This. This is going to change my life. An Easy Chicken Tikka Masala recipe from the comfort of my own home? In only 30 minutes? Yes, please!

And it’s guaranteed to be healthier, and cheaper, than your favorite Indian restaurant, without sacrificing taste!
Don’t be scared because you’ve never made it before- it’s SO EASY to make. Promise.
Indian food is one of my favorite things to eat, but living in a small town, we have to drive at least a half an hour to the closest Indian restaurant.
This easy recipe for chicken tikka masala, which is always my go-to order, helps me satisfy the craving without packing up the the whole family to go out to dinner.
What spices are in Chicken Tikka Masala?
The thing that makes this recipe extra super easy (and extra super yummy): garam masala. It’s a spice mixture that you can buy or make yourself, consisting of all kinds of yummy aromatic spices like cardamom, cumin, coriander, and ginger.
When you already have the spices mixed, it’s easy to grab a tablespoon of it from the pantry to flavor this entire meal, along with cayenne pepper for some spice.
True, authentic Indian cooks often toast whole spices in a skillet before crushing it themselves using a mortar and pestle.
While this can introduce complex and delicious flavors you otherwise wouldn’t get, I’ll choose the pre-mixed, pre-ground garam masala almost every time just to make my life easier.
A happy compromise is achieved in this recipe by adding the spices to the onions and letting them toast for a while before adding the tomatoes helps bring out that extra level of toasty flavor.
Where did Chicken Tikka Masala originate?
Chicken Tikka Masala is actually a curry, consisting of Chicken Tikka (chicken marinated in yogurt and spices, then cooked in a tandoori grill), served with a creamy, tomato-based sauce over rice.
Actually, there’s some speculation that Chicken Tikka Masala originated in the UK, rather than India. Chicken Tikka is authentically Indian, but it’s thought that putting it in the creamy sauce was developed by Indian immigrants to the area to satisfy the desire of British people to have their meat served in gravy.
The sauce is often bright red or orange in color- this is achieved by adding spices like turmeric, or in some cases, food dyes.
This recipe isn’t as brightly colored as those I’ve seen in restaurants, kind of like this egg drop soup, but it’s still delicious.
How do you make Chicken Tikka Masala?
First, you’ll marinate the chicken in a simple mixture of Greek yogurt, garam masala, salt, and pepper. It’s good to let it sit for at least 20 minutes, but ideally let it sit overnight.
If you don’t have time to do this step or forget, fear not. It will still be delicious. You can even use leftover cooked chicken from another meal or a store-bought rotisserie, if you want to keep things really simple.
Then, brown the chicken in some butter. No need to fully cook it- you’re just trying to get it some color.
Remove the browned chicken and add some onions to the pot, along with some more butter. You want to soften the onion a lot, but avoid browning it.
I find the flavor a bit better if I let the onions sweat, rather than brown. It takes a little longer but I think it’s worth it.
Then, add ginger, garlic, spices, crushed tomatoes, and the chicken back into the pot. Simmer until the chicken is fully cooked, and stir in some heavy cream.
You can also use regular milk, or even coconut milk instead.
I like serving this over cumin-scented basmati rice. I add whole cumin seeds to basmati rice while it cooks- see recipe notes for more on how to do this.
After a quick garnish of fresh cilantro and some sliced fresh jalapeños (or not, whatever floats your boat), the chicken tikka masala is ready to eat. Don’t forget the naan to mop up the delicious sauce!
As a bonus, this recipe is a great thing to make in advance- it reheats beautifully for dinner later in the week or to take for meal prep lunches all week long.
And you can freeze it for up to 6 months in an airtight container!
If you like this recipe, you’ll love this Curried Chicken Salad with Apples and Raisins, this Oven-Broiled Tandoori Chicken (which you can use in this recipe, if you prefer), and this Red Lentil Dal with Poached Eggs and Cucumber Yogurt Sauce.
Here’s the printable recipe for this Easy Chicken Tikka Masala!
Easy Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds chicken breast or thigh meat cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1.5 tablespoons garam masala divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 onion diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated (see notes)
- 2 cloves garlic minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 14.5 oz. canned crushed tomatoes or pureed
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream whole or coconut milk can also be used
- Naan bread cooked basmati rice, fresh cilantro and sliced jalapeños, for serving ((optional- see notes))
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken in the yogurt (1/2 cup), 1/2 tablespoon of the garam masala, kosher salt (1 teaspoon) and black pepper (1/4 teaspoon) for at least 20 minutes or overnight.
- Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large, deep skillet or pot over medium-high heat.
- Brown the marinated chicken on both sides over very high heat- it shouldn't be fully cooked, you're just trying to get some color on it (about 2-3 minutes on each side). Remove from the pot and set aside.
- Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to pot and sauté the onions over medium heat until very soft, about five minutes.
- Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon garam masala and cayenne pepper (1/4 teaspoon). Sauté for a minute or so, until spices are toasted and fragrant.
- Add the 2 cloves minced garlic and minced fresh ginger (1 tablespoon) and sauté for approximately 1 minute, or until fragrant.
- Pour in the 14.5 oz. crushed tomatoes and add the browned chicken. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low for about 15 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked.
- Stir in the heavy cream (1/2 cup). Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Serve over rice with naan, garnished with chopped fresh cilantro and sliced fresh jalapeños, if desired.
Notes
- You can serve this with plain basmati rice (or another variety), but I recommend adding some whole cumin seeds when you cook it to pump up the flavor. I usually toast 1 cup of basmati rice in 1 tablespoon butter along with 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds for 2-3 minutes. Then, I add 1 3/4 cups water, bring to a boil, cover, and turn the heat to low to cook for about 15 minutes. Delicious!
- A note about the ginger: I keep fresh ginger in the freezer and use a microplane grater to grate it directly from the freezer when I need it. This way, you don’t need to worry about fresh ginger going bad, if you use it infrequently.
- You can freeze this in an airtight container for up to 6 months, and you can make it ahead of time to reheat for dinner or lunches throughout the week.
- To make this dairy-free/whole30/paleo compliant, use ghee instead of butter, skip the marinating, and use coconut milk in place of the cream.
- This recipe first appeared on Bowl of Delicious on December 13, 2014. It’s been updated to include more information, updated photos, a video, and some small recipe adjustments.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Violet
This was absolutely amazing. Tastes just like traditional tikka masala. I paired it with rice and naan bread and everyone loved it. Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Carol Hofbauer
Just made this recipe for tonight’s dinner, and my husband and I absolutely loved it! I would give it 10 stars if I could! I followed the recipe exactly, and it turned out perfectly – just as described. Thank you for this wonderfully fragrant, delicious recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you and your husband liked it!
Sue Manchon
T hank you! This dish is delicious. I made some raita and our kids made samosa. Very authentic tasting and easy.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
CT
It take much longer than 30 minutes and the recipe is loaded with butter. At the end it tastes great. Would have liked more precise measurements on the onion or garlic. One onion can be a 1/4 cup or 2 cups depending on the size of the onion. This was a mother’s day gift and it was fantastic.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks for the feedback! I do think the the butter could be cut in half if you want to lighten it up a bit- use one tablespoon for each step instead of two. And I’ll tweak the recipe card to be more specific about the onion and garlic. Glad you liked the recipe!
Kathy
Should the marinade include 1/2 a teaspoon as written in the directions or 1/2 a tablespoon as listed on ingredients? I’m making this tonight.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Ah! Thank you for catching that. It should be 1/2 tablespoon. I always try to include the ingredient amounts in the instructions as well as the list, to avoid scrolling up and down repeatedly, but that also increases the likelihood I’ll make an error! Going to fix it now, and thanks again!
Kathy
This dish was awesome! It reminded my family of our favorite restaurant in Edinburgh, Scotland called Dishoom. I didn’t have fresh ginger due to restricted shopping so I used ground. The dish is pretty spicy. My entire family said 5 stars! We will definitely add this to the rotation!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So happy you liked it!
Theresa
Making this recipe and wonder if it can be made ahead of time up to the point of adding the heavy cream. If the heavy cream is added at the time of cooking the recipe, while hot, will the cream curdle? Can I add the cream later when reheating it? Should Add the cream when it is cold then reheat it or reheat it and add the cream? Thank you.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hm, if you aren’t too picky about texture, I would just make the whole thing ahead and reheat it. I think the bigger concern here is the chicken, especially if you use white meat, as it can overcook easily (so just don’t aggressively reheat it). But I wouldn’t worry too much about the cream! That said, it definitely won’t HURT to add it in later. I would reheat it and then add the cream, if you do this.
franny
Yummy, thanks for this recipe! I didn’t have any cream so I used coconut milk and yogurt. Nice, simple and delicious. The second time I made it with lots of vegetables and chicken, still delicious. Coconut milk and yogurt, forgot cream again.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Galina
How spicy is this?
Elizabeth Lindemann
It’s not very spicy since it only has 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper for the whole thing. That said, you can definitely leave it out, or only add a small pinch, if you’re sensitive to spicy! (or alternatively, add more if you love spice). If you’re unsure, I recommend cooking the whole thing without the cayenne, and tasting it and adjusting as you see fit. Hope that helps!
Zgorzelec
Can’t you reintroduce the marinade to the dish, rather than add (some of) the heavy cream at the end?
Elizabeth Lindemann
I love that idea!! Heavy cream does add a much creamier, velvety texture than the leftover yogurt in the marinade would, but it’s a great way to reduce waste. Maybe try adding the leftover marinade (and bringing to a boil in order to make sure any bacteria is killed), and if it doesn’t seem creamy enough at that point, you can add a little heavy cream. Love this, can’t wait to try it next time!
Lauren Grenier
So glad I found this. Texture is perfect…I always used cooking light slow cooker recipe and it always came out watery. I’ve shared with all my friends! Thanks :)
Elizabeth Lindemann
I’m so glad you liked this recipe, and thanks so much for sharing it and taking the time to comment!
Jamie
Hi! How can I make this dairy-free? Can I replace the butter with anything?
Thank you so much!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hi! If you can find some, ghee is the best substitute for butter (it’s basically a dairy free butter- just the fat from butter without the dairy particles). It should be in the aisle in your grocery store with the oils. Or, you can just use canola or olive oil (use 2 tablespoons total instead of 4). Skip marinating in yogurt, and use coconut milk instead of heavy cream. Hope that helps and hope you like it!
Suzy V
This dish is amazing! Definitely will make it again! Thanks for the tips on toasting the rice with whole cumin seeds. I used brown rice instead of basmati and the rice was delicious. For the chicken, I happened to have some ghee that I used for the butter and the coconut milk substitution was yummy!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!!
kris
tried this recipe, followed it almost exactly except i used powdered ginger since we didn’t have fresh. unfortunately it didn’t really come out anything like what i except tikka masala to taste like–in fact it didn’t really taste like much of anything :/ i’m really hoping it’s due to my own error, because i’m seeing all these other great reviews. i think maybe my spices are just really old. i hope to try this recipe again next time i get fresh ginger and update my spices, and see if that makes a difference. not leaving any stars because i’m pretty sure that it’s my fault, not the recipe’s, and i don’t want to drag down the rating–however maybe this can be a reminder to people to check how old their spices are, and make sure they have fresh ingredients.
Elizabeth
Oh no, I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you! I do appreciate you leaving the feedback. Actually, I’m planning on making this tomorrow and have a few recipe tweaks in mind, including adding the spices before adding the tomatoes, in order to toast them a bit in the pan to bring out their flavors more. I do think using fresh ginger, and newer spices, may make a difference as well. Better luck next time, and again, thank you for the thoughtful comment!
robin price
this recipe is delicious and easy to make . I would give it a 10
.
Elizabeth
Thank you! Glad you liked it!
Alec Williams
If I do marinate it do I still add it at the fourth step, if not when should I?
Elizabeth
Yes, you should brown the chicken! You shouldn’t need to add salt and pepper to it since you already did that with marinating. That should actually be two steps- thanks for pointing this out. Going to fix the recipe now so it’s less confusing! :-)
Franc
I’ve been looking for a recipe. This is close to what my Indian friend said except in other to get the brilliant orange color you must cook the tomatoes to release the oil as an additional step before adding chicken etc.
Elizabeth
Thanks for the tip! I’ll try that next time :-)
GRETA ANTHONY
Made this the other day, just changed 2 things. I used dark meat and coconut milk since I didn’t have white meat or heavy cream. Also doubled the recipe, love me some left overs. It was so delicious, loved how spicy it was. The last recipe I found online didn’t have enough of a kick to it for me. On a recent trip to Atlanta Ga found a great little Indian restaurant and been obsessed with indian food ever since. Have to make my own, my small town doesn’t have an indian restaurant. Thank you for the freezer tip I’ll be doing that also.
Elizabeth
So happy you liked it! Love the idea of using coconut milk. My town doesn’t have an Indian restaurant either- we can drive to the city in 30 minutes but when we want something quick this is one of my favorite recipes to satisfy that craving for Indian food!
Joe
Love it. Killer sauce, tender meat. A little on the spicy side.
Elizabeth
Glad you liked it! :-)
Dave Furst
I used leftover cooked chicken, tomato puree, and half-and-half. This is easily on par with the best I’ve tried at numerous Indian restaurant, and better than most. Thanks!
Elizabeth
I’m so happy you liked the recipe!
Zarinah
Hi – can I use fresh tomotoes instead?
Elizabeth
Good question! I’ve never tried it, and personally, I probably wouldn’t. Making your own crushed tomatoes from scratch is doable but fairly labor intensive- you have to blanch the tomatoes, peel them, core and seed them, then crush with a potato masher. I think shortcutting it and leaving the peels on wouldn’t be great for the texture of this recipe. But if you try it, I’d love to know how it comes out!