The Lunch Lady
Chicken tikka masala
Yogurt-marinated chicken in a rich tomato sauce with Kashmiri chili powder, cream and dried fenugreek leaves. Serve over basmati rice with mango on the side.
Published
- Servings
- 6 with rice
- Total time
- About 1 hour 5 minutes, plus at least 2 hours marinating
The clean plates said plenty
The yogurt-marinated chicken was so good I kept snacking on it while I chopped. Good thing we had enough for the kids.
This was my first time using Kashmiri chili powder, and it's staying in the recipe. The flavor and color were incredible. Dried fenugreek leaves at the end brought those wonderful aromatics.
A lot of these kids had never had tikka masala before. This was probably the most clean plates I've seen all year. That sweet and savory tomato sauce gave them something familiar to start with. Just because a kid hasn't tried Indian food doesn't mean they won't like it.
Watch it in the kitchen
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Chicken tikka masala · Instagram reel
Home recipe
Chicken tikka masala
The Lunch Lady · Jared Veldheer
- Servings
- 6 with rice
- Prep time
- About 25 minutes
- Cook time
- About 40 minutes, with overlapping steps
- Total time
- About 1 hour 5 minutes, plus at least 2 hours marinating
Equipment: Large heavy saucepan, immersion blender, mixing bowl, rimmed sheet pan, instant-read thermometer
Make it with what you have
Choose your chicken
Use 2 pounds raw boneless, skinless chicken for any option. Breasts are what we cooked at school. Marinate before roasting, let the excess yogurt drip off, and leave space between pieces. Cook the chicken separately, then chop and fold it into the finished sauce. Times are approximate; thickness and your oven matter more than the timer.
All options are included when you print.
Chicken option: Breasts
Slice very thick breasts horizontally or pound to an even 3/4-inch thickness before marinating. Roast at 425°F conventional or 400°F convection for about 18 to 25 minutes, checking from 16 minutes. Check the thickest part for 165°F. Rest 5 minutes, then chop into bite-size pieces and fold into the sauce.
Chicken option: Tenders
Marinate the tenders whole. Roast at 425°F conventional or 400°F convection for about 12 to 18 minutes, checking from 10 minutes. Remove smaller pieces as they reach 165°F. Rest 5 minutes, chop and fold into the sauce.
Chicken option: Thighs
Trim and unfold the thighs before marinating. Roast at 425°F conventional or 400°F convection for about 22 to 30 minutes, checking from 20 minutes. Cook to at least 165°F; 175 to 185°F gives thighs a more tender texture. Rest 5 minutes, chop and fold into the sauce.
Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you go.
Chicken and yogurt marinade
Tikka masala sauce
Instructions
Instructions
- Whisk the yogurt, ginger, garlic, marinade salt and pepper in a bowl. Coat the chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Prepare the chicken's thickness as described in your chosen cut option before marinating.
- Heat the oven to 425°F conventional or 400°F convection. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment rated for that temperature, or lightly oil the pan. Start the sauce while the oven heats. Measure the Kashmiri chili powder, paprika, garam masala and coriander into a small bowl; keep the fenugreek for the finish.
- Melt the butter with the oil over medium heat in the saucepan. Add the sauce garlic and ginger. Cook gently for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until fragrant and softened, without browning the garlic. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it turns a deeper brick red.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the spice mixture and stir constantly for 30 seconds. Immediately add the crushed tomatoes and their juice, scraping the bottom. Add the starting sauce salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring along the bottom regularly, until thick and the raw tomato taste has cooked away. Lower the heat if it catches or splatters heavily.
- While the sauce simmers, lift the chicken out of the marinade, letting the excess drip off. Arrange in one layer with space between pieces. Discard the remaining raw-chicken marinade. Roast using the timing for your chosen cut, checking with a thermometer. Rest 5 minutes, then chop into bite-size pieces.
- Take the sauce off the heat and blend smooth with an immersion blender, keeping the blade submerged. Return to low heat. Stir in 6 tablespoons cream and the crushed fenugreek leaves. Warm gently for 2 to 3 minutes. If too thick, add up to 2 more tablespoons cream. Taste and adjust the salt; add a small pinch of sugar only if the tomatoes taste sharp.
- Fold the cooked, chopped chicken into the sauce and warm gently until coated and hot. Avoid a hard boil after the cream goes in. Serve over basmati rice with mango alongside and cilantro if you like.
Recipe notes
- I buy my Kashmiri chili powder and dried fenugreek leaves on Amazon. For the fenugreek, look for kasuri methi leaves.
- Kashmiri chili powder brings the red color and its own chili flavor. Heat varies by brand, so choose pure Kashmiri chili powder rather than an American taco-style chili blend or cayenne.
- Use dried fenugreek leaves, not fenugreek seeds or ground fenugreek. Crush the leaves just before adding them at the end.
- This sauce is meant to coat the chicken. The tomato quantity is measured with its juice; adding an entire 28-ounce can would change the balance. The remaining tomatoes can go into another meal.
- The school batch used whole breasts in a hotter convection oven. The home version uses even thickness and separate timings for each cut. Check for 165°F rather than relying on carryover cooking to finish underdone chicken.
- Cook the rice while the sauce and chicken cook. If you work through each step separately, allow extra time beyond the overlapping estimate.