• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Spice Train
  • Recipes
  • About/Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • About
×

Home » Recipes » Main Courses

Chicken Tikka Masala (Dutch Oven & Grill)

Published: Jul 16, 2020 · Modified: Mar 9, 2023 by Nicole B.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
10 hours 40 minutes

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.

Chicken tikka masala being stirred in a Dutch oven.
Chicken tikka masala is a delicious main course you can easily make at home.
Jump to:
  • What is chicken tikka masala?
  • Tikka masala spices:
  • How to make the chicken:
  • How to make the sauce:
  • Recipe notes and tips:
  • How to serve it:
  • Commonly asked questions:
  • More delicious spiced chicken dishes:
  • Full Printable Recipe
  • Comments

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.

Spices for tikka masala in a bowl.
You need cumin, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, turmeric, smoked hot paprika and ground ginger to make the tikka masala spice blend.

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.

Spiced chicken marinade preparation in four steps.

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.

Chicken tikka masala sauce preparation in four steps.

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:

What does chicken tikka masala taste like?

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.

How spicy is chicken tikka masala?

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.

Is chicken tikka masala a curry?

Yes, chicken tikka masala is made with a blend of spices typically used in curries and is served with a spiced sauce.

What makes chicken tikka masala red?

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:

  • Mediterranean grilled chicken salad with sumac dressing on a plate.
    Ras el Hanout-Spiced Grilled Chicken Salad with Sumac Dressing
    Cook Time2 Hours 25 Minutes
  • Blackened chicken tenders on a plate.
    Blackened Chicken Tenders (stovetop)
    Cook Time15 Minutes
  • Pulled chicken on a plate with pickles and buns.
    Oven Pulled Chicken Thighs
    Cook Time2 Hours 20 Minutes

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating or comment! Thanks!

Full Printable Recipe

Chicken tikka masala being stirred in a Dutch oven.

Chicken Tikka Masala (Dutch Oven and Grill)

The Spice Train
A great recipe for a creamy, buttery, flavorful and easy chicken tikka masala.
4.60 from 5 votes
Prevent your screen from going dark
Print Share on Fb Pin
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Marinating Time: 10 hrs
Total Time 10 hrs 40 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine British, Indian
Servings 4
Calories (estimated) 845 kcal

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:

*As always, I recommend to get high-quality spices from a dedicated spice shop. The quality and freshness of spices makes a huge difference in this dish.

Nutrition Information (Estimated):

Calories: 845kcalCarbohydrates: 26.7gProtein: 97.3gFat: 37.3gSaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 384mgSodium: 1414mgPotassium: 595mgFiber: 5.9gSugar: 14.4gCalcium: 255mgIron: 4mg

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.

Keywords: chicken tikka masala, chicken tikka masala dutch oven, tikka masala spices

More Main Courses

  • Broccoli cauliflower ground beef casserole with salad on a table.
    Broccoli Cauliflower Ground Beef Casserole
  • Meatball casserole with garlic bread and salad on a table.
    Meatball Casserole without Tomato Sauce
  • A yellow, a red and a white onion on a table.
    Onion to cups conversion (rough-chopped, medium-diced, minced)
  • Ground beef pasta sauce in a nonstick pan.
    Ground Beef Pasta Sauce (no tomato)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rudy

    February 11, 2021 at 6:46 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Nicole B.

      February 11, 2021 at 7:13 pm

      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. :)

      Reply
  2. Rudy

    February 10, 2021 at 12:01 pm

    What size can of crushed tomatoes? I see 28oz and 14.5oz at my store.

    Reply
    • Nicole B.

      February 11, 2021 at 12:05 pm

      You need 1 and 1/3 cup canned crushed tomatoes, which is 11.5 ounces.

      Reply
  3. Nagi@RecipeTinEats

    July 20, 2015 at 12:56 am

    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!!!

    Reply
    • Nicole B.

      July 20, 2015 at 9:31 am

      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). :)

      Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Popular Recipes & Guides:

  • Yellow chicken curry in a bowl on a wooden coaster.
    Thai Pineapple Yellow Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
  • Smoked paprika rub in a glass jar.
    Smoked Paprika Rub for Chicken
  • Mint and tarragon sprigs, full leaves and chopped leaves.
    How many teaspoons are in a sprig? A conversion guide for common culinary herbs
  • Cajun chicken marinade being whisked in a bowl.
    Cajun Chicken Marinade (smoky and spicy)
  • Burger sauce in a bowl with a spoon and fresh oregano.
    Spicy Burger Sauce
  • Paprika sauce in a bowl with cilantro.
    Spicy Smoked Paprika Sauce for Chicken
  • Apple crisp in a bowl on a wooden table.
    Stovetop Apple Crisp
  • A lemon cardamom cake with a cut slice on a ceramic cutting board.
    Lemon Cardamom Cake

Footer

^ back to top

About

  • Contact

As seen on:

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2022 The Spice Train