This chicken tikka masala builds the sauce base from scratch — one aromatic mixture that does double duty as both the marinade and the sauce foundation. The result is a rich, deeply spiced dish with a velvety texture that comes from crushed cashews rather than any complicated technique. It takes more time than a jar-sauce shortcut, but most of that time is hands-off.
Why this recipe works
The single most important step is cooking the aromatics — garlic, ginger, chilli, onion, and all the spices together — low and slow for a full 20 minutes before anything else happens. This isn’t just about softening them; it drives off the raw, sharp edges of the garlic and ginger and lets the fat-soluble spice compounds fully bloom. Splitting that cooked mixture in half means the chicken marinates in something that’s already deeply flavoured, not raw spice powder, so the seasoning goes all the way through the meat rather than sitting on the surface. The crushed cashews stirred into the sauce add body and a mild creaminess without making the dish heavier — they thicken the sauce naturally so it clings to the chicken instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
About the ingredients
- Cashews: Unsalted raw cashews are ideal, but roasted unsalted cashews work fine — just expect a slightly nuttier flavour. If you’re out of cashews entirely, a tablespoon of almond butter or a small handful of blanched almonds blended into the sauce gives a similar body.
- Tomato passata: The recipe calls for two 400g cans of passata. Crushed canned tomatoes are a direct swap; blended whole canned tomatoes work too. Avoid diced tomatoes — they stay chunky and the texture suffers.
- Heavy cream: Double cream, heavy cream, and whipping cream all work here. For a lighter version, full-fat coconut milk holds up well and keeps the sauce thick.
- Fresh chillies: If you don’t have fresh red chillies, use ½ teaspoon of dried chilli flakes per chilli called for. Add them with the other spices.
- Mustard seeds: These are worth seeking out — they add a faint nuttiness that ground mustard doesn’t replicate. That said, if you genuinely can’t find them, skip them rather than substituting; the dish is still very good without.
- Fresh coriander garnish: Skip the garnish — not worth the extra dish if you’re short on time or don’t keep fresh herbs on hand.
Make-ahead notes
This recipe is well suited to cooking in stages. The aromatic base can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept in a sealed container in the fridge — just reheat it gently before splitting it between the marinade and the sauce. The marinated raw chicken keeps safely in the fridge for up to 24 hours, and overnight is genuinely the best option for flavour. The finished sauce (without the cooked chicken) keeps refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months; thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat over low heat, stirring occasionally. If you’re reheating the complete dish with chicken already in the sauce, add a small splash of water or cream to loosen it — the sauce thickens considerably as it cools.
What can go wrong
- The sauce tastes flat or one-dimensional: This almost always means the aromatics weren’t cooked long enough. If the onion still has any bite or the garlic smells sharp rather than sweet, keep the heat low and give it another 5–10 minutes before splitting the mixture.
- The cream splits and looks grainy: This happens when cold cream hits a very hot pan, or when the heat is too high after adding it. Take the pan off the heat for 30 seconds, then add the cream slowly while stirring. Keep the heat on low once it’s in.
- The sauce is too thin: If you didn’t crush the cashews finely enough, they won’t fully integrate. Use a rolling pin or the flat of a knife to grind them into a rough powder before adding. Alternatively, simmer the sauce uncovered for an extra 5–10 minutes to reduce it.
- The chicken is dry after cooking: Breast meat cut too large, or cooked over too high a heat, dries out quickly. Keep pieces close to 1 inch and finish cooking the chicken in the sauce rather than separately — it stays much more tender that way.
- The spices taste dusty or raw in the finished dish: Ground spices need direct contact with fat to cook properly. If you’re scaling up the recipe, make sure there’s enough butter in the pan so the spices fry briefly before the wet ingredients go in.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast boneless, skinless, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 large red onion (approximately 200g / 7oz), sliced into thin rings
- 6 cloves garlic finely minced
- 2 inches fresh ginger root (5cm) peeled and finely minced
- 1-2 small fresh red chillies deseeded for milder heat, finely sliced
- 1 small bunch coriander (about 30g / 1oz) fresh coriander, finely chopped, plus extra for garnish
- 1 tablespoon mustard seed
- 2 tablespoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin seed
- ¾ cup heavy or double cream
- 1 cup full-fat Greek yoghurt
- ⅓ cup cashew nuts unsalted, crushed
- 2 cans tomato purée 2 x 400g (14oz) cans tomato passata (sieved tomatoes)
- 1 large lime juiced
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted, plus extra for frying the chicken
- 1 small red bell pepper (capsicum) diced
- 1 pinch salt to taste
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Preparation
- To prepare, start with chopping: the garlic, red chillies and ginger should be sliced finely; the onions should be cut into rings, as thin as possible, and the bell pepper should be diced into small pieces, and the chicken breast should be cut into bite-sized chunks (approximately 2.5cm / 1 inch). Keep everything separate, and put the meat in a big bowl. Put the paprika in a different bowl. We won’t need it until later.
- The next step is to roast the mustard seeds. You do this by placing a pan on the stove, put the mustard seeds in it and – this is important – put a lid on the pan. The mustard seeds will pop like popcorn once they get hot. The first time I did this, they were all over the kitchen floor. So, put a lid on the pan, and once the seeds pop, they are done. Remove the pan and let it cool.
Marinade and Sauce Instructions
- Heat a frying pan on a low fire, melt the butter and add the prepared ingredients: garlic, ginger, red chillies, onion, garam masala, paprika powder, mustard seeds, ground cumin seed and coriander powder. Let the herbs simmer until they are soft. Take your time for this. Leave it on the stove for about 20 minutes, sometimes even longer.
- When the herbs are nice and soft (and your whole kitchen is filled with a delicious aroma), you’re ready for the next step: divide it. We’ll use half of it for the marinade and the other half for the sauce.
- The marinade: get half of the herb mix out of the frying pan, add this and the yoghurt in the big bowl with the meat. Stir well, so all the meat is covered by the yoghurt-herb mix. Bring the bowl back in the fridge for at least an hour to marinate. The longer it’s in the fridge, the better it will taste. The marinating time, of course, depends on your planning of the afternoon or evening. To get the most delicious result, you could make the marinade and the sauce the night before.
- The sauce: the remaining half of the herb mix is still simmering on a low fire. Crush the cashew nuts, then add them to the herb mix. Then add the diced paprika. Slice the fresh coriander finely, keep a little bit apart to use as garnish, and add it to the pan as well. After that, pour the cream and the tomato purée into the herb mix. Mix everything carefully to create a beautiful red sauce. The pan remains on low heat. Maintain the warmth of the sauce until the meat is cooked through. If you started the night before, this step is finished; you can let the sauce cool off and keep it in the refrigerator until the next day.
Meat Instructions
- Get the marinade out of the fridge and place a large frying pan with butter on the stove. When the butter is melted, add the marinated chicken pieces and fry over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally, until the chicken is golden and cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F / 74°C).
- When the meat is cooked through, squeeze the lime over the meat. Stir for a bit, and it’s ready to serve.
- Spoon the chicken tikka pieces onto warmed plates and ladle the warm sauce generously over the top. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve with wholegrain basmati rice and warm naan bread.
Nutrition
FAQ
Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast?
Yes, and boneless skinless thighs are actually more forgiving here. They stay juicier than breast meat if the sauce gets a little too hot, and the slightly richer flavour works well with the spices.
Do I have to marinate overnight, or can I cook it the same day?
One hour is the minimum and will give you decent results. The longer the chicken sits in the yoghurt-spice mixture — up to 24 hours — the more the flavour penetrates and the more tender the texture becomes.
My grocery store doesn’t carry passata. What should I use?
Blended crushed canned tomatoes are the closest substitute. Run them through a blender for 20 seconds to get a smooth consistency similar to passata before adding to the pan.
How spicy is this dish, and how do I control the heat?
With the chillies deseeded, this is mild to medium — suitable for most adults and older kids. For a milder version, use just one chilli or replace both with a quarter teaspoon of sweet paprika; for more heat, leave the seeds in or add a pinch of cayenne with the other spices.
Can I make this dairy-free?
Full-fat coconut milk works in place of both the cream and the Greek yoghurt. Use coconut yoghurt or plain soy yoghurt for the marinade, and canned coconut milk for the sauce — the texture stays thick and the flavour is slightly sweeter but still very good.
Can I freeze leftovers, and does the sauce hold up?
Yes, this freezes well for up to 3 months. Cream-based sauces can sometimes look separated after thawing, but stirring over low heat while it warms up brings it back together — add a small splash of water if it looks too thick.
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