Chicken Tikka Masala
Smoky grilled chicken tikka simmered in a rich, creamy, gently spiced tomato and onion masala. The curry-house icon, made properly at home.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Grill the chicken tikka
Grill the marinated chicken pieces over medium-high heat (grill, grill pan, or oven broiler) for 10-12 minutes, turning once, until charred in spots and the inside reaches 74°C/165°F. This smoky flavor is what makes tikka masala different from a plain chicken curry.
- 700g
✅ Done when: dark charred spots outside, 74°C/165°F inside
Cook the onions
In a large pot or wide pan big enough to hold all the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat with the bay leaf and cardamom pods. Add the onions and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply golden, then stir in the ginger-garlic paste for 1 minute.
- 3 tbsp butter or
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cardamom pods
- 2 onions
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
✅ Done when: onions are deep golden brown
Cook the tomatoes
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Simmer with chicken
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Add the cream
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Grill the chicken tikka
Grill the marinated chicken pieces over medium-high heat (grill, grill pan, or oven broiler) for 10-12 minutes, turning once, until charred in spots and the inside reaches 74°C/165°F. This smoky flavor is what makes tikka masala different from a plain chicken curry.
- 700g
✅ Done when: dark charred spots outside, 74°C/165°F inside
Cook the onions
In a large pot or wide pan big enough to hold all the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat with the bay leaf and cardamom pods. Add the onions and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply golden, then stir in the ginger-garlic paste for 1 minute.
- 3 tbsp butter or
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cardamom pods
- 2 onions
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
✅ Done when: onions are deep golden brown
Cook the tomatoes
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Simmer with chicken
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Add the cream
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The Story Behind the Dish
Chicken tikka masala is the most famous example of a dish born in the South Asian diaspora. Several British curry houses claim to have invented it in the 1960s or 70s — Glasgow's Shish Mahal is the best-known claimant — by simmering grilled tikka in a spiced tomato and cream sauce.
It's closely related to Delhi's butter chicken, and today it's cooked in restaurants in India too.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Mild, creamy and smoky, tikka masala is one of the most-ordered dishes in Indian restaurants worldwide.
💡 Fun Fact
In 2001 a British foreign secretary famously called chicken tikka masala 'a true British national dish'.
Britain (with Punjabi roots)
55.86°N, -4.25°W
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