Despite it being more of a British creation than an Indian traditional dish, this Chicken Tikka Masala is everything a good curry should be: creamy, aromatic and a warm belly hug.
You guys, I think I have cracked it! I finally made a Chicken Tikka Masala that rivals my local (and super delicious) Indian takeout restaurant. If you have been reading for a while, you know that I have been trying to recreate the lovely flavours of a Tikka Masala for a very long time. So long, in fact that I had started to lose hope. But, if there is any lesson you can take away from reading this post, it is: never give up the fight. So I kept trying to come up with the perfect Chicken Tikka Masala recipe. I had tried many easy Tikka Masala recipes and, despite being quick and requiring few ingredients, they never tasted the same as my favourite takeaway curry.
Many long and laborious recipes didn’t improve the situation either. I tried roasting the chicken at a very high temperature in the oven before transferring it to the curry sauce, smother everything in yogurt and even slow-cooking my curry for hours on end. And yet I could never achieve that real tikka flavour. So I took matters in my own hands and decided to do two things: 1) I would make my own tikka masala curry paste 2) I would order yet another tikka masala at my favourite take out spot and really concentrate on what flavours I could detect that were missing for my version. The latter was obviously an excuse to order takeout.
Now let’s just say this: making homemade curry paste definitely looks intimidating. I remember how a couple of years ago I was looking to buy an curry cookbook and found one that promised to deliver curries that tasted exactly like takeout, only to discover that the base for each curry had to be marinated for hours and called for over 15 ingredients. Because of that, I had completely abandoned the idea of making my own paste. And yet, it was not only very easy, but also super empowering. Like, GUYS, I am making my OWN curry paste! How many people you know can confidently say that? Exactly. And you too, despite feeling a bit self-conscious at first, will really find this revolutionary. I definitely am going to struggle to go back to store-bought curry pastes now that I created this beauty.
Now, here is what I do with the paste. After blitzing everything up, I took about 1/3 of the paste and coated my chicken with it. Then I placed the chicken in the fridge, and let it marinate overnight. The rest of the paste was also stored in the fridge and, when I was ready to cook, I fried it on the pan for a few minutes before adding the marinated chicken and any leftover paste. That being said, you might not have the luxury to wait 24 hours before having dinner, so here are a few options:
Make the paste way ahead of time: if you plan your meals and have some time to do some batch cooking on Sunday, just make the paste and store it in the freezer. The day before you want to make the curry, thaw your paste and cover some chicken with it and leave it in the fridge until the following day. So you are still marinating the chicken for a very long time, but you don’t make all the prep in one go.
Marinate the chicken during the day: let’s say you did make the paste ahead of time and today is the day you wanted to have this tikka masala but oh-shoot you forgot to marinate the chicken the day before. That’s fine. Marinate it in the morning whilst you work or run your errands and simply cook it in the evening. It will still taste great.
Marinate 2 hours: So ideally, the longer you marinate the chicken for, the chicken for, the better it will taste. But sometimes, planning that far ahead is not really an option, and I get that. So, if you marinate it for 2 hours, you will still retain some of this chicken tikka masala’s great flavour.
For what concerns the cooking time, it again depends on how much time you have got in hand. Generally, 30 to 40 minutes cooking time is great. But if you are on a pinch and just want a quick weeknight curry, 20 to 25 mins will do. I tried this dish a few times now, and, when I shot the pictures, my chicken had been simmering for over 2 hours. The meat was sooo tender and the flavours were amazing. Definitely the best chicken tikka masala I have ever made. So just tweak it according to how much time you can wait (especially when your house smells as good as it will smell after this chicken has been cooking for a few minutes).
Last but not least, remember point 2 of my “curry plan”? The one about finding what specific flavours I am looking for. Well, I have never ever read this as an ingredient for a tikka masala, but I have definitely tasted it in my local one: mango chutney. I suspect that, at least my local takeaway place, puts some mango chutney in the mix to make it sweeter. So I tried it and holy-moly, it really worked! You might think I am going mad, adding a dollop of mango chutney to my curry. But please, trust me on this one and try it - it will really be a game-changer.
Ingredients:
For the paste:
1 large brown onion
5 garlic cloves
2 tsp paprika
2 cm grated fresh ginger (or 1 heaped tsp ginger powder)
½ chilli powder
2 tbsp cumin
3 level tbsp garam masala
For the curry:
4 chicken tighs
1 can chopped tomatoes
80 ml cream ( or more if you like a milder, creamier sauce)
35 gr tomato paste + 100 ml water
2 tsp mango chutney
1 tsp sugar
Olive oil
Salt
Method:
First things first, make your paste: peel and roughly chop and onion and 5 garlic cloves and add them to a food processor or blender along with the ginger and the spices. Blitz until you get a thick paste (you might need to add a splash of water if your blender is struggling).
Cut your chicken into small, bite-size chunks and transfer them to a bowl along with 1/3 of the Tikka Masala curry paste. Mix until the chicken is fully coated in the paste, cover and leave in the fridge for between a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 24 hours. Also store the rest of the paste separately in the fridge.
When you are ready to make your curry, heat a splash of olive oil to a skillet or heavy-bottomed pan and add the 2/3 of the paste. Fry it on a medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken and the rest of the paste and cook until the chicken is no longer pink.
At this point, dissolve the tomato paste in the water and add it to the pot, together with the coconut milk, chopped tomatoes, mango chutney, sugar and ½ tsp salt. Mix thoroughly and bring to a boil.
Once the curry starts to bubble, lower the heat, cover and simmer. Ideally you should simmer the chicken for at least 30 mins and then cook, uncovered for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. The longer the curry simmers covered, the better. However, if you are in a pinch, simmer for 15 minutes and cook uncovered for a further 10 minutes.
You can serve this Chicken Tikka Masala with some basmati rice and/or naan.
Enjoy!
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