Today I’m venturing into Indian cuisine, and I’m going to show you how to make an easy version of Chicken Tikka Masala.
Indian food has always intrigued me because of its exotic flavors, its spiciness, its aromas… but it wasn’t until less than a year ago (last summer, to be precise) that I tried it for the first time. It was in a restaurant in Lavapiés, as is only fitting here in Madrid, and from that moment on, I started trying to recreate the fantastic food I tasted at home.
The recipe I’m sharing is for chicken tikka, which is traditionally marinated chicken baked in a masala sauce, a sauce made from a blend of spices. You’ll see the “express” version when you read the ingredients and instructions, but as I mentioned in another recipe, this is the easy, home‑style version of the original.
Anyway, I promise to try to make a professional version of the recipe, since last week I was given a bag of Garam Masala, so I have to try making the sauce myself.
I hope you like the recipe as much as I do. 🙂
Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Extra Virgin Olive Oil | 2 tablespoons |
| Chicken Breasts | 1 kg |
| Medium onions | 2 |
| Ripe tomatoes | 4 |
| Roasted Red Pepper | 1 |
| Natural yogurt | 1 |
| Mango Chutney | 4 tablespoons |
| Tikka Masala sauce (jar) | 1 jar |
| Water | 1 cup |
| Liquid cream | 100 ml |
| Fresh cilantro | to taste |
Or to make Tikka Masala sauce (homemade):
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Chopped tomatoes | 3 |
| Whipping cream | 6 tablespoons |
| Ginger root (walnut‑sized), peeled | a piece |
| Garlic cloves | 3 |
| Olive oil | 3 tablespoons |
| Bay leaves | 3 |
| Large onion, finely chopped | 1 |
| Ground cumin | 1 teaspoon |
| Ground coriander | 1 teaspoon |
| Sweet or hot paprika (to taste) | ½ teaspoon |
| Turmeric | a pinch |
| Salt | a pinch |
| Garam Masala | 1 teaspoon |
Preparation
- We thoroughly clean and cut the chicken breasts into pieces. We put the oil in a saucepan and sauté the chicken with a little salt until it starts to brown. We remove it to a dish and set it aside.
- In the same saucepan, add the sliced onion. Sauté it until translucent. Peel the tomatoes, remove the seeds, and dice them. Cut the bell pepper into strips and add them to the sautéed onion. Let it simmer over medium heat for 10‑15 minutes.
- Add the yogurt, mango chutney, and jar of Tikka Masala sauce, stir well, and let it continue to simmer. After 10 minutes, add the reserved chicken and pour in enough water to cover the stew.
- Let it simmer over medium heat for 15‑20 minutes, until everything is well combined, the flavors meld, and the sauce thickens. At this point, I added a few drops of pink food coloring, like they do at an Indian restaurant in Nerja, although theirs turns out a garish pink!
- Then we add the cream, mix well, and let the stew simmer for another 5 minutes. Then it’s ready to serve.
If instead of using a jar of ready‑made sauce, we want to make it ourselves: put all the ingredients for the homemade sauce in a saucepan over low heat, and once they are cooked through, pass them through a fine‑mesh sieve or food mill.
The rest of the procedure would be the same. The result certainly won’t be the same, but I think you have to make this recipe many times to find the perfect combination of flavors, which is why I prefer to use a ready‑made sauce, which has the right proportions, since we only eat it very occasionally.
- If you like it spicy, you can add a little Tabasco, cayenne pepper, or hot paprika to the sauce, since the prepared sauce I used is not spicy at all.
This chicken is served with basmati rice and naan bread, in this case both with added coconut, which further enhances the flavor.
That’s why I’ve shared so many Indian recipes with you these past few days, to complement this fantastic dish, which brings together a great variety of flavors and aromas and which we love to eat occasionally at home.
And for dessert, Indian‑style pistachio ice cream, to finish with something sweeter, a menu from Indian Cuisine….
Nutritional Facts for Chicken Masala
| Nutrient | Amount per Serving | % Daily Value* |
|---|---|---|
| Serving Size | 1 bowl | — |
| Calories | 360 kcal | 18% |
| Carbohydrates | 12 g | 4% |
| Protein | 32 g | 64% |
| Total Fat | 20 g | 26% |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g | 30% |
| Cholesterol | 95 mg | 32% |
| Sodium | 640 mg | 28% |
| Potassium | 710 mg | 15% |
| Fiber | 3 g | 11% |
| Sugars | 5 g | — |
| Vitamin A | 620 IU | 12% |
| Vitamin C | 15 mg | 17% |
| Calcium | 85 mg | 7% |
| Iron | 2.8 mg | 16% |
Note: Nutritional values are approximate and may vary depending on the chicken cut, oil, cream, and spices used. Chicken masala is a rich and flavorful Indian dish made with tender chicken cooked in a spiced tomato and onion gravy.
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000‑calorie diet.