Tender, charred chicken tikka pieces bathed in a bold, spiced tomato-cream curry. A restaurant favourite you can now make perfectly at home with simple ingredients.
Chicken tikka masala is the kind of dish that makes you close your eyes with the first bite. The key is in two things: a great marinade and a properly cooked tomato base. Don't rush either.
Ingredients
For marinade: 700g boneless chicken thighs · 200g yoghurt · 2 tsp garam masala · 1 tsp turmeric · 1 tsp cumin · 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste · Salt. For the sauce: 2 onions · 4 tomatoes · 150ml cream · 2 tbsp oil · All the masala spices · Kasuri methi to finish
Method
1. Marinate chicken for at least 2 hours (overnight is best). 2. Grill or pan-fry until charred and cooked through. Cut into chunks. 3. Cook onions golden in oil. Add ginger-garlic paste, spices, then blended tomatoes. 4. Simmer sauce 20 minutes until thick and oil separates. Blend smooth. 5. Add cream, charred chicken, and crushed kasuri methi. 6. Simmer 10 minutes. Serve with naan or rice.
Tips
Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) is the secret to that restaurant flavour — don't skip it. The char on the chicken adds smokiness you simply can't replicate without grilling.
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