Another fabulous recipe recommendation from family – this time from my brother, Nate, and his wife, Kylie. I really love Indian food and have been looking for a great Indian Chicken Tikka recipe and this did not disappoint! It was so delicious. The creamy, flavor-packed spicy sauce was fantastic – I was literally licking my plate, it was so good, and I couldn’t wait to horde the leftovers for myself the next day. When Kylie made it for my brother, he loved it so much, he requested it again two days later. I’ve edited the recipe to cut down on the heat factor – since I want my children to love me and eat what I make for dinner. As written below, the dish is flavorful with a tiny, tiny little hint of heat but not spicy-spicy. Add more cayenne pepper to the marinade if you like to kick things up a notch (or twelve).
Chicken Tikka Masala
Printable Version with Picture
Printable Version
INGREDIENTS:
Marinade:
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon salt
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips or chunks
For the masala:
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 cup cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
DIRECTIONS:
For the marinade, combine all ingredients except chicken. Pour sauce over chicken and refrigerate for one hour or up to 8 hours. Grill or cook chicken in frying pan. Discard marinade.
For the masala, melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for one minute. Season with cumin, paprika and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve over hot rice.
Recipe Source: from Nate and Kylie
{ 63 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Danielle – impressive that your 1-year old is such a good eater! I’m glad that all-around this was a hit. Thanks for letting me know!
This was a crowd pleaser from the 1-year-old on up. My husband said it felt like we were eating at a restaurant, except we still had to do the dishes. I used plain soy milk instead of cream and it still turned out great. Thanks for helping me feel like a gourmet!
Yay for getting to keep the leftovers. This sounds so tasty! I’d love to feature the recipe on our blog and the first and only digital recipe reader. Please email sophiekiblogger@gmail.com if you’re interested
. Thanks!
Oh my.. that was DELISH! Thanks!
that sauce sounds amazing! i do love me some spice, and i spy cinnamon in the ingredients, so you know i’m smitten.
I am ALWAYS game for some amazing Indian food . . I think your recipe here is the jackpot! I will definately add this to my kitchen adventrues to be!
delicious! This comes closer to the “restaurant version” than most other tikka recipes I’ve tried. If you like Indian cooking, I’ve got a fabulous saag recipe.
I love tikka masala. I’m all about the heat – so I pile on the spices. Mind you…about mid-way through, your taste buds dullen.
Mmm. I love indian food. I’ve got a tikka masala we like, but I’m wondering how yours compares. Is it a typo or is there really no garam masala in this recipe?
TaLaisa – it isn’t a typo – this recipe does not call for garam masala. Let me know if you try it!
i love chicken tikka!!! i will have to definitely try this recipe out!
Traci Elizabeth – SO glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know.
I am soooo excited to try this! This is always my favorite at Indian restaurants. I have tried buying sauce in a jar and other recipes but none have been quite right. This looks great and simple to make. I think I will replace the jalapeno with a little green pepper. I seem to remember green pepper being in my favorite restaurant’s version.
Loved it! It’s better than the local restaurant’s- their chicken tastes leftover and just not quite right. I loved the green pepper in it- slice it up really thin. I will definitely be making this again! I put my review on my blog.
Mmm, this sounds really good!
I love this dish! Yours looks fantastic!
Okay, so I have been stalking your blog and trying all of your phenomenal recipes for months!!! You seriously have so awesome, yummy recipes. I have not be disappointed in any of your recipes I’ve tried of yours. I think we have very similar palates!I’ve put some of your tasty ones on my food blog if you want to check it out: itsdinnertime2.blogspot.com. Keep ‘em coming!
Rachael – glad you liked the masala recipe. I’d love the recipe you mentioned, if you have time to email it to me. mykitchencafe {at} gmail {dot} comThanks!
I was just browsing the computer for a recipe to make tonight…(I was going to make curry) but this is just what I want. gracias.
Yum! Yum! I can’t wait to try your naan too! Congrats on your baby!!
Wow! Takes me back to living in England where Indian cuisine is just part of the menu. Thanks!! I’ve been dying for a great Chicken Tikka recipie.
This is one of our favorite recipes and what my husband always requests! We love it and just like you mentioned cut out the cayenne and jalepeno because we can’t handle the heat. I also use a little extra tomato sauce because we LOVE the sauce and fight over who gets eat it up with a nice piece of naan. Thanks for sharing all your great recipes!
I obviously also needed to proofread what I just posted….
Kate – I’m glad to hear someone else loves this recipe, too! Do you have a good recipe for naan? When I made this I was tempted to try my hand at some Indian flatbread but didn’t have time.
This sounds fantastic! My husband isn’t a fan of Indian food, so I’ll have to save this for a night that he’s not around!
D – I’m on my way to check out the review on your blog but thanks for letting me know you made this and I’m glad to know the green pepper tasted great – I’ll have to keep that in mind!
Wow! I love this in the restaurants and can’t wait to try it at home!!
Good grief woman! Do you know how many delicious recipes I have bookmarked already!? Keep ‘em coming please! YUM!
i let my husband pick any recipe off your website and he picked this one. we had it for dinner last night and it was amazing!! we love indian food andthis was just as good if not better than the restraunts we go to! we invited my brother over for dinner and he loved it too. thank you so much for sharing this. we are having your chicken enchilada pasta tonight. can’t wait!
melanie – oh, I’m so glad you liked this! When people really LOVE Indian food, it’s a little scary to have them try one of the recipes I have for Indian food on my site – because I never know if it will meet up to the restaurant standards. I’m glad this went over well. Thanks for letting me know!
We made this tonight with 1/2 paprika and 1/2 cayenne and thought it was the perfect amount of heat. Another great recipe!
Kylie – you know you gave me this recipe, right? Thanks for the notes on the heat factor – I bet that would be a perfect combo next time I make it. Thanks!
We made this last night and it was delicious. I substituted the paprika as suggested. Also, I didn’t have cream (big frowny!), so I substituted 1/2 sour cream and half 1% milk. Not sure if that was the right thing to substitute with or not, but it tasted just dandy.
Thanks!
Oh and I am totally doubling the sauce next time.
Hi Kristi – I’m glad you liked this and I think your sour cream/milk substitution was ingenious. I’m glad it worked out for you!
Kalei – thanks for your comment! I like knowing what others do to adapt a recipe so thanks for including your changes. I’m very glad you liked it.
I made this tonite. I didn’t use a jalapeno, instead I used diced green chiles & i put an extra pat of butter, cuz I like butter, but it came out fabulous!! Oh, and I cut the cayenne down too. Thanku for sharing!!
Do you think I would be successful cooking the chicken and marinade on low heat in a crock pot?
Laura – I’m afraid this recipe would not work in the crockpot very well because of the amount of yogurt in the recipe. I’m worried it might curdle – but then again, it may be worth trying. Let me know if you do.
Hey Melanie, I just have to tell you I made this again tonight and my son, Ben, who is two-and-a-half…ate it! I know that doesn’t sound like anything much but he hasn’t eaten anything but Cheez-its in like six months! So thanks! Who knew I should branch out to Indian food to feed him
Kristi – what a fun update to read that your son ate it! Seriously, as a mother of small kids, I know what a victory this is and I am excited for you! Funny that it would be some ethnic cuisine that would draw him in, but hey, whatever works, right?
Melanie,
What a divine dish! I made this last night for my husband and he really, really loved it. The aromas flowing through the house until that first bite and last was absolutely fantastic. Just like my favorite Indian restaurant. I also omitted the ginger but added julienne red peppers. Just to die for!
Thank you for never letting me down with your recipes!
Jocelyn – I’m glad you liked this dish! I agree that it smells absolutely amazing while it cooks. Thanks for checking in to let me know.
We’ve been all over Indian food lately so we tried this last night….oh girl! That was so yummilicious. We all loved it and Jono was eating seconds and can’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch today! Oh and yeah, I had a food blog for about 2 weeks. There are probably a grand total of….wait for it….6 recipes on it. You’ve inspired me to maybe, possibly cook an additional homemade dinner every week (that would make the grand total to 2 homemade dinners a week
) Thanks Mel!
Thanks, Kristi! Glad you guys liked this…I was nervous knowing you might be trying a recipe from here. Phew! Glad it didn’t bomb. Let’s not cast our minds back on the good ol’ days and what kind of food we were cooking up in that tiny little apartment kitchen. Actually, I take that back – I was up to nothing worthwhile in the kitchen but I do remember some caramelly toffee bars you made once that I had a hard time not entirely consuming.
This is outstanding! Made this tonight with the Tres Leches Cake-both were a hit!
Liz – glad both recipes worked out well!
My husband LOVES this recipe of yours. He asks for it once a week
Thank you!
Thanks, Jessica!
Mel,
I have a confession to make. We have been in a nasty pattern of eating out at least 5 nights a week! Awful I know
With school starting and my work schedule being insane, dinner was becoming the item on my to-do list that never got crossed off. For weeks now we have been “grabbing food” at one of the thousand restaurants around where I live. Well, last night, after seeing how much eating out was costing my family of 4, I made my triumphant return to the kitchen. Unfortunately, I had not planned much ahead of time and all I had thawed out were 3 chicken breasts. I came running to your website and can you believe I actually had all the ingredients (minus cilantro which my husband gladly picked up) for this amazing meal!! Imagine my surprise that I actually had ginger and plain yogurt in the fridge AND they were not expired!! Anyway, I just wanted to say THANK YOU for another amazing meal. This meal helped me realize how much I missed a home cooked meal. My kids plates were empty and my husbands only complaint was there were no leftovers!!
Thanks Again,
Tai Christensen
P.S. instead of white rice I used basmati rice with a tablespoon of tumeric. AMAZING!
Tai – I’m glad that this meal was the first of your back-into-dinner routine! Good luck with your goal…seriously, it’s a challenge with dinner and I admire you working around a crazy work routine, too. You are amazing!
This recipe was AMAZING! I couldn’t believe that I could make such tasty Indian food at home, with zero experience creating that type of cuisine. This is probably the first recipe in at least a year that really blew my mind (and I’m constantly trying new recipes from everywhere with so-so results). I’m just excited to make it again and share with everyone I know! Thanks so much for posting – can’t wait to try your other recipes.
PS – The last recipe from over a year ago that was just as awesome was from the Food Network.com, Ina Garten’s Linguine with Shrimp Scampi. Super easy, super delish. Make it all the time and I recommend to all!
I love chicken marsala. I alway’s get it at Cheesecake Factory. I’m having the missionaries over for dinner tonight and I thought I would try your recipe. My oh my, that sauce is scrumtious! I’m sure it will be a hit. Thanks!
Rachel – wow! I’m thrilled this recipe had such great results for you! It is definitely one of those incredible meals – the flavors are so intense and delicious. Funny you mentioned the shrimp scampi recipe – I have it on my site, probably one of the first I ever posted almost 3 years ago. But it really is amazing. I second your thoughts on it.
This recipe is awesome! I found it on allrecipes awhile ago and it received rave reviews, so when I saw it posted on your site too I knew had to try it! Even my husband, who claims to not like Indian food, really loved this dish! Thanks again for all of the wonderful recipes.
Melanie – glad you liked this one (and your husband, too!).
This was so awesome! We love Indian food and this was just like at the restaurants.. my husband gave it rave reviews! Served it with Naan bread and green beans.. delicous!
Thanks for the great recipe!
Rachelle – I’m so glad you liked this. Your comment reminds me I need to make this soon!
Mel,
My son loves Indian food, little did I know, this is his favorite dish to order. He loved it! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. Love your site, I can always can find something different for dinner. Thank you again.
Loved it! For Bennett’s 6th birthday he requested Indian food so I made this and your coconut curry dish along with naan. It was all divine! Of course, it wouldn’t be a birthday without a double chocolate mousse torte, right!? A very memorable and delicious meal!
This is our new favorite!! It is so yummy. Since we like the sauce, I do 2 cups of half-n-half, which saves on the calories and makes it a bit more saucy. Love it!!
I licked the bowl. As a grown woman, I think that’s an accomplishment. Delicious, Mel–thanks!
Hi, this is my first time commenting. Several of my friends love your recipes so I thought I would join the ride. This was so good! I ran our of regular paprika and had to substitute smoked paprika and it was so good! I have loved everything I’ve tried!! Thanks for being so good!
Made this the other night and was a definite hit! My husband went back for seconds and then later in the evening, I found him sneaking a bite of the leftovers straight out of the fridge! LOL Thanks again for another recipe that will become a regular at my house.
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