I've been getting requests for this Chicken Tikka Masala recipe for a long time. What amused me was the requests were mainly coming from ex Bahraini residents!! They specifically asked for the recipe of Chicken Tikka Masala served in Indian restaurants here. Many a times, I've heard from friends who left Bahrain is that they miss the restaurant scene in Bahrain. Though it's a tiny island, this place is filled with eat outs of all kinds, not to mention the endless list of Indian restaurants.
I'm not sure whether I've told you this before… if you see any restaurant in Bahrain with the words “international” or inter continental” attached to it, be sure it's a Malayali restaurant ;) After all, who else have an international or inter continental presence like us Malayalees, right?
Anyways, coming back to this recipe… I did ask some restaurants for this recipe, but sadly they aren't very interested in giving out recipes like food bloggers ;) I kinda gave up the search and forgot about it.
Then the other day, I logged into Pinterest and the very first pic, I see is the recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala! It kinda called out to me and here I am. I did search for a number of Chicken Tikka recipes before trying this, but I liked this one better. The funny thing is when I searched for Chicken Tikka Masala recipes, most of the top listed recipes are posted in non Indian blogs or forums!! After all, this recipe is supposed to be a creation of some Indian restaurant in Britain and it's considered to be a true British National dish.
Now, I'm not very sure whether the below recipe is an authentic version or not. All I know is, it looked and tasted good! It's not spicy like the traditional curries, it's mild with well balanced flavours. It's a simple recipe, but a bit time consuming. It's a kind of recipe that you can make for a special occasion or when you are in a mood to indulge yourself in cooking. I'm sure you will enjoy this flavourful dish.
Check out here and here for more Chicken recipes.
Here is the recipe…
Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients for marination for about 20-30 minutes…
Grill or pan roast the marinated chicken and set aside…
Roast the onions in the pan with a few drops of oil until lightly browned. Add the cubed red capsicum and cashew and toss them around for a couple of minutes. Take if off the stove and once cooled, grind to a smooth paste…
In the same pan, heat a tbsp of oil and a tbsp of butter.When the butter just melts, add all the powders (clove, cinnamon, cardamom powder, cumin and coriander) and saute until their aroma wafts around. Add the red capsicum, onion and cashew puree and gently saute for 3-4 minutes…
Add the chilli powder and salt and the tomato ketchup. Crush kasoori methi in your hands before adding to the mix and cook for 2 minutes. Mix well and add the cream…
Now add the grilled chicken pieces and toss to coat well in the sauce. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves…
Recipe adapted from here
Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 400 gms Chicken (cut into cubes (I used boneless chicken))
- 1 cup Whisked Yogurt
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- 1/2 tbsp Coriander powder
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1/2 – 1 tbsp Crushed ginger & garlic (each)
- 1.5 tsp Chilli powder
- Salt
For the sauce:
- 2 medium Onion (cubed)
- 1 small Red Capsicum (refer notes)
- 6 Cashews
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp Coriander powder
- 3 Cloves (ground into fine powder)
- 2 Cardamom pods (ground into fine powder)
- 1/2 inch Cinnamon (ground into fine powder)
- 1 tbsp Kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek leaves – 1 tbsp)
- 1/4 cup Cream (I used whipping cream)
- 2 tbsp Tomato ketchup
- 1 – 1.5 tsp Chilli powder
- 1 tbsp Butter (I used unsalted butter)
- Oil
- Salt
- Coriander leaves (for garnish)
Instructions
- Roast the red capsicum over a gas stove until the skin is charred black. Use tongs for the same.
- Place the charred pepper in a bowl and cover tightly to let it steam. This helps to peel the skin quickly. When the pepper is cooled enough, rub the skin off. Remove the stem and seeds.
- Cut the pepper into small cubes. Keep this aside.
- Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients for marination for about 20-30 minutes.
- Grill or pan roast the marinated chicken and set aside.
- In the mean time, roast the onions in the pan with a few drops of oil until lightly browned.
- Add the cubed red capsicum and cashew and toss them around for a couple of minutes. Take if off the stove and cool until ready to handle.
- Blend the mixture into a fine puree. Add a few tablespoons of water only if necessary.
- Heat a pan (you can use the same pan used for roasting) with a tablespoon of oil and a table spoon of butter.
- When the butter just melts, add all the powders (clove, cinnamon, cardamom powder, cumin and coriander) and saute until their aroma wafts around.
- Add the red capsicum, onion and cashew puree and gently saute for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the chilli powder and salt and the tomato ketchup. Crush kasoori methi in your hands before adding to the mix and cook for 2 minutes. Mix well and add the cream.
- Now add the grilled chicken pieces and toss to coat well in the sauce.
- Check taste and adjust salt or chilli powder as desired.
- If you want a thinner consistency add a few more tablespoons of hot water and a sparing splash of cream. Gently simmer for 5 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with Naans, roti, Pulao or plain white rice.
Notes
Unless it's necessary,try not to add water while grinding onion, capsicum and cashew.
Like me, if you've a tendency to overcook chicken, I suggest you make thin cubes of chicken and cook.
Hey Maria i Süd- to Cook Mandy of Ur Recipies and i Can Say only woooow
Hi Maria,
Have just tried this recipe for lunch, happy it was was liked by all especially my fussy teenager son. Also, tried your other recipes like chocolate moist cake which was liked by all at home & work so your recipes are circulated in the office too. I must say it’s easy to follow and turns out delicious as well, thanks
Hi Lini,
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback :) I’m glad your son enjoyed this dish! Thanks for sharing the recipes with your colleagues too, appreciate it very much :)
Cheers
Maria
Is it okay to omit red capsicum in this dish?
Hi Sherin,
The red capsicum adds a depth of flavour to this dish, so it may not be a good idea to omit it.
Cheers
Maria
Maria, I have tried other recipes from here earlier. All turn out yum. I tried this today. And it’s awesome. Keep up the good work! https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5d18b0f02f65acddc0bb927aebce8d85dfe12a360dff2ba3e26ae76a325cde2c.jpg
Thanks a lot Reshmi :) Really happy to know that you liked this recipe. Thanks for sharing the pic here :)
Cheers
Maria
can we use green capsicum instead of red capsicum
Hi Maria,
Tried your chicken tikka masala curry last weekend for the first time and it came out just awesome. You know something, I used to live in Manama, Bahrain, years back.. and it tasted just like a curry I used to have at a restaurant there.. Guests were here and everyone loved it.. It is a superb recipe. Thank you Maria.. Keep up the good work!
Hi Bindu,
Thank you so much :) Really happy to know that the recipe came out well for you and your guests also liked it. Good to know that you were in Bahrain. Bahrain has some good Indian restaurants which specialises in these kind of dishes.
Cheers
Maria
Gave this recipe a try and it was a hit :-). I highly recommend this one. A must try…
Thank you Maria.
Hi Maria,
I absolutely love all ur recipes, all have been a success, Thank u very much for sharing it with us.. I made Chicken Tikka today and its delicious, thanks to u, god bless u.. :)
Hi Sanaya,
Thank you very much for your wonderful feedback :) Really happy to know that you love the recipes on the site. I’m glad that chicken tikka masala worked out well for you..
Cheers
Maria
Thanks a lot for the recipe, Maria.. I tried this yesterday and it came out really well.
Hi Sumi,
You are welcome :) Happy to know that this recipe worked out well for you. Thank you so much for your comment!
Cheers
Maria
Hi Rashi,
In this recipe we use dried tamarind, you can add tamarind piece and it’s better if you use seedless. Hope you get to try this out soon.
Cheers
Maria
I am sorry but no cook worth his or her salt would use tomato ketchup for Chicken Tikka Masala. You can call it anything, but it definitely ain’t chicken tikka masala…
Hi Maria
My search for chicken tikka recipe ends here. thanks a lot. Enjoyed it
-Tres
Hi Tres,
Thank you for such a wonderful comment Tres :) I’m glad you found what you were looking for.
Cheers
Maria
For the first time ever, my Chicken Tikka Masala is edible. :) :) Requires very less prep time and doesn’t have all hi fi ingridents…This recipe is Definitely a keeper… Thanks a lot Maria…
Hi Anjali,
Really happy to know that you liked this recipe. Thanks a lot for taking time to share your feedback here :)
Cheers
Maria