The best Chicken Tikka masala recipe. The secret is marinating your chicken for as long as possible. Overnight will produce great flavours for the chicken tikka. You can also make the masala sauce the day before for amazing results.
Everyone knows that a curry always taste better the day after. It’s because all the flavours can fuse together.
I served my Chicken Tikka Masala above with homemade Peshwari Naan, steamed rice and coriander.
For the chicken tikka, marinate the chicken in yoghurt, minced garlic and ginger with Indian spices. Add Garam masala, turmeric, cumin, Kashmiri chilli or mild chilli. Combined together and marinate overnight.
You can use either chicken breast or chicken thigh. The difference is when it comes to cooking, you cook the chicken breast quicker and cook in the masala for only 5 to 10 minutes and it’s ready.
Whereas when you cook the chicken thigh, you cook for longer and it won’t dry out and lose its juiciness. Both are great, you just have to be careful not to overcook the chicken breast in the masala sauce.
For the masala sauce, cook the diced onion, garlic and ginger until really soft and translucent. Add the spices, 1 tin of tomatoes and cook slowly for 30 minutes to fully incorporate together. Add the cream just before pan-frying the chicken tikka.
After the base of the masala sauce is made, all is left to do is pan fry the chicken tikka and add cream to your masala sauce.
How much cream you add depends on how creamy you like your masala sauce. Once you add the cream, be careful not to cook for too long as the cream could split.
This really is a delicious recipe and worth all the effort. Go on, it’s tikka time.
Why not check out my homemade Peshwari Naan and give them a go.
