Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

The chicken tikka masala recipe below is the same popular favorite one people have been loving for years. It’s the one we always come back to. 

Homemade Chicken Tikka Masala

To me, a delicious bowl of Chicken Tikka Masala is perfect comfort food.  Being from California, where diversity abounds, there’s never a shortage of ethnic favorites.

In fact, I grew up in a city that proudly features its own Little Indian Town.  Imagine Chinatown, but with a neighborhood full of Indian eateries and shops instead.

Fun Fact

Chicken Tikka Masala doesn’t have any origins from India.  I was tickled to discover that the dish was actually invented in a London curry house.

Regardless of how it came about, it’s now one of the most popular dishes served up in favorite Indian restaurants everywhere.  Good thing, because some of my all time favorites are found in those restaurants.

The only bummer: though I like my new turf, really good Indian restaurants around here are few.  And the prices on those menus are double what I’m used to paying.  What to do?

We’ve tried numerous recipes

I made it my mission to find the very best homemade recipe.  If you can’t buy it, make it.  Or something like that.

In my quest, I have tried numerous recipes for chicken tikka masala – some recipes were more involved than others, some were fully homemade, and some were partly homemade.  But none of them really resembled the deep, rich, distinctive flavors of restaurant style chicken tikka masala. They all lacked that little something.

Until now.  Hubby and I agree that this is by far the best home cooked chicken tikka masala we’ve had.

Finally, the perfect chicken tikka masala

Finally, finally a flavorful and robust chicken tikka masala that can easily be cooked up at home.

My boys are used to different spices, and they loved this stuff.  We often have super flavorful dishes like this robust Jamaican Jerk Chicken and tender Chicken Shawarma.

Even the 3 year old, who doesn’t remember eating anything similar before, reached for thirds.  Cooks Illustrated, how can we applaud thee?  You are simply genius.  With a capital G.

Some heavy cream aside, this dish is actually pretty healthy.  Chicken breast, a diverse array of good spices, plain yogurt, tomatoes… it’s all the good stuff!

Chicken tikka masala goes fabulously with Basmati rice.  Add a little saffron to your rice before cooking, and you’ve got the best accompaniment to your dish.  You’ll want to pour the yummy sauce all over that rice and slurp it up, right down to the last grain.

This was such a success that I’m now eager to give another favorite Indian dish a shot.  Tandoori Chicken, anyone?

P.S.  There’s a fair variety of spices to this Chicken Tikka Masala.  Try not to skip any of them, if at all possible.  Each spice lends a special flavor to the overall dish, with all of the individual spices melding together perfectly. Results can’t be guaranteed if you change things up 🙂

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Source:  Chew Out Loud, adapted from Cooks Illustrated Cookbook

Seriously delicious Indian inspired recipes:

1.  Tandoori Chicken.  This is the closest you can get to that clay oven awesomeness you find at restaurants.  Yum-a-licious.

1.  Naan-like Grilled Flatbread at home?  Fresh off your stove?  Yes.  Yes, you can.

1.  Asian Scallion Pancakes (Green Onion Cakes) Yeah, this one’s Chinese rather than Indian, but I figure if you like Naan, you’ll adore these.