This recipe is a family favorite, I’ve made it for years. I always thought this was a traditional Indian dish, but it is not. Apparently Tikka Masala was born in England. This dish was created in a London curry shop. Who knew? This dish is still delicious and worth it to make at home. I always make plenty of tikka masala for leftovers.
I do prefer stronger flavors in my food and this dish will deliver on that. If you don’t have a palette for strong Indian flavors, cut the seasonings in half the first time through.
Cooking Alternatives
I make mine in the oven, but if you need to throw this in the crockpot, that would work as well.
If using the slow cooker, season your chicken, toss that into a low temp for 6-8 hours. Go ahead and toss the yogurt sauce over the chicken while it cooks. Make your orange sauce closer to serving time.
Substitutes
I have not made any substitutions with this recipe, but I’m betting you could sub any milk alternative for the heavy cream. I have not tried this with any other protein, but pork would probably be amazing. Portabella mushrooms would be a great vegetarian option.
Timing Dinner
50 minutes to dinner: dice your onion and gather the ingredients and preheat the oven to 350°
40 minutes to dinner: get your chicken cut and seasoned
30 minutes to dinner: get your chicken in the oven and start on the tikka masala sauce
20 minutes to dinner: start on your couscous and steamed broccoli, or whatever sides you plan to have with it. Rice takes 20 minutes to steam, so get that started a little earlier.
5 minutes to dinner: grab your serving dishes or go easy on yourself and serve it in a food storage container. Check on the sides and pull them off the heat if ready. Fluff your couscous.
Homemade Tikka Masala
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 4 pounds chicken breast, cubed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1/2 Tbsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
Yogurt Sauce
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 Tbsp light oil
- 1 Tbsp ground ginger
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
Masala Sauce
- 2 Tbsp light oil
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 Tbsp ginger, minced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 28oz crushed tomato
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 Tbsp garam masala
- 1 Tbsp turmeric
- 1/2 Tbsp cumin
- 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 dash salt
Instructions
Chicken
- Spray a 9×13 pan with light oil and preheat the oven to 350°.
- Chunk your chicken and place into baking dish. Mix your chicken seasonings and sprinkle over chicken. Stir to coat all the pieces well. Place seasoned chicken into the preheated oven and set a timer for 15 minutes.1 Tbsp oil, 4 pounds chicken breast, cubed, 1 tsp salt, 1 Tbsp ground cumin, 1/2 Tbsp ground coriander, 2 tsp cayenne pepper
Yogurt Sauce
- In a separate bowl mix yogurt, oil, ginger, and garlic powder. Mix well and set aside. Once the 15m timer goes off, pour this yogurt sauce over your semi cooked chicken and return to the oven. Cook another 15 minutes until the chicken temp reaches 160°.1 cup plain greek yogurt, 2 Tbsp light oil, 1 Tbsp ground ginger, 1 Tbsp garlic powder, 1 tsp salt
Masala Sauce
- Heat your sauce pan over medium heat. Once warm, add your oil. Toss in the chopped onion and cook while stirring until a nice dark brown.2 Tbsp light oil, 1 large onion, finely diced
- Once the onions are caramelized, add the garlic and ginger. Cook for a minute till they smell great and add the rest of the masala sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.6 cloves garlic, minced, 1/2 Tbsp ginger, minced, 1/4 cup tomato paste, 1 28oz crushed tomato, 1 Tbsp chili powder, 2 Tbsp garam masala, 1 Tbsp turmeric, 1/2 Tbsp cumin, 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar, 1 cup heavy cream, 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped, 1 dash salt
- Once the chicken is fully cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove it from the cooked juices onto your serving bowl and pour the tikka masala sauce over it. Enjoy!