Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken tikka masala is a flavourful and aromatic curry dish, made in a similar way to butter chicken. If you love butter chicken, you might as well enjoy this spicier variant. It consists of marinated and grilled chicken pieces, known as "tikka," simmered in a creamy tomato-based sauce infused with a blend of traditional Indian spices.
The dish’s origins are debated. One story purports that it was invented in the 1970s by Ali Ahmed Aslam, a Bangladeshi chef in Glasgow, Scotland, who improvised the recipe by combining grilled chicken tikka with a creamy tomato-based sauce, resulting in the iconic dish we know today. Many consider it to be the national dish of the UK. In 2001 British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook gave a speech in which he hailed chicken tikka masala as a “true British national dish” and a symbol of modern multicultural Britain. He even offered his own simplified explanation of how it evolved: “Chicken tikka is an Indian dish. The masala sauce was added to satisfy the desire of British people to have their meat served in gravy.”

Chicken	Tikka Masala Sauce
650-800 g Skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks 120 g Thick plain yoghurt 1 tbsp Finely grated garlic 1 tbsp Finely grated ginger 1 tsp Garam masala 1 tsp Kashimiri red chilli powder 1 tsp Coriander ½ tsp Cumin ½ tsp Turmeric ½-¾ tsp Sea salt 1 tbsp Lemon juice 1 tbsp Olive oil 2 tbsp Ghee or chicken schmaltz to cook chicken	4 tbsp Ghee 1 Red onion, finely chopped 1 tsp Sea salt 1 tbsp Finely grated ginger 1 tbsp Finely chopped garlic 1-2 tsp Kashimiri red chilli powder 1 tbsp Garam masala 2 tsp Coriander powder 2 tsp Cumin powder 1 tsp Turmeric powder 400 ml Tomato passata 300-400 ml Hot chicken stock (or water) 100 ml Heavy cream plus more for garnish 1 tsp Xylitol (or sugar) Fresh cilantro leaves, to garnish (or parsley if you don’t like cilantro) 1 Small green chilli, to garnish

Chicken

Tikka Masala Sauce

650-800 g Skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
120 g Thick plain yoghurt
1 tbsp Finely grated garlic
1 tbsp Finely grated ginger
1 tsp Garam masala
1 tsp Kashimiri red chilli powder
1 tsp Coriander
½ tsp Cumin
½ tsp Turmeric
½-¾ tsp Sea salt
1 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tbsp Olive oil
2 tbsp Ghee or chicken schmaltz to cook chicken

4 tbsp Ghee
1 Red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp Sea salt
1 tbsp Finely grated ginger
1 tbsp Finely chopped garlic
1-2 tsp Kashimiri red chilli powder
1 tbsp Garam masala
2 tsp Coriander powder
2 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Turmeric powder
400 ml Tomato passata
300-400 ml Hot chicken stock (or water)
100 ml Heavy cream plus more for garnish
1 tsp Xylitol (or sugar)
Fresh cilantro leaves, to garnish (or parsley if you don’t like cilantro)
1 Small green chilli, to garnish

Cut the chicken into 5-6 cm chunks and place them in a large bowl. Add the remaining marinade ingredients and mix well. Cover and let marinate in the fridge overnight or up to 48 hours.
Heat the chicken schmaltz or ghee in a non stick pan over high heat until smoking hot. Add half the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes or until beautifully charred. Turn each piece and cook the other side until charred – don’t worry if not cooked inside. Remove into a bowl. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
Meanwhile make the sauce, add ghee to a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the ghee is melted, add in onion and salt. Saute until aromatic. Then add in ginger and garlic. Saute again for 30-60 seconds until it smells aromatic.
Lower the heat and add in kashimiri chilli powder, garam masala, coriander, cumin and turmeric. Cook briefly and stir well. Add in tomato passata and cook over medium-high heat until the mixture turns thick, about 2-3 minutes.
Pour in hot chicken stock or water. Bring the mixture to a boil. And let it simmer for 10-12 minutes until it has reached to a thick gravy consistency, stirring occasionally. Use a stick blender to puree the sauce until smooth. Stir in heavy cream and xylitol or sugar. Cook a couple of minutes until everything is well mixed.
Return the chicken to the sauce and simmer for a few minutes until chicken is cooked through. Drizzle with heavy cream and garnish with chopped cilantrol or parsley, green chilli and serve with rice or flatbread.

3 comments:

DEZMOND 13/1/26 13:24: Yes, I definitely do not consider it British national dish LOL But they do ever so love it there. I personally never could stand Indian food, except what they do with mungodal.
Tom 13/1/26 13:47: ...this looks inviting!
Anonymous 13/1/26 14:12: Yummy -Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com