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Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Judy Mancini

For this chicken tikka masala recipe, the yogurt helps tenderize the chicken; the garlic, ginger, and spices in the marinade infuse it with lots of flavor. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

Ingredients

6 servings

6

garlic cloves, finely grated

4

tsp. finely grated peeled ginger

4

tsp. ground turmeric

2

tsp. garam masala

2

tsp. ground coriander

2

tsp. ground cumin

cups whole-milk yogurt (not Greek)

1

Tbsp. kosher salt

2

lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise

3

Tbsp. ghee (clarified butter) or vegetable oil

1

small onion, thinly sliced

¼

cup tomato paste

6

cardamom pods, crushed

2

dried chiles de árbol or ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1

28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, like San Marzano

2

cups heavy cream

¾

cup chopped cilantro, plus sprigs for garnish

Steamed basmati rice (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine garlic, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, and cumin in a small bowl. Whisk yogurt, salt, and half of spice mixture in a medium bowl; add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and chill 4-6 hours. Cover and chill remaining spice mixture.

    Step 2

    Heat ghee in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, tomato paste, cardamom, and chiles and cook, stirring often, until tomato paste has darkened and onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add remaining half of spice mixture and cook, stirring often, until bottom of pot begins to brown, about 4 minutes.

    Step 3

    Add tomatoes with juices, crushing them with your hands as you add them. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often and scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, until sauce thickens, 8-10 minutes.

    Step 4

    Add cream and chopped cilantro. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, 30-40 minutes.

    Step 5

    Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack inside sheet. Arrange chicken on rack in a single layer. Broil until chicken starts to blacken in spots (it will not be cooked through), about 10 minutes.

    Step 6

    Cut chicken into bite-size pieces, add to sauce, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Serve with rice and cilantro sprigs.

    Do Ahead: Chicken can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill. Reheat before serving.

    Step 7

    Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Judy Mancini

Nutrition Per Serving

6 servings
1 serving contains: Calories (kcal) 610 Fat (g) 41 Saturated Fat (g) 21 Cholesterol (mg) 205 Carbohydrates (g) 20 Dietary Fiber (g) 4 Total Sugars (g) 11 Protein (g) 41 Sodium (mg) 1550
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Reviews (1236)

Back to TopTriangle
  • Overall I’d say it’s an exceptional take. Like everyone I take issue with a few things that we’d add or subtract, lol, but the recipe is a solid 4.5. Bump up the garam masala and cardamom by 50%, and use plain kefir instead of heavy cream. Makes the sauce pop

    • Anonymous

    • Ft worth Tx

    • 12/8/2023

  • This is my favorite cool weather ho to meal. I just feel healthier eating it. The spices are amazing. Good food for the soil.

    • Anonymous

    • New Mexico

    • 10/15/2023

  • This was very delicious and flavorful but if you look at Alison's NYT recipe for chicken Tikka she has modernized it by halving the cream and upping the spices so that's what I did. I also cooked the onion first , with a Thai bird chili, then stir fried the tomato paste and spices, along with some cumin and coriander seeds , for a minute or two on med-low. It was definitely creamy enough with only one cup of heavy cream, two cups would have been way too much.

    • Tom

    • Philadelphia, PA

    • 4/9/2023

  • As a Brit, I have mixed views about Chicken Tikka Masala. It isn't an Indian dish, so there is no 'authentic' version of it. It is a British dish. It derives from British 'curry houses' which were pretty much the only restaurants that existed in Britain in the 1960s and 1970s because they were run by immigrants prepared to open late. Furthermore, most British 'curry houses' were run by Bangladeshis (still are), and served customers late at night who were looking for something to soak up the alcohol, and Bangladeshi cuisine is completely different from various Indian Cuisines. As a dish, it is pretty tasty, but it really doesn't belong anywhere. I'm happy to eat if made well, and have had too many beers in the pub, but I would never describe it as classy. India has numerous cuisines (mostly spicy and vegetarian in the South, and more meat with less spice in the North). Chicken Tikka (without the 'masala' comes from the North and is broiled/BBQd chicken, so there is some basis in traditional food, but the sauce it comes in is a total British invention (well, Bangladeshi/British invention). I think I saw a question below about why Priya didn't make this. The answer is probably that none of her ancestors have ever come across it. Over the years this bastardised dish has started to take over the World, and is now available in tourist restaurants in India, but it isn't Indian (as a Brit, I can't decide whether I should be proud of this - probably not). After 60 years of this type of cheap 'Indian Cuisine', Britain is starting to move away from Curry House dishes such as this, and starting to appreciate regional Indian Cuisines. So, please, America, don't fall for the lie that CTM is in any way Indian. It is a low-rent British food that should probably die a happy death.

    • Paul

    • Guildford, England

    • 3/7/2022

  • This recipe was fantastic and just like how my favorite Indian restaurant makes it. I listened to the comments and doubled the spices. So glad I did. I only added 3 peppers but should have added 6. I am on a candida diet so I substituted the cream with 1 cup of plain yogurt and some coconut milk. I also used fage 2%. I would definitely make this again. Thanks to all the other people who reviewed and gave their fantastic recommendations. I can't imagine this recipe without the spice modifications.

    • Kristi Higa

    • Dayton, Ohio

    • 1/31/2022

  • I've tried MANY curry recipes and they don't even come close! This one nails the true curry flavors and consistency. My family loves it, I make it all the time.

    • Pascale

    • CT

    • 1/14/2022

  • I never have cardamom pods. I never bother to make ghee, I just use butter. I use whatever cuts of chicken I have, but I trim out any bones and skin. I don’t measure the spices. This dish is full of loud flavors, and it tastes great without fussing. Maybe one of these days I’ll do it accurately and see if I can tell the difference. I doubt I’ll notice

    • Paulie

    • Connecticut

    • 1/5/2022

  • Initially was very skeptic, giving a long pause seeing the long Listed Ingredients…“ oh my! Will I be able to master this recipe??“ I give all praise and thanks to Alison, this was a superhit for my cookbook. It was excellent!!!so tasty , I Pat my own shoulders🤪👍👍Thankyou Alison🙏

    • Honeysuckle

    • Salzburg

    • 11/7/2021

  • My son and I love this recipe; it tastes and smells so delicious. I make this every time he stays with me. Thank you for the recipe and great instructions.

    • Jamie

    • Onalaska, Wisconsin

    • 10/22/2021

  • Really delicious! I definitely echo what the others said below about doubling the spices *however* I would not double the turmeric. I found when I doubled the turmeric, the flavour was too overwhelming and outshone the other spices. I made this again without doubling it and the chicken was far better. I also agree that halving the cream is essential. I cubed my chicken before marinating it and I also found this led to a more robust flavour than just halving the breast and cubing it later. Cubing beforehand also helped the sauce become less "shaggy" and more silky. Overall, great recipe that I continue to make often!

    • Henna M

    • 10/10/2021

  • I noticed commenters adapting this recipe to be kosher by marinating the chicken in olive oil. Another option is to marinate in rice vinegar, which is how the restaurant Dishoom marinates their chicken tikka.

    • Tori

    • Denver, CO

    • 7/29/2021

  • Super tasty! Like all the comments I more than doubled the spices and also added: Savory Spice Vindaloo, Vietnamese Cinnamon, Stevia, and sour cream. Added 3 minutes to the chicken breast broil, perfection! For the chicken breast marinade I also used Fage 2% and threw it in the blender to make a sauce.

    • Adria

    • Denver, CO

    • 5/28/2021

  • My family loves this recipe. I completely agree with many of the other comments that only one cup of cream is necessary & need to double the spice, garlic & ginger. I also only use the cilantro as a fresh garnish instead of cooking it in the sauce. I make this all the time- great recipe!

    • Jill

    • Vail, CO

    • 5/12/2021

  • I'm kosher so I couldn't marinate the chicken in yogurt or add the heavy cream. Instead, I added some olive oil to the spice mixture and marinated the chicken. I also cubed the chicken BWEFORE marinating. I replaced the heavy cream with the equivalent amount of low-fat coconut milk and a squirt of fresh lemon juice. I too think there was too much tomato ( I used crushed because I don't like to moush them up). Don't think doubling the spices would work for me.

    • Maxine Levy

    • Currently Dallas, Texas. Originally from Brooklyn, New York

    • 4/1/2021

  • Best tikka recipe I have used! I broil the chicken a few minutes longer to get the extra color and I use a whole 6 ounce can of paste. I use 50/50 breast and thigh. I also use Greek yogurt, 2% Fage, which the recipe says not to use. Turns out superb!!

    • Chris M.

    • Beulah, Michigan

    • 3/16/2021