Chicken Tikka Masala

Are you hungry for an Indian bold and creamy spices menu? Try chicken tikka masala! It won’t hurt everyone because the perfect combination of marinated tenderizing chicken yogurt with curry tomato sauce. Tasty and tempting orange cuisine!

What is chicken tikka masala?

Tikka Masala is a typical Indian food that is very famous in many Indian restaurants in the World. This dish use Tikka. or spices marinate chicken. Also, it use tandoor oven for roasting. The next step is cooking the Masala or a spice mix for a long time to become a delicious thick sauce. Usually, it is perfect with basmati rice or naan bread.

Is it from India or Britain?

Not only the territory fighting that happen between countries, but also food too. One example is Tikka Masala which has long been a dispute between India and Britain. Many people believe that chicken tikka masala comes from India. This is supported by complete evidence in terms of names, materials used, to processing processes that are similar to Indian traditions.

But Mohammad Sarwar, a former member of Britain’s Glasgow parliament, insists the food comes from his city. He also launched a campaign to make chicken tikka masala one of England’s national dishes. He claims chicken tikka masala was created by an immigrant from Asia who opened a famous restaurant in Glasgow. But Indians also insist that this dish was created in Punjab 50 years ago.

Trying to adapt with Indian rich and bold spices.

I’ve been wanting to make and eat Indian again for a long time, other than naan bread and samosas. But every time I saw the myriad of spices and seasonings, the desire disappeared immediately. Swear, I’m not too passionate about cooking food with lots of spices and seasonings. In addition, Indian cuisine is super strong on spices, especially cumin and caraway, making me lose my appetite every time I eat it at an Indian restaurant.

I am actually open person with the various taste of many food or dish countries. Compare to my family, I am the most easy to adapt with in Indonesia or from other countries compared to family members. The difference in taste in my opinion is something unique. Although the taste is different, I force the tongue to enjoy it. I don’t like to immediately refuse when someone thrusts a foreign dish in front of my eyes for me to taste. As long as the food is hygienic, the nutritious, and halal. There is no problem eating it and cooking it in the kitchen.

But I admit that Indian cuisine is difficult to adapt to the taste of this tongue. I can eat the Arabic version of biryani with gusto. Yet, the Indian version of biryani that I’ve tasted from an Indian restaurant in Bandung is only a few spoonfuls that I can eat. The taste of cumin and caraway is too strong to make the head feel sick to the taste buds.

Even the biryani rice at an Indian restaurant in Bandung that I tried when our family ate there a few years ago, put either cumin seeds or whole caraway into the rice. When I chewed the rice, I accidentally bit into the seeds. It was so strong that I had to hold my breath when I swallowed it. It’s not that the rice tastes bad, but the spices were too strong and bold. I might eat it voraciously if the spice reduced.

But Indian cuisine is very well known abroad, including one of the best-tasting culinary in the world. Indian restaurants are quite widely spread in many countries, some menus such as butter chicken, tandoori chicken, chicken tikka masala, vindaloo curry, kofta, palak paneer are usually always delicious Indian cuisine recommendations. After a long time no executing dishes from India, I finally want to try it. Chicken tikka masala is an Indian recipe that has long been on the list after pressed cooked mutton biryani. So I want to share the recipe. Hope you like it!

The Ingredients of
Chicken Tikka Masala

For Marinating, you need chicken tight boneless bite-size, plain yogurt, garlic grated, ginger grated, garam masala, salt, and lemon juice. You can choose either chicken breast or chicken tight. I opt for tight chicken because it becomes more flavorful and juicy during cooking. The use of yogurt also tenderizes the chicken and makes the sauce creamier.

For the sauce, here are the ingredients you need :

• Onion, garlic, and ginger – chop onion finely. Then, grater the garlic and the ginger.
• Spices – I use turmeric powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, garam Masala, and ground red chili powder. Be sure use this typical Indian spices to taste the authentic recipe. It can be lighter.
• Creamy Ingredients – use tomato puree, heavy cream, salt, butter, and cooking oil.

How to Make
Chicken Tikka Masala

Marinate chicken with all the marinate ingredients for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, in a large non stick pan, heat cooking oil on medium-high heat.

When hot, cook marinated chicken for about 2 minuntes each side or until browned. Set aside.

In the same pan, cook butter and onion over medium heat until translucent.

Add grated garlic and ginger and stir fry for about 30 seconds.

Then add turmeric powder, ground coriander, ground cumin and garam masala. Stir until well mixed.

Add tomato puree, red chili powder, and salt. Stir occationaly.

Turn the heat to low and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, add chicken and heavy cream and cook again for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Turn off heat.

Serve with warm rice and garnish with celery.

Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• I highly recommend using boneless chicken thighs than chicken breast. The texture and taste will be different.
• The best time to marinate the chicken is 35 minutes to 60 minutes or overnight. It makes the chicken more flavorful and more tender.
• Plain yogurt is the best for this recipe because the thickness and creaminess will be balance when it mix with the curry sauce. If you want to make it dairy free you can use coconut yogurt.
• You can adjust the spice based on your preferences. Although, I think this recipe also is lighter.
• Garam masala is a must to make this dish more authentic.
• Adjust the red chili powder or cayenne powder with your heat need level.
• Even, this recipe looks using a lot of oil like cooking oil and butter. But, it worth to the richness and the thickness to the dish. If you want to use olive oil, you can use it too.

Make-Ahead and Freezing Instructions

• You can make this recipe ahead while it marinated. It can be marinated up to 48 hours in the fridge.
• Storing can be separated between the marinate meat and the sauce. Be sure to store it in airtight zip bags and lay flat in the freezer. It can last up to 2 months.
• When you want to reheat, add again a pinch of garam masala to freshen up the dish.

If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback!

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