Chicken tikka masala
Tikka masala is two independent dishes: tikka is chicken marinated in yoghurt and charred over high heat, masala is the sauce. The charring is not optional — raw chicken dropped into the sauce gives a perfectly decent curry stripped of the smoky character the dish exists for.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Yoghurt marinade 240 min
- Grilling the chicken 15 min
- Masala sauce 30 min
- Combining 5 min
Step by step
0 / 6 doneChoose thighs, not breast
Thighs carry more intramuscular fat and forgive a minute too long under the grill. Breast at this heat dries out before it chars. If you use breast, cut the grilling by 3 minutes.
Ingredients: 800 g chicken thighs · 200 g Greek yoghurt · 2 tsp garam masala · 2 tsp sweet paprika, ideally smoked · 1 tsp cumin · 20 g ginger · 4 cloves garlic · 1 pcs lemon · 1½ tsp salt
Marinate the chicken in yoghurt
Mix the yoghurt with garam masala, smoked paprika, cumin, grated ginger, crushed garlic, lemon juice and salt. Toss with the chicken, cut into 4 cm cubes, and chill for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
Ingredients: 800 g chicken thighs · 200 g Greek yoghurt · 2 tsp garam masala · 2 tsp sweet paprika, ideally smoked · 1 tsp cumin · 20 g ginger · 4 cloves garlic · 1 pcs lemon · 1½ tsp salt
TipYoghurt does more than season: its mild acidity softens the surface of the meat slightly, and the thick coating protects it from drying out under fierce heat.
The marinade should cling to the cubes, not run off them.Char under fierce heat
Thread the cubes onto skewers or spread them on a rack over a tray. Turn the oven grill to its highest setting (about 250 °C) and set the rack about 10 cm below the element. Grill 12–15 minutes, turning once, until the edges are blackened in places and the meat is no longer pink inside (75 °C). Those charred patches are the whole point of tikka.
Ingredients: 800 g chicken thighs · 200 g Greek yoghurt · 2 tsp garam masala · 2 tsp sweet paprika, ideally smoked · 1 tsp cumin · 20 g ginger · 4 cloves garlic · 1 pcs lemon · 1½ tsp salt
TipA rack instead of a tray — the juices drip away and the chicken roasts instead of stewing in its own liquid.
Blackened edges, not even gold — that is what tikka looks like.Soften the onion and bloom the spices
Cook the finely chopped onion in butter for 12 minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric and chilli and cook 90 seconds until the spices darken and smell strongly fragrant.
Ingredients: 2 pcs onions · 50 g butter · 3 cloves garlic · 20 g ginger · 500 g passata · 2 tsp garam masala · 1 tsp turmeric · 1 tsp chilli flakes · 200 ml whipping cream (30%) · 1 tsp sugar · 1 tsp salt
Spices fried in butter before the passata goes in.Reduce the sauce
Add the passata, sugar and salt and cook uncovered for 15 minutes until thickened and darkened and the fat starts to separate at the edges. In Indian cooking that is the sign the base is ready.
Ingredients: 2 pcs onions · 50 g butter · 3 cloves garlic · 20 g ginger · 500 g passata · 2 tsp garam masala · 1 tsp turmeric · 1 tsp chilli flakes · 200 ml whipping cream (30%) · 1 tsp sugar · 1 tsp salt
TipThe sugar is not there for sweetness: it balances the acidity of the passata, which would otherwise mask the cream.
Combine and warm through
Stir in the cream and add the charred chicken along with any juices from the tray. Warm for 5 minutes over low heat without letting it boil hard. Scatter coriander and serve with basmati rice.
Ingredients: 2 pcs onions · 50 g butter · 3 cloves garlic · 20 g ginger · 500 g passata · 2 tsp garam masala · 1 tsp turmeric · 1 tsp chilli flakes · 200 ml whipping cream (30%) · 1 tsp sugar · 1 tsp salt
Before you start
Without an oven grill
Heat a lightly oiled cast iron pan until very hot and sear the cubes in batches, 3–4 minutes a side, until charred in places and cooked through. The charring effect is similar.
Smoother sauce
Blend the base before adding the cream. In restaurants the sauce is usually smooth; at home it is a matter of taste.
Heat level
Chilli controls the heat, garam masala the aroma. Increase the chilli, not the garam masala: too much of the latter tastes bitter and heavy.
