Chicken Tikka Masala
Smoky grilled chicken tikka simmered in a rich, creamy, gently spiced tomato and onion masala. The curry-house icon, made properly at home.
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Ingredients
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Steps
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Start your free weekContinue with free accessGrill the tikka
Make the chicken tikka and grill it until charred — this smoky char is what separates tikka masala from an ordinary chicken curry.
Build the masala
Melt the butter with the bay leaf and cardamom. Add the onions and cook for 10–12 minutes until deep golden. Stir in the ginger-garlic paste for 1 minute.
Cook the tomatoes
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Simmer with chicken
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Finish with cream
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Grill the tikka
Make the chicken tikka and grill it until charred — this smoky char is what separates tikka masala from an ordinary chicken curry.
Build the masala
Melt the butter with the bay leaf and cardamom. Add the onions and cook for 10–12 minutes until deep golden. Stir in the ginger-garlic paste for 1 minute.
Cook the tomatoes
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Simmer with chicken
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Finish with cream
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The Story Behind the Dish
Chicken tikka masala is the most famous example of a dish born in the South Asian diaspora. Several British curry houses claim to have invented it in the 1960s or 70s — Glasgow's Shish Mahal is the best-known claimant — by simmering grilled tikka in a spiced tomato and cream sauce.
It's closely related to Delhi's butter chicken, and today it's cooked in restaurants in India too.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Mild, creamy and smoky, tikka masala is one of the most-ordered dishes in Indian restaurants worldwide.
💡 Fun Fact
In 2001 a British foreign secretary famously called chicken tikka masala 'a true British national dish'.
Britain (with Punjabi roots)
55.86°N, -4.25°W
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