Are you searching for a boost in your dinner? Are you looking for something out of the ordinary to ditch your everyday dishes for a day? If you need a meal to spice up things and drive strong flavors into your taste buds, then this is where chicken tikka masala comes in. Chicken, vegetables, seafood, or chickpeas are all served in this iconic Indian dish. Consider making restaurant-quality chicken tikka masala at home. This authentic cuisine is worth waiting for when served with smooth steamed rice or slightly sweet garlic rice. Don’t you believe us? This article will teach you how to cook chicken tikka masala.
What Is Chicken Tikka Masala
A staple in menus of Indian restaurants, chicken tikka masala is a recipe in which soft and tasty grilled chicken parts are stewed in a rich curry sauce. It originates from the Hindi word ‘Tikka,’ which means grilled beef, and ‘Masala,’ which means tangy sauce.
The tikka masala mixture is much more British than Indian in origin.
Tikka masala is a tomato and cream such as flavored creamer, yogurt, or cashew nuts derived sauce with various typical Indian spices such as ginger, turmeric, and red chili powder, garam masala, cilantro, and cumin. It has a taste that is mildly sweet and aromatic. Learning how to cook chicken tikka masala adds to your knowledge of spices. This dish also welcomes you to a new set of culinary flavors.
How To Cook Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
For your chicken tikka masala to be successful, you need to prepare ingredients for the chicken marinade and the sauce.
Chicken Marinade
- Three boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- Two tablespoons lemon juice
- Six cloves garlic, minced
- One tablespoon minced ginger
- Two teaspoons salt
- Two teaspoons ground cumin
- Two teaspoons garam masala
- Two teaspoons paprika
Sauce
- Three tablespoons oil
- One large onion, finely chopped
- Two tablespoons minced ginger
- Eight cloves garlic, minced
- Two teaspoons ground cumin
- Two teaspoons ground turmeric
- Two teaspoons ground coriander
- Two teaspoons paprika
- Two teaspoons chili powder
- Two teaspoons garam masala
- One tablespoon tomato puree
- 3 ½ cups tomato sauce
- One ¼ cups water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro for garnish
Directions
- Chicken can be cut into bite-sized portions. Mix the cut into chunks chicken, milk, lemon zest, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, garam masala, and paprika until thoroughly combined.
- Put it in the fridge for at least 1 hour and cover.
- Turn the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Using parchment paper, layer an elevated baking sheet or grilling tray.
- Put the marinated chicken bits on cardboard or wooden skewers and stack them across the ready baking pan, leaving space below to help expand the temperature fairly. Bake for fifteen minutes or until the sides are somewhat brownish.
- In a large pot, preheat over low heat and cook the onions, ginger, and garlic until soft but not fully cooked. Stir continuously for maybe 30 seconds until the cumin, turmeric, coriander, paprika, chili powder, and garam masala are citrusy. Add the tomato puree, tomato sauce, and 14 cups water to boiling, then reduce to low heat and simmer for three minutes. Dump the cream over.
- Cook again for 1-2 minutes after removing the chicken from the skewers and adding it to the mixture. Start serving over rice or with crusty bread garnished with basil.
Nutritional Facts
- Calories: 28kcal
- Carbohydrates: 5g
- Sodium: 13mg
- Potassium: 83mg
- Fiber: 1g
- Vitamin A: 185IU
- Vitamin C: 0.7mg
- Calcium: 39mg
- Iron: 1.8mg
What Does The Tikka Masala Sauce Taste Like
Chicken tikka masala is a tomato and cream-based mixture with a large number of spices. It has sweet, tangy, and earthy flavors. The chargrilled texture of the chicken complements the smooth sauce well.
What is the “secret” to the perfect grilled food with the popular tikka masala taste? Grill it! Although the chicken can be cooked in a pot or an oven, grilling is a good way to bring out the flavor.
What Makes Tikka Masala Sauce Spicy
The portion of ground red peppers in the recipe determines the level of spice. Kashmiri red pepper coating is a slightly hot red chili from India that you like to use. They say moderately hot because it has a warm chili taste rather than being extremely spicy.
If you can’t seem to find Kashmiri chile powder, 1/4 tsp paprika + 14 spoonfuls of cayenne will help.
Simply replace the cayenne with an equivalent value of paprika for a fairly mild tikka masala sauce.
The ingredients for tikka masala sauce can be found in your grocery store or Indian convenience store. Garam Masala, an Indian seasoning mix, is readily accessible on ethnic food shelves these days.
How To Store Chicken Tikka Masala
Now that you know how to cook chicken tikka masala, it’s useful to know how to store this dish. It’s best to keep the homemade chicken tikka recipe in the refrigerator for 4-5 days in a bowl or airtight plastic bag. Simply close the whole sauce or separate portions if you intend to store it for a couple of weeks.
Small sections or in one wide airtight package are the two choices. Make sure both are cool before storage.
Freeze
- Place all ingredients in a snug bowl, mark, date, and refrigerate for up to 2 months.
- Section the sauce into round silicone molds and refrigerate for two hours or until fixed. Fill a freezer-safe thick plastic pouch halfway with the mixture, seal tightly, mark and date, and store for up to 1.5 months.
Thaw
- Defrost the one jar of the dish over time in the fridge and use it as described here when ready to use.
- 14 cup sauce for individual servings, so take two out from the refrigerator whenever the urge hits and melt in a pan with your prepared meat or vegetables of desire until warmed completely.
Conclusion
Cooks had already long regarded chicken tikka masala as one of the best dishes on an Indian menu — with its grilled chunks of delicious chicken soaked in a velvety orange curry sauce. It is indeed an opulent cuisine treat. When it comes to Indian cuisine, many people start with this popular tikka masala sauce. But you don’t need to go to the restaurant to try this delectable dish. You can try this guide on how to cook chicken tikka masala recipe at home. Get more spicy recipes here.