Name: Chicken Tikka Masala
Cook time: 45 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (3 to 4 breast halves total); ¼ cup plain whole-milk Greek-style yogurt; 2 tablespoons peanut oil; 2 teaspoons fresh lime or lemon juice; 1 large clove garlic, minced; 1 tablespoon ground coriander; 1½ teaspoons ground cumin; ½ teaspoon ground cardamom; ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1½ teaspoons paprika; ½ teaspoon cayenne; 1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger (from 1-inch piece); 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter; 1 large white onion, finely chopped; 1½ cups canned tomato purée (see Cook's Notes for a fresh-tomato alternative); ¾ cup water; ½ cup heavy cream or half-and-half; 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt; ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro plus additional sprigs for garnish; Naan (Indian flatbread) and/or cooked Basmati Rice; Meat mallet or rolling pin, Microplane

A plate of chicken tikka masala over rice.

Chicken Tikka MasalaLara Ferroni

If there's one dish guaranteed to be on every Indian restaurant menu, it's chicken tikka masala, which is composed of grilled chunks of chicken enveloped in a creamy spiced tomato sauce. According to cookbook author and cooking teacher Julie Sahni, chicken tikka masala originated in Amritsar, a city in Punjab in the northwestern part of India. It started out as butter chicken, a leftover dish meant to transform day-old tandoori chicken into something moist and juicy by first simmering it in a buttery, spice-infused tomato sauce. Butter chicken turned into chicken tikka masala when restaurant chefs started using boneless tandoori chicken kebabs (chicken tikka) in order to meet the growing demand for the dish.

With Sahni's recipe you're only 45 minutes away from an outstanding chicken tikka masala. And by preparing it at home, you get the added bonus of a kitchen suffused with intoxicating aromas. If you prefer a spicier version of chicken tikka masala, Sahni recommends swapping out some or all of the paprika for cayenne. If you are really short on time, you can substitute the meat from a rotisserie chicken.

Cook's Notes:

If you prefer to make the sauce with fresh tomatoes, chop 1 pound fresh tomatoes and purée them, including the skins and seeds, in a blender with 1 tablespoon tomato paste and 3/4 teaspoon sugar. When using fresh tomatoes, omit the 3/4 cup water from the recipe.

Editor's note: This recipe's headnote has been updated as a part of our archive repair project.

Recipe notes

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