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Chicken Tikka Masala

I love Indian food don't you?  Serve with Golden Spice Rice and Blanched Broccoli to balance out the slightly rich sauce on the chicken.  Hold on here.  This can be vegetarian too!  See instructions below.

Marinade:
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons Homemade Curry Paste OR
   2 teaspoons ground cumin
   1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
   ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
   ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
   1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

1-1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 long skewers
 
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup organic heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Preheat a grill for high heat or use the broiler.
 
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill or broil until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.

4. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with cumin, paprika, and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 1 hour for marinating; 30 minutes after

Chickpea Tikka Masala
Soak 1 cup dry chickpeas overnight.  Drain off soaking water. Simmer chckpeas in yogurt spice marinade (above) plus 1 cup water until tender.  Start at direction #4.  Where it says to add chicken, add chickpeas instead!

16 Comments:

Colleen Albert
Our favorite Indian Dish is Lamb or Chicken Saag with Naan bread.
January 16, 2010, 5:41 pm

Jenna L
Perfect timing! With the current nasty weather, heading out to my husband's favorite Indian restaurant really isn't such a great idea. This, some fresh garlic naan, rice, and some broccoli will be sure to get him smiling while he contemplates shoveling the drive. Again. More.
January 16, 2010, 5:44 pm

Ellie D
My favorite Indian dish is Chicken Tikka Masala!! Thanks for posting this recipe. I'm making it tonight!
January 17, 2010, 5:24 pm

Jason Pitt
Thanks Cynthia. Do you know if the red coloring typically seen on the chicken tikka in restaurants is food coloring or a missing spice?
January 17, 2010, 5:44 pm

Cynthia Lair
Jason, The sites I looked at say that it is red food coloring. Not so good,eh?
January 17, 2010, 6:03 pm

Carol Koford
I made the Chicken Tikka Masala this evening. It made a hit. I also prepared the Golden Rice and blanched the broccoli. Lovely meal. Thank You!
January 17, 2010, 11:35 pm

Carrie S
Absolutely delicious! Our toddler adores it.
January 22, 2010, 11:48 am

Aura Aryeff
Saffron turns foods that lovely red color, but is quite expensive, so maybe people use food dyes in leiu of saffron?
January 22, 2010, 9:50 pm

B Shrestha
Recipe looks great. A similar recipe for comparison is at http://www.food-india.com/recipe/R051_R75/R071.htm
January 27, 2010, 1:09 pm

Brad
This is great! I used chicken thighs because we both prefer dark meat and it was delicious. Served it with the Golden Spice Rice. Now our guests are going to get this dish!
February 1, 2010, 6:47 pm

Sherry Rothwell
Palak Paneer and our young kids love it too!
February 4, 2010, 11:43 pm

Laurel Jones
Cynthia, I love this Tikka Masala recipe, and we made a bunch of the Curry Paste. Since I am new to Indian food, what other recipes can I use this paste in (now that I have a bunch of it)? Also, I would like to substitute tofu for the chicken to serve it for some vegetarian friends - don't know how to use tofu, however. Any tips?
February 16, 2010, 9:57 am

tammy g
This looks great and so simple. Who would have known i had all the ingredients to make this without going to the store?
July 5, 2010, 3:51 pm

Kristy B
I had wanted to make this dish for a while and finally did last night. It was SO easy and SUPER delicious! My whole family, including my one and a half year old (who tends to be choosy) LOVED it. Thank you!
July 7, 2010, 6:19 am

Tammy G
Okay, I FINALLY got to make this. I LOVE Masala and eat it every time we go to an indian restaurant, then we found it at Costco and bought is regularly. Well, after months of working too hard, I finally had enough time to make this dish. I was AMAZING and I could not believe how simple to make! The Tomato Cream Sauce is now memorized! 1/1/2/2. Simple! Thanks a MILLION for posting this recipe!
August 5, 2010, 11:41 pm

someone
We have a tomato allergy...what could I replace the tomato sauce with?
September 6, 2010, 12:19 pm

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