A one-pan chicken tikka masala made at home with simple ingredients. This rich and creamy flavoursome chicken tikka masala is made with marinated chicken pieces lathered in a yoghurt masala sauce. Pair with boiled rice or homemade naan bread for your next curry night!
Marinated chicken pieces lathered in rich, creamy yoghurt masala sauce. Perfect for curry night! Chicken tikka masala is a rich and creamy flavoursome curry that is so easy to make. Some claim chicken tikka masala to be of British origin and others of South East Asia.
Regardless of its disputed origins, this chicken tikka masala recipe is the best of them all. A chicken curry recipe that involves shallow fried marinated chicken pieces in a spicy chicken gravy sauce. Served alongside buttery garlic naan this is a classic Pakistani restaurant favourite.

Marinade
- 500 g Chicken thighs or breast
- 100 g Yoghurt/Dahi
- 3 Garlic Cloves/Lehsan crushed
- 1 inch Ginger/Adrak crushed
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Chilli Powder/Laal Mirch Powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder
- 1 tsp Turmeric Powder/Haldi
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder/Jeera Powder
- 1 tsp Salt/Namak
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
Masala Gravy
- 50 ml Vegetable Oil
- 2 Onions/Pyaz finely diced
- 4 Tomatoes chopped
- 5 Garlic Cloves/Lehsan finely chopped
- 1 inch Ginger/Adrak crushed
- 250 ml Water
- 1 tsp Chilli Powder/Laal Mirch Powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder/Jeera Powder
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder/Dhaniyaa Powder
- 1 tbsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves/Methi
- 2 Green Chillies/Hari Mirch finely chopped
- Coriander/Dhaniyaa finely chopped
Cut the boneless chicken into small pieces then add into a bowl along with the yoghurt, crushed garlic cloves, crushed ginger, lemon juice, olive oil, Kashmiri chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, garam masala, cumin powder and chilli powder then set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes
In a large skillet pan heat up the vegetable oil on medium heat until hot
Add the chicken pieces into the oil and shallow fry for 3-4 minutes until lightly charred on either side then remove from the pan and set aside
In the same pan add the finely diced onions and the salt then cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions are slightly softened – adding the salt with the onions helps to bring the moisture out of the onion to allow them to cook down and brown more evenly without burning the onions
Add the chopped garlic cloves and crushed ginger then cook for 3-4 minutes
Add the chopped tomatoes, stirring occasionally, and cook for 5-7 minutes until the tomatoes and garlic soften
Add the chilli powder, Kashmiri chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder then cook the spices for 6-8 minutes adding a few tablespoons of water to prevent the spices from burning
Add the dried fenugreek leaves, finely chopped green chillies and any leftover marinade then cook for 2-3 minutes – at this point you could blend if you wanted to
Add the water then bring to a boil before adding the chicken pieces then cover and cook for 10 minutes
Remove the lid and cook until thickened to your personal preference
Add the finely chopped coriander then cook for 1-2 minutes until the oilhas separated – the oil has separated when there are small bubbles appearing and the oil has formed a thin layer on top
Your chicken tikka masala is ready!
Calories: 446kcal