Chicken Tikka Masala | Best Homemade Tikka Masala Recipe

Dhaba-style chicken tikka masala served in a white plate along with naan bread, red onion slices and a lemon wedge.

5 from 37 votes

Chicken Tikka Masala | Best Homemade Tikka Masala Recipe

Chicken Tikka Masala is an addictive, classic dish for lunch or dinner where the chicken marinated in aromatic spices is first grilled and then mixed in a finger-licking sauce (masala). Vegetarians can prepare tikka masala with the same recipe but substitute meat with paneer, baby corn, mushroom, tofu, potatoes, or a combination of all.

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Total Time35

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani

Servings:

Calories: 266kcal

Author: Kushi

Ingredients

4 skewers Chicken tikka skewers use our recipe, check tips, four 12-inch long skewers
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 Onion finely chopped
2 Garlic cloves finely chopped
½ inch Ginger finely chopped
1 tablespoon Cooking oil
1 can Tomato sauce 8 oz can or puree from 2 large tomatoes
2 tablespoon Sour cream or heavy cream, check tips
1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chile powder for color
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 Salt adjust to taste
1 tablespoon Butter or Oil
¼ cup Water
2 tablespoon Chicken tikka marinade completely optional

Instructions

Step I

In a saucepan on medium heat, add oil and cumin seeds.
1 tablespoon Cooking oil, 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
When cumin seeds turn light brown, add finely chopped onions, garlic, and ginger and saute until onions turn light golden brown. This should take about 5 to 8 minutes on medium flame.
1 Onion, 2 Garlic cloves, ½ inch Ginger

Step II

Add tomato sauce, water, sour cream, Kashmiri chile powder, spicy chilie powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, salt, and leftover marinade (optional), and mix well.
1 can Tomato sauce, 2 tablespoon Sour cream, 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chile powder, 1 teaspoon Red chile powder, 1 teaspoon Garam masala, 2 to 3 teaspoon Coriander powder, 1 teaspoon Salt, 2 tablespoon Chicken tikka marinade, ¼ cup Water
Once this comes to a simmer, add chicken tikka (and grilled veggies if preferred) from four 12-inch skewers and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes.
4 skewers Chicken tikka skewers
Chicken Tikka Masala is ready. Add a dollop of butter and serve with your favorite rice or naan.
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 with tomato sauce. I had about 2 tablespoon 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, mushroom, or even tofu in this dish to make it vegetarian.
Always adjust all the spices to taste.
Be sure to marinate chicken for better results. check chicken tikka
If you want a creamy, sweeter dish then check our butter chicken recipe.
You can substitute sour cream with yogurt or heavy cream. 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.

Nutrition