Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe Delish

1. Healthy Chicken Tikka Masala

A classic Indian takeout dish, chicken tikka masala is not as difficult to make at home as you may think. Packed with flavor, the creamy, spiced sauce covers tender pieces of chicken, just waiting to be served with  homemade naan and perfect basmati rice. Heavily spiced, the only  ingredient you might not already have in your pantry is garam masala—it's basically the Indian version of Chinese five-spice powder. Once you have it, the world is your oyster when it comes to cooking up delicious dishes—the spice blend is found in dishes like aloo gobi,  butter chicken, and dal. Trust us, it's worth it to have on hand. 

Tangy and deeply spiced, tikka masala is a tomato and cream sauce that traditionally includes garam masala, turmeric, ginger, garlic, and chiles. It also features all the delicious flavors from a batch of the same spices included in the tikka marinade.

Chicken tikka masala is a milder dish—it packs in loads of flavor, but isn't an extremely spicy dish. One of our favorite things about making it at home? You get to control the spice levels completely! Add more or less based on personal preference. 

Healthy Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken tikka refers to chicken that's been marinated in yogurt and then roasted. You can find chicken tikka served on skewers or roasted and served dry. The masala in chicken tikka masala refers to the cream sauce that the meat is served in. 

Curry and tikka masala are both spiced, sauce-based dishes with origins in the Indian subcontinent; however, tikka masala (unlike its cousin butter chicken) is believed to hail from Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom in the 1960s. Curry tends to be made with a coconut base, while tikka masala has a cream base.

Top Tip: You're going to want to marinate your chicken for at least 30 minutes, but if you have the time, the longer the better to get the most flavorful protein possible. 

Easy Chicken Tikka Masala

This recipe was updated on September 1, 2022, to reflect changes to the recipe and to include more information about the dish.

Ananda is a recipe developer, writer, and editor living in London via New York City. Her work has appeared in magazines and food websites, and she loves to inspire home cooks to get in the kitchen. She is always thinking about her next trip and is constantly saving restaurants and bakeries on her maps.

Chicken tikka refers to chicken that's been marinated in yogurt and then roasted. You can find chicken tikka served on skewers or roasted and served dry. The masala in chicken tikka masala refers to the cream sauce that the meat is served in. 

Curry and tikka masala are both spiced, sauce-based dishes with origins in the Indian subcontinent; however, tikka masala (unlike its cousin butter chicken) is believed to hail from Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom in the 1960s. Curry tends to be made with a coconut base, while tikka masala has a cream base.

Top Tip: You're going to want to marinate your chicken for at least 30 minutes, but if you have the time, the longer the better to get the most flavorful protein possible. 

Easy Chicken Tikka Masala

This recipe was updated on September 1, 2022, to reflect changes to the recipe and to include more information about the dish.

Ananda is a recipe developer, writer, and editor living in London via New York City. Her work has appeared in magazines and food websites, and she loves to inspire home cooks to get in the kitchen. She is always thinking about her next trip and is constantly saving restaurants and bakeries on her maps.

Chicken tikka refers to chicken that's been marinated in yogurt and then roasted. You can find chicken tikka served on skewers or roasted and served dry. The masala in chicken tikka masala refers to the cream sauce that the meat is served in. 

Curry and tikka masala are both spiced, sauce-based dishes with origins in the Indian subcontinent; however, tikka masala (unlike its cousin butter chicken) is believed to hail from Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom in the 1960s. Curry tends to be made with a coconut base, while tikka masala has a cream base.

Top Tip: You're going to want to marinate your chicken for at least 30 minutes, but if you have the time, the longer the better to get the most flavorful protein possible. 

Easy Chicken Tikka Masala

This recipe was updated on September 1, 2022, to reflect changes to the recipe and to include more information about the dish.

Ananda is a recipe developer, writer, and editor living in London via New York City. Her work has appeared in magazines and food websites, and she loves to inspire home cooks to get in the kitchen. She is always thinking about her next trip and is constantly saving restaurants and bakeries on her maps.