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This easy chicken tikka masala recipe is made in one skillet and makes a tender chicken with the creamiest, flavor-packed sauce.
When I think of Indian recipes, I think of meals that are fairly simple to make but loaded with flavor - like slow cooker Indian butter chicken or coconut curry chicken to chicken bhuna to beef madras.
But the thing is I tend to forget about how much I like Indian food. It is sadly one of the last things to cross my mind when thinking of recipes.
But one meal that is always at the forefront is chicken tikka masala with aloo gobi. It probably comes from having it constantly at work when they catered. All that I know is I was way too full every time, which obviously means I like it!
So when mentioning to Lauren I was going to give a chicken tikka masala recipe a try, she was a little hesitant as she'd never had it. I knew she would like it, because honestly who doesn't?
I feel like we aren't the only ones that love Indian but never think to make something like this easy chicken tikka masala recipe. But no more!
Like most of my recipes, I looked online for inspiration and added my own version to it. When looking at the ingredient list, it may seem like a lot, but most of the spices everyone has in their pantry.
The side dish, called aloo gobi, is just cauliflower and potatoes cooked down with some amazing spice mixtures and compliments the tikka masala very well.
If you've never tried making Indian yourself, which had been the case for me, I challenge you to give this chicken tikka masala recipe a try. You won't regret it!
Jump to:
Recipe Ingredients
- Coconut oil - can also use vegetable oil to cook the chicken.
- Unsalted butter - helps create a rich sauce.
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs - chicken breasts work as well.
- Greek yogurt - helps bind the spices to the chicken thighs.
- Lemon - adds a touch of acidity and brightness.
- Cumin, coriander, paprika, garam masala, salt, cinnamon, black pepper, cayenne pepper - where the flavor of this tikka masala comes from.
- Garlic - enhances the flavor of the chicken and sauce.
- Ginger - has a warm, spicy taste.
- White onion - slightly sweetens the sauce.
- Jalapeño - adds a little extra spice.
- Tomato paste - gives a richer tomato flavor.
- Tomato sauce - the base for the masala sauce.
- Heavy cream - adds creaminess and mellows the spice level.
- Cilantro - gives the dish some freshness.
Step-by-Step Ingredients
- Place cut chicken in large bowl and add yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, salt, garlic and ginger to chicken and combine thoroughly. Cover chicken and marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
- Heat coconut oil in large Dutch oven or skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken in batches of two or three so you don't overcrowd the pan. Cook until browned on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken and set aside.
- To start sauce, melt butter in the same Dutch oven or skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic and jalapeño and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in spices, salt and tomato paste and cook for an additional minute.
- Stir in tomato sauce and water. Add chicken back to skillet and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Once slightly reduced, stir in cream and simmer for another 5 minutes to thicken. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice or aloo gobi or both.
What to Serve with Chicken Tikka Masala?
When I think of tikka masala I think of three side dishes that go well with it:
- White rice - a good white rice like jasmine or basmati helps soak up all that yummy sauce.
- Aloo gobi - a tradition vegetarian dish that is great on its own but complements this easy chicken tikka masala.
- Naan bread - Indian food and naan bread go together like peanut butter and jelly and this homemade naan couldn't be easier to make.
How to Make Aloo Gobi
- Put garlic, ginger and oil in food processor and process and until you get a semi-smooth paste. There will be small pieces of garlic and ginger but overall it will look like a paste.
- Mix 3 tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste, coriander, cumin, tumeric and ½ cup of water in small bowl.
- Heat oil in large pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped jalapeño and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ginger-garlic mixture and cook for about 2 minutes until it thickens and deepens in color. Be careful as it might splash at first.
- Toss in the cauliflower and potatoes and stir to coat. Season with salt and add ½ cup of water. Cover and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat. Remove lid, stir, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.
Instant Pot and Slow Cooker Versions
You can make this in slow cooker or Instant Pot as well. For both recipes you still want to toss in the marinade as that were part of the flavor is.
For the slow cooker, after the chicken has marinated for an hour, add the coconut oil, onion, garlic, jalapeño, spices, tomato paste, tomato sauce, butter water and chicken. Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours. With 30 minutes remaining, stir in the heavy cream.
For the Instant Pot, add the coconut oil and onion. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, jalapeño, spices and tomato paste. Add the tomato sauce, butter, water, heavy cream and chicken. Select manual setting and adjust pressure to high. Then set the time to 10 minutes and then do a natural release.
Can I Use Chicken Breasts?
Yes. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts work just as well. However chicken thighs have a little more flavor and are what is used in a typical chicken tikka masala recipe.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Use chicken thighs as it contributes to the richness of the dish.
- You control the amount of heat depending on how much cayenne pepper you use. We don't like overly spicy dishes, but if you want more spice just add ¼ teaspoon at a time.
- Add cold coconut oil to a cold skillet and let heat up to proper temperature before adding the chicken. You’ll know it is ready when the oil starts to shimmer.
- You can replace the Greek yogurt with yogurt or sour cream.
- You know the chicken is cooked when it reaches 165°F with an instant-read thermometer or if you cut into the chicken and the juices run clear and there is no pink. Honestly, I always just cut the chicken to see when it is done. If it isn’t just cook slightly longer.
- Leftovers will store well in the fridge for 2-3 days in an air-tight container or be frozen for 3 months.
Similar Recipes
If you’ve tried this easy chicken tikka masala or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. And if you are looking for another Indian recipe, try this chicken pakora! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
Marinade
- 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1" cubes
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- juice of one lemon
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil
Sauce
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ white onion, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed and minced
- 4 teaspoon coriander
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 (15 oz can) tomato sauce
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Aloo Gobi
- ¼ cup garlic cloves, whole
- ¼ cup fresh ginger, peeled and cut into ½" slices
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste (above ingredients)
- 1 tablespoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon tumeric
- 1 cup water, divided
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed and minced
- 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 1 russet potato, peeled and cut into ½" cubes
- kosher salt
- 3 tablespoon fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
Chicken
- Place cut chicken in large bowl and add yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, salt, garlic and ginger to chicken and combine thoroughly. Cover chicken and marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
- Heat coconut oil in large Dutch oven or skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken in batches of two or three so you don't overcrowd the pan. Cook until browned on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken and set aside.
- To start sauce, melt butter in the same Dutch oven or skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic and jalapeño and cook for 1 minute. Stir in spices, salt and tomato paste and cook for an additional minute. Stir in tomato sauce and water. Add chicken back to skillet and simmer for 15 minutes. Once slightly reduced, stir in cream and simmer for another 5 minutes to thicken.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice or aloo gobi or both.
Aloo Gobi
- Put garlic, ginger and oil in food processor and process and until you get a semi-smooth paste. There will be small pieces of garlic and ginger but overall it will look like a paste. Mix 3 tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste, coriander, cumin, tumeric and ½ cup of water in small bowl.
- Heat oil in large pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped jalapeño and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ginger-garlic mixture and cook for about 2 minutes until it thickens and deepens in color. Be careful as it might splash at first.
- Toss in the cauliflower and potatoes and stir to coat. Season with salt and add ½ cup of water. Cover and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat. Remove lid, stir, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.
Notes
- Use chicken thighs as it contributes to the richness of the dish.
- You control the amount of heat depending on how much cayenne pepper you use. We don't like overly spicy dishes, but if you want more spice just add ¼ teaspoon at a time.
- Add cold coconut oil to a cold skillet and let heat up to proper temperature before adding the chicken. You’ll know it is ready when the oil starts to shimmer.
- You can replace the Greek yogurt with yogurt or sour cream.
- You know the chicken is cooked when it reaches 165°F with an instant-read thermometer or if you cut into the chicken and the juices run clear and there is no pink. Honestly, I always just cut the chicken to see when it is done. If it isn’t just cook slightly longer.
- Leftovers will store well in the fridge for 2-3 days in an air-tight container or be frozen for 3 months.
Chris says
My type of meal!