty and easy to make. Can’t wait to get started!!