Medium | Prep: 20 min + marinating | Cook: 35 min | Serves: 3–4

The most ordered curry in Britain, and there’s a reason for that. Chicken tikka masala is what happens when you take charred, spiced chicken and drop it into a creamy, spiced tomato sauce that has no right to be this comforting. The debate about whether it’s authentically Indian or a British invention is interesting but ultimately irrelevant when you’re eating it — it works, and it works spectacularly. The yoghurt marinade tenderises the chicken, the spice blend is warm rather than aggressive, and the sauce is the kind of thing you’ll find yourself making in larger batches than necessary because you know you’ll eat it straight from the pan.

Ingredients

Marinade:

  • 500g boneless chicken thighs, cut into large chunks
  • 150g natural yoghurt
  • 1 tbsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp chilli powder (adjust to heat preference)
  • 4 garlic cloves, grated
  • Thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Salt

Sauce:

  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • Thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
  • 1 tbsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes
  • 200ml double cream
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • Salt
  • Fresh coriander, to serve
  • Rice or naan, to serve

Method

  1. Marinate the chicken Mix all the marinade ingredients together. Add the chicken and coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour — overnight is significantly better. The yoghurt tenderises the meat and helps the spices penetrate.

  2. Cook the chicken Heat a griddle pan, grill, or heavy frying pan to high heat. Cook the marinated chicken pieces for 3–4 minutes each side until charred and mostly cooked through. The char is important — it adds a smoky depth you can’t get any other way. Set aside.

  3. Build the sauce Heat the oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 8–10 minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add the garam masala, cumin, turmeric, and paprika. Stir for 30 seconds until fragrant — the spices should bloom in the fat.

  4. Add the tomatoes Add the chopped tomatoes and sugar. Simmer for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the raw tomato taste has cooked out. If you want it smoother, blitz with a stick blender at this point.

  5. Finish Stir in the cream. Add the charred chicken pieces along with any resting juices. Simmer for 8–10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened to a rich, creamy consistency. Season to taste. Serve over rice or with warm naan, topped with fresh coriander.

Cook With Your Senses

Inspired by Ethan Chlebowski’s sensory approach to cooking — the idea that your senses should tell you more than a timer ever could.

  • Look: The charred chicken should have black spots and caramelised edges from the marinade — that’s the yoghurt sugars catching on the heat. The finished sauce should be a deep, warm orange — not yellow (too much cream) and not red (not enough cream).
  • Listen: When the spices go into the onion-fat mixture, they should sizzle briefly. If there’s no sound, the pan isn’t hot enough and the spices won’t bloom properly.
  • Smell: Bloomed spices smell warm, toasty, and complex — like walking into a good Indian restaurant. Raw spices smell sharp and dusty. The difference is thirty seconds of heat. Don’t skip it.
  • Touch: The sauce should coat the back of a spoon thickly. If it slides off, it needs more reducing.
  • Taste: Warm rather than hot. The cream rounds out the spice. It should taste layered — tomato acidity first, then spice warmth, then cream richness, with a hint of smoke from the charred chicken. If it tastes flat, it needs salt.

Notes

  • Yoghurt marinade is doing serious work here. The lactic acid tenderises the meat proteins while the fat carries the spices into the chicken. Don’t skip the marinade or rush it.
  • Charring the chicken separately before adding to the sauce is what elevates this from a basic curry to something restaurant-quality. A regular frying pan is fine — just get it properly hot.
  • The sauce is excellent blitzed smooth, but leaving it a bit chunky gives more texture and a more rustic feel. Personal preference.
  • Leftovers make incredible pie filling with puff pastry on top.

Inspiration

Adapted for Ryan’s kitchen. Original inspiration: bbcgoodfood.com