This chicken tikka masala is creamy, buttery and, of course, brimming with flavorful aromatic Indian spices! The chicken is easily marinated and cooked on the grill and the sauce is quickly made in a Dutch oven.
For more curry favorites, also check out this Thai yellow chicken curry and this slow cooker Indian curry.
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What is chicken tikka masala?
Chicken tikka masala is a very buttery, creamy and flavorful dish of bite-sized, tender grilled chicken chunks that are served in a flavorful tomato curry sauce.
The chicken is tenderized and flavored by a yogurt marinade that is mixed with a flavorful Indian spice blend.
Tikka masala spices:
Tikka masala gets its aromatic flavor from spices, such as turmeric, ginger and garam masala. Garam masala is itself a spice blend and, rather than using a store-bought version of it, I like to add all the individual garam masala components right into my tikka spice mix:
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin*
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander*
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom*
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon*
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg*
- ¼ teaspoon ground clove*
- 3 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon smoked hot paprika*
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground ginger
*These are the spices that are commonly used to make the spice blend called garam masala.
RECIPE NOTE: If you don’t want to make the tikka spice blend yourself, you can buy an already made tikka masala spice blend from the store. As always, I recommend that you buy the blend from a dedicated spice shop because the quality and freshness of the spices makes a huge difference in a dish.
How to make the chicken:
See full ingredients & instructions in the recipe card below!
Step 1. Stir together the homemade spice blend.
Step 2. Mix together the marinade.
Step 3. Mix in chicken, cover and transfer to the fridge.
Step 4. Skewer and grill the chicken.
How to make the sauce:
Step 5. Melt butter in a Dutch oven.
Step 6. Saute onion in it.
Step 7. Add tikka masala spice blend, garlic and tomato paste.
Step 8. Stir in crushed tomatoes, cream and salt, then add the grilled chicken.
Recipe notes and tips:
- How to get the marinade off the chicken: When you take the chicken out of the marinade, it will still be coated in a thick layer of the yogurt marinade. Grab a few paper towels and lightly dab them on the chicken to get rid of excess marinade.
How to serve it:
Serve the dish with rice or warm naan bread and garnish with finely chopped cilantro.
Commonly asked questions:
Chicken tikka masala has a very complex flavor thanks to all the different spices that are in the tikka masala spice blend. The chicken has a smoky flavor from the grill and the spice marinade and the tomato curry sauce tastes buttery and creamy.
This chicken tikka masala is a mild dish. The turmeric and the smoked hot paprika have a very slight edge to them but altogether this dish is mild.
Yes, chicken tikka masala is made with a blend of spices typically used in curries and is served with a spiced sauce.
As you can see, this dish has an intense red/orange color that comes from the spices. Above is a photo of the individual tikka masala spices that are in this recipe and you can see that the smoked hot paprika has an intense red color and the ground turmeric is bright yellow. That’s mostly where the color of this dish comes from.
More delicious spiced chicken dishes:
- Ras el Hanout-Spiced Grilled Chicken Salad with Sumac Dressing2 Hours 25 Minutes
- Blackened Chicken Tenders (stovetop)15 Minutes
- Oven Pulled Chicken Thighs2 Hours 20 Minutes
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating or comment! Thanks!
Full Printable Recipe
Chicken Tikka Masala (Dutch Oven and Grill)
Equipment:
- measuring cups and spoons
- knife and cutting board
- garlic press (optional)
- citrus juicer
- mixing bowls
- whisk
- rubber spatula
- paper towels
- skewers
- Dutch oven
- wooden spoon
Ingredients:
For the tikka masala spice blend:
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground clove
- 3 ½ teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon smoked hot paprika
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground ginger
For the chicken:
- 2 cups plain, whole milk yogurt
- 5 teaspoons tikka masala spice blend
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced or pressed through a garlic press
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 medium-sized breast halves) cut into bite-sized cubes
For the sauce:
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ⅓ cup minced yellow onion (you need 1 medium-large onion for that)
- the remaining tikka masala spice blend
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled and minced or pressed through a garlic press
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 ⅓ cup canned crushed tomatoes (11 ½ ounces)
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- finely chopped cilantro (optional)
Instructions:
For the tikka masala spice blend:
- Mix all spices together.
For the chicken:
- Whisk yogurt, tikka masala, salt, garlic and lemon juice together in a bowl.
- Toss the chicken with the yogurt mix. Marinate for 8 – 10 hours in the fridge.
- Take the chicken cubes out of the marinade and remove excess marinade by lightly dabbing the chicken with a paper towel. Thread the chicken onto skewers and grill.
For the sauce:
- In a Dutch oven, melt the butter.
- Add the onion and cook until soft (5 – 7 minutes).
- Add the remaining tikka masala and garlic and cook for about a minute. Stir in the tomato paste.
- Add the tomatoes, the cream and the salt. Add chicken to the sauce, heat everything through, then serve with rice or naan. Sprinkle chopped cilantro on (optional).
Notes:
Nutrition Information (Estimated):
Nutrition values provided on this website are generated from a nutrition database and are estimates only. The accuracy of the nutrition information for any recipe on this website is not guaranteed. Nutrition values can vary quite a lot depending on which brands are used.
Rudy
Absolutely fantastic! I will definitely use this recipe again. Thank you for clarifying which size can. I probably should have modified the recipe so I didn’t go outside and grill the chicken in 20°F and 4 inches of snow. I followed the recipe and it tasted like it was from an expensive restaurant.
Nicole B.
That’s wonderful to hear, Rudy, thank you so much for coming back and leaving such great feedback! I hope you didn’t get too cold grilling the chicken! I live in a very snowy place too and often just use my grill pan in the oven rather than the grill outside. :)
Rudy
What size can of crushed tomatoes? I see 28oz and 14.5oz at my store.
Nicole B.
You need 1 and 1/3 cup canned crushed tomatoes, which is 11.5 ounces.
Nagi@RecipeTinEats
I spied this when I was stalking your site (as I do) for ideas. This is very similar to the butter chicken I recently posted. I didn’t realise it was known as tikka masala in the US! Oops, maybe I got the recipe name wrong. :) Oh well, yum is yum, no matter what it is called!!!
Nicole B.
Exactly, there is no right or wrong in cooking or with recipe names (and definitely not with the name butter chicken, makes me salivate just typing it). :)