Chicken Tikka Masala

Now I have to say that I am not really a big fan of Indian restaurant or takeaway Chicken Tikka Masala. I find it them ultimately a bit too mild, creamy and sweet - I’m more a fan of robust, in your face curries such as dansak, rogan josh or madras.

But it was a bf’s son weekend so I thought I’d make him his Indian favourite. Makes a change from spag bol or burgers after all.

Of course he ended up not coming down, last minute, that particular weekend anyway so we were stuck with it as I was committed to cooking it by then. I have to say though that it was really, really good and definitely worth the effort.

I’m pretty sure by the way that this was a Hairy Bikers recipe. I’m not sure where I got it from but it appears to feature in this book (which I’ve actually just decided to buy - this curry is that good!).


Chicken Tikka Masala
serves 2

For the chicken

1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 whole clove
½ tsp black peppercorns
small piece of cinnamon stick
¼ tsp ground fenugreek
¾ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground paprika
½ tsp hot chilli powder
½ tsp flaked sea salt
1 garlic clove, crushed
10g piece ginger, grated
2 tbsp plain natural yoghurt
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each cut into 7 or 8 pieces
sunflower oil, for greasing skewers
For the masala sauce

2 tbsp ghee / clarified butter, or 1 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 smallish onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
12.5g chunk of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
¼ tsp ground turmeric
1 ½ tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp caster sugar
½ tsp flaked sea salt
200ml water
2 tbsp double cream

Put the cumin and coriander seeds, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon stick in a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, stirring regularly until lightly toasted. Be careful not to burn, you’ll know they're ready as there will be a gorgeous spicy aroma.

Tip the toasted spices into an electric spice grinder and add the fenugreek, turmeric, paprika, chilli powder and salt. Grind it all to a fine powder.

Spoon 1½ tablespoons of this spice mixture into a mixing bowl and stir in the garlic, ginger and yoghurt. Mix thoroughly and then stir in the chicken pieces. Cover with cling film and then pop in the fridge to marinate ideally overnight but for at least 4 hours.

To make the masala sauce, heat the ghee (or butter and oil) in a large non-stick saucepan and add the onions, garlic and ginger. Cover and cook over a low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid, increase the heat slightly and stir in the rest of the powdered spices from the chicken, plus the ¼ teaspoon of turmeric. Fry for 3 minutes, stirring regularly.

Stir in the tomato purée, sugar and salt and fry for 2–3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the water, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 minutes more, adding the cream for the last 30 seconds of the cooking time.

Remove from the heat and blitz with a stick blender until you have a smooth sauce. Pour this into a heatproof bowl, cover with cling film, cool and chill until you're ready to cook the chicken.

When you are ready to eat, thread the chicken pieces on to lightly greased, long metal skewers, leaving 1–2cm between each piece, you should be able to fit about 6 chunks of chicken on to each skewer.

Preheat the grill to its hottest setting and place the skewers on a rack over a grill pan lined with foil. Position the grill pan as close as possible to the heat and cook the chicken for 5 minutes. Turn each skewer, holding it with an cloth so you don’t burn yourself, and cook on the other side for another 4–5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and lightly charred.

Meanwhile tip the masala sauce into a large non-stick pan, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring regularly.

Take the chicken skewers from under the grill and slide a fork down the length of each skewer to drop the pieces into the hot sauce. Stir well and let simmer for a minute before serving over rice.