Chicken Tikka Masala is a classic dish for lunch or dinner that is spicy, creamy, delicious, and addictive. Bite-sized chicken pieces marinated in aromatic spices are first grilled, then mixed with a finger-licking sauce (masala). Serve it with fluffy basmati rice, garlic butter naan, roti, or any Indian breads.
Also, check out some of the best accompaniments for naan and roti.
What is chicken tikka masala?
Chicken tikka masala is one of the most popular chicken dishes worldwide. Marinated chicken pieces in Indian spice mix are grilled to perfection in tandoor, oven, or barbecue and then tossed in a spicy gravy or curry called masala. Tikka masala is a smooth, silky blend of onions, tomatoes, and Indian spices.
Vegetarians can prepare tikka masala using the same recipe, substituting meat with paneer, baby corn, mushrooms, tofu, potatoes, or a combination of all. Check our popular paneer tikka recipe.
What is the difference between butter chicken (makhani) and chicken tikka masala?
Both are popular dishes worldwide. Butter masala, or makhani, originates in Delhi, North India, and tikka masala is a British invention.
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Kundal Lal Gujral, who ran a restaurant in Delhi called Moti Mahal, did not want any leftover cooked meat to dry out. To avoid this, he cooked them in aromatic tomato-based gravy with butter and cream, adding richness to the dish, and named it Butter chicken, or Murgh Makhani.
On the other hand, chicken tikka masala was developed in the UK by a person from the subcontinental region. Chicken tikka refers to pieces of chicken grilled on skewers, and masala means an Indian spice blend used to make tikkas or gravy. Butter masala is on the sweeter side, and Tikka masala is on the spicier side.
This is a delicious entree that can be prepared for your upcoming tailgating events, game nights (football or super bowl), potlucks, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas holiday dinner parties!
Ingredients
Marinate the chicken pieces in a generous amount of spices and yogurt for the best flavor.
To prepare the tikka masala sauce
Fresh ingredients: onion, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes.
For spices: coriander, cumin, red chile powder, garam masala, and kasuri methi.
For richness: oil, butter, and heavy cream, or cashew paste or sour cream.
Check out the recipe card for the full list of ingredients.
How to make the best chicken tikka masala at home?
In short, one just has to follow 4 easy steps
- Marinate the chicken
- Cook the chicken on skewers over a grill, barbecue, stovetop, tandoor, or oven.
- Make the tikka sauce or masala.
- Combine tikka masala and Chicken tikka.
Once you have Chicken tikka, paneer tikka, or any meat or vegetarian tikkas ready, preparing the masala (gravy, curry, or sauce) is super easy.
In the USA, you get really good-quality tomato sauce, so I have substituted it for tomatoes. Add 2-3 pureed tomatoes to the recipe if you do not have store-bought tomato sauce. Please note that the tomato sauce available in countries like the USA differs from what we get in India.
- To start with, heat the oil in a pan. Add onions, garlic, and ginger, and sauté until they become translucent.
- Then add tomato sauce and all the spice powders. Because I had some extra marinade from preparing chicken tikkas, I have added it to the gravy - this is entirely optional.
- Add cream and kasuri methi, and cook for a few more minutes.
- Once this comes to a simmer, add the prepared chicken tikkas, along with the grilled veggies if desired, and continue simmering for an additional 5 minutes.
- Finally, add the butter and serve with your favorite bread!
What to serve with chicken masala?
Tikka Masala is a classic accompaniment for breads like naan, roti, chapatis, and ghee rice or brown butter rice. Today, I have served chicken tikka masala with Garlic butter naan, and this is one of the best combinations ever. You can serve it with any Indian bread.
Make-ahead, Store & Freeze
Chicken Tikka Masala can be made two days in advance. Cover and refrigerate it in an airtight container. Dishes like this, which use a lot of spices, taste better over time as the added spices have the chance to infuse their aroma into the dish.
You can store leftover chicken tikka masala in an airtight container or a ziplock bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To use frozen chicken tikka masala, thaw it in the fridge overnight, then reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave before serving.
You can freeze this dish for up to 2 months and reheat and use it as desired. Make sure you store them in a zip-lock bag and lay them flat.
Recipe FAQs
Both chicken thigh and breast meat work equally well, but I generally prefer thighs to breasts because the meat is tender and juicy when cooked. An additional plus point is that the marination time for thighs is less compared to breasts. If you want to prepare this dish as quickly as possible, then use chicken thighs.
If you use chicken breasts for health reasons, marinate them a little longer. Marinating the chicken breasts overnight would give you the best results. Also, let the grilled breast meat rest for a few minutes before serving or slicing through to retain its juiciness.
Indian Tikka Masala is on the spicier side and comparatively less creamy. Also, the creaminess is achieved through a combination of cashew paste and heavy cream.
British Tikka Masala is relatively less spicy and has a hint of sweetness. The gravy is much creamier due to the addition of a generous portion of heavy cream.
Marinate the chicken as instructed in my tikka recipe, then prepare fresh tikkas on your grill or in the oven. If you do not have access to either a grill or oven, you can also cook the chicken on the stovetop or in an air-fryer - just ensure the marinade you prepare is thick and not runny!
To blend or not is a personal choice. I generally do not blend the gravy for chicken tikka masala. If you prefer a smooth, silky gravy, feel free to blend the sautéed onions, spices, and tomatoes before adding the tikkas, then follow the instructions in the recipe below to finish the dish.
The homemade version of tikka masala has low carbs and no sugar, and is one of the best chicken dishes for a ketogenic diet.
Vegetarians can still prepare this tikka masala sauce by substituting meat with paneer or tofu, cauliflower, baby corn, or mushrooms.
More chicken curry recipes
Recipe card
Homemade Chicken Tikka Masala
Chicken Tikka Masala is a classic dish for lunch or dinner that is spicy, creamy, delicious, and addictive. Bite-sized chicken pieces marinated in aromatic spices are first grilled and then mixed in a finger-licking sauce (masala). Serve it with fluffy basmati rice, garlic butter naan, roti, or any Indian breads.
Ingredients
- 4 skewers Chicken tikka skewers check tips, four 12-inch long skewers
- 1 Onion large, finely chopped
- 2 to 4 Garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 inch Ginger finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon Cooking oil butter or ghee
- 1 can Tomato sauce 8 oz can or puree from 3 large tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chile powder for color
- ½ to 1 teaspoon Red chile powder for spiciness, adjust to taste, check tips
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
powder or Tandoori Masala Powder or Curry powder - 2 to 3 teaspoon Coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt adjust to taste
- 2 tablespoon Chicken tikka marinade completely optional
- ½ cup Hot Water adjust as needed
- ½ cup Heavy cream or sour cream or cashew paste made with 10-5 cashews, check tips
- 1 tablespoon Kasuri Methi Dried fenugreek leaves
- 1 tablespoon Butter or Oil, while serving
Instructions
- First, marinate and make the chicken tikka as given in the recipe.4 skewers Chicken tikka skewers
- In a saucepan on medium heat, add oil.2 tablespoon Cooking oil
- Add finely chopped onions, garlic, and ginger, and sauté until the onions turn light golden brown. This should take about 8 to 10 minutes on medium flame.1 Onion, 2 to 4 Garlic cloves, 1 inch Ginger
- Add tomato sauce, Kashmiri chile powder, spicy chile powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, salt, water, and leftover marinade (optional), and mix well.1 can Tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chile powder, ½ to 1 teaspoon Red chile powder, 1 teaspoon Garam masala , 2 to 3 teaspoon Coriander powder, 1 teaspoon Cumin powder, 1 teaspoon Salt, ½ cup Hot Water, 2 tablespoon Chicken tikka marinade
- Cook until the mixture becomes really thick. (Fresh tomatoes take 8 to 10 minutes, and canned tomatoes take only 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high flame)
- Add the cream and cook for a few minutes, until the sauce thickens and becomes creamy. At this stage, taste check and adjust salt, spices, and water.½ cup Heavy cream, 1 tablespoon Kasuri Methi
- Add the chicken tikka (and grilled veggies, if preferred) from four 12-inch skewers, kasuri methi, and continue simmering for another 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add a dollop of butter and serve chicken tikka masala with basmati rice, jeera rice, naan, roti, or any Indian flatbreads and enjoy.1 tablespoon Butter
Notes
- The complete recipe for chicken tikka
- I have used tandoori masala instead of garam masala powder.
- I added veggies from one skewer and served the rest as a side.
- This gravy was spicy, so you may reduce the extra spicy red chile powder by half or skip it completely if you prefer mild curries.
- Kashmiri red chile powder gives this dish the signature red color.
- If you have any leftover marinade from preparing chicken tikka, add it to the tomato sauce. I had about 2 tablespoons of marinade left over from preparing chicken tikka, which I added to this dish.
- You may easily substitute chicken with grilled veggies or Indian cottage cheese (paneer), baby corn, mushrooms, or even tofu in this dish to make it vegetarian.
- Always adjust all the spices to taste.
- Be sure to marinate the chicken for better results. Check chicken tikka
- If you want a creamy, sweeter dish, then check our butter chicken recipe.
- You can substitute heavy cream with sour cream or yogurt. If you feel adding cream will curdle the gravy, simply take sour cream into a bowl, add a small amount - say a few tablespoons - of hot gravy and mix it well, and then add this back to the gravy.
- To balance the flavors, you can add 1 teaspoon of sugar.
Nutrition
Note: We originally posted this chicken tikka masala in November 2020. It has now been updated in June 2026 to include Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Storage Instructions, etc.
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rika says
Can't wait to try this recipe! My husband and I always order tikka masala from restaurants.
Neli Howard says
This recipe looks delicious,Iam in love with indian food?i love your recipes thank you for sharing!
Stine Mari says
I actually didn't know the difference between tikka and tikka masala. This was an interesting read and I love both butter chicken and tikka masala. This chicken tikka masala looks perfect, perfectly spicy!
EMily says
This tikka masala was delicious! I made a vegetarian version and used potatoes as you suggested and it turned out amazing! Will definitely be making again.
Amy Liu Dong says
This recipe is a masterpiece, the chicken and its sauce are perfect plus the addition of masala makes this a great fit that whoever eats it. I love this kind of recipe that has an incredible combination.