Grandma’s Chicken Tikka Masala Anyone Can Make

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This is the easiest chicken tikka masala recipe you will ever make. It’s a bold claim, but my grandma’s recipe proves that you don’t need fancy techniques or a million ingredients to make the most popular Indian dish in the world.

We’re using a simple, one-pan approach to build incredible flavor from the ground up. I’ll show you how to perfectly marinate your chicken and build a rich, creamy sauce that will make your taste buds sing.

Ingredients:

Marinade:
1 lb Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tbsp Ginger & Garlic paste
Ground spices: Salt, 1 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp kashmiri red chili powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp Mustard oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon (~2 tbsp)

Sauce:
1/2 Red onion
1 tbsp Ginger & Garlic paste
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
10-12 Cashews, made into a paste
Whole spices: 1 inch cinnamon stick, 5 green cardamom, 5 cloves, 2 bay leaves
Ground spices: Salt, 1 tsp turmeric, 2 tsp kashmiri red chili powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp garam masala
3-4 tbsp Heavy cream (based on how creamy you like it)
Cilantro for garnish
3 tbsp Neutral oil like avocado, canola, etc.
1 tsp sugar

Method:
1. Make the ginger, garlic paste with equal quantities of ginger and garlic and some water.
2. Chop the chicken thighs into 1 inch pieces.
3. Marinate the chicken: Add all the marinade ingredients to the chicken thighs and set aside while you prep the other ingredients.
4. Chop the onion and make the cashew paste. Soaking the cashews for about 20 minutes in warm water makes them easier to blend.
5. Heat a heavy bottom pan on high heat and add 1 tbsp of the neutral oil.
6. Brown the chicken pieces on both sides (1-2 mins on each side) in batches. Set aside.
7. In the same pan, on medium heat, add the whole spices, stir for 30 seconds.
8. Add the chopped onions, some salt and cook till the onions are soft (~3-4 mins).
9. Add the rest of the ginger and garlic paste and cook for 30 more seconds or until the raw smell disappears.
10. Add the tomatoes and scrape all the brown bits at the bottom of the pan.
11. Now add the ground spices, some salt and cook on low-med heat for about 15 minutes. Add a splash of water if the mixture gets too dry or sticks.
12. Once cooked, add 1/2 cup of water and the cashew paste and mix well.
13. Add in the browned chicken pieces, add some more water, if needed and mix well.
14. Cover and cook for about 3-4 mins and adjust the seasoning with salt and sugar as needed.
15. Turn off the heat. Add the heavy cream and garnish with cilantro.
16. Serve with naan or rice.

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Everyone loves chicken tikka masala. It’s easily the most popular Indian dish and yet no one makes it at home. So today I’m going to show you exactly how to make it using my grandmother’s recipe. First we’ll marinate the chicken. Then get some color on it. Then we’ll make the sauce and combine it all together. Let’s do it. A neat trick to prevent your chopping board from sliding is to use a wet paper towel underneath it. We’re using boneless, skinless chicken thighs today, and we’re going to chop it into 1 in pieces. Remember to wash your board and wash your hands to prevent crosscontamination. Now, let’s marinate the chicken. salt, turmeric, and don’t add too much turmeric. Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder that I made this morning, and a little bit of garam masala. Next, we add in some ginger garlic paste, some mustard oil for smokiness, and some lemon juice for brightness. Mix it all together and set aside while you prep the other ingredients. We only need half an onion for this recipe, so I’m going to dice it. Chop it as finely as you can so it melts into the sauce while cooking. The last thing is a cashew paste. Soak these in water to soften them before blending. The good news is we only need one pan for this recipe. First, we’re going to brown our marinated chicken in some neutral oil on high heat. We’re not looking to cook it. We just want to develop some color and flavor. See all those brown bits in the pan? That is going to add so much flavor to our sauce. Do this in batches so that you get an even brown color on all of your chicken pieces. The temperature of the pan will drop if you add too much chicken and your chicken will boil instead of getting that lovely golden color. In the same pan on medium heat, add your whole spices and stir for about 30 seconds. Now add in the chopped onions and cook them till they’re slightly soft and pale. We’re seasoning in stages, so add some salt. Now for the remaining ginger garlic paste. Cook for another 30 seconds or until it doesn’t smell like raw garlic. [Music] Now add in the tomatoes. I’m using canned crushed tomatoes, but you could use fresh if they’re in season. Scrape all those brown bits from the bottom of the pan into the tomatoes. Now let’s add the powdered spices, the same ones we used in the marinade. Some more salt. And now comes the most important part of this dish. We need to let this masala base cook for at least 15 minutes. Add some water if it becomes too dry. We want to see the surface glistening. That indicates that the masala has been cooked. Now we can adjust the consistency and add the rest of the ingredients. By the way, if you want more techniques like this along with the entire kitchen setup for any Indian dish, including essential spices, pantry ingredients, and the formula to almost any Indian sauce. I’ll link my free cheat sheet for you in the description. Lower the heat and add the cashew paste we made earlier. This is what makes the sauce creamy. Now add in the chicken along with all the juices that have collected on the plate. That’s liquid gold right there. Add more water to adjust the consistency of the sauce. If you like it thicker, add less water. Cover and cook for about 3 to four minutes to let all the flavors combine. This looks perfect. Let’s quickly taste and make sure that the seasoning’s right. I added some sugar to balance everything out. So creamy and we haven’t even added the cream yet. So let’s add that. If you want more authentic Indian recipes that you can actually cook at home, then like this video and subscribe to my channel. Of course, [Music] the cilantro stems have so much flavor. There’s nothing quite like freshly chopped cilantro. [Music] Beautiful. Just look at that. Look at how creamy that sauce is even though we didn’t blend it. I love cilantro, so I’m going to add some more before tasting. [Music] Complex layered flavors and a smooth creamy texture. What’s not to love? Try this recipe and let me know in the comments if it’s better than your favorite takeout. And don’t forget to grab that cheat sheet if you want the formula to any Indian dish. See you in the next one. [Music] [Laughter]