Chicken Tikka Masala
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pam
this is a keeper. (i dont’ like canola oil & i used ghee)
cheers,xxxxxyyyyy
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Dot
Turned out nicely! We might adjust our spice ratio next time on the sauce but we really enjoyed the chicken! I did not coat with yogurt, just the spices, and did not marinate ahead of time. Just coated chicken with the spices and cooked. It was delicious!
xxxxxyyyyy
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Sarah
Though a perfectly fine chicken curry, this is not what you’d expect to get when you make a tikka masala. I went ahed and blended the sauce before adding the chicken which helped with the grittiness I think that others described, but I have other easier and tastier chicken curry recipes I’d make over this one.
xxxxxyyyyy
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Sue
I followed this recipe very closely. It came out gritty and not creamy at all. This isn’t what I expect for chicken tikka masala.
xxxxxyyyyy
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heang
This was pretty much the best chicken tikka masala recipe I have tried. Yum! So glad we doubled the recipe when we made it! Definitely a keeper.
xxxxxyyyyy
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Howar mitchell
I’m not sure what I did wrong but I tried to follow this recipe but my chicken tiki masala turned out to be very mild (not spicy). The fired roasted crushed tomatoes seemed to overwhelm the taste of the entire dish. I tried again by cutting the crushed tomato volume in half (replacing with water) and it was better but still not spicy enough. Also there was very little aroma to the dish. I was expecting strong aroma and strong seasoning. If you have any advice for I would appreciate it. Thank you.
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Emma Christensen
Hi, Howar! Emma here, managing editor for Simply Recipes. I’m sorry that this recipe wasn’t quite what you were looking for! Chicken tikka masala is like many classic recipes where everyone’s version is a little different and everyone craves the specific version they first came to love. If you do give this recipe another try, I’d suggest making sure that your spices are fresh — you might even try buying whole spices and then toasting them and grinding them yourself. This will give you the very best spice flavor. You might try doubling the amount of garam masala as well. Tikka masala isn’t usually meant to be spicy in the sense of it being “hot” but you could definitely add in some spicy chilis for heat if you like. Enjoy!
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AJB
I would use Penzey’s spices if you didn’t have much flavor. With all the spices in this recipe, you shouldn’t only taste tomatoes!
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Sylvia
Very good recipe, a few recommendations:
• use GROUND coriander instead of coriander seeds, I didn’t like chewing into the seeds
• could use more sauce, mine was very thick but still good.
• cut down on the cayenne pepper. I only used 1 tsp and I was sweating and it later upset my stomach because it was so spicy lol.Otherwise, this is a very solid recipe, I recommend.
xxxxxyyyyy
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Elise Bauer
Hi Sylvia, we should have clarified that coriander called for in the recipe was ground. Sorry about that. Fixed!
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Chris
Hi Sylvia–the recipe does call for ground coriander, not the seeds. I have both seeds and the ground in my pantry, but I reread the ingredients, and it does call for the ground coriander.
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ASato
Is there a way to prevent the yogurt from curdling when you fry the chicken pieces? This recipe was great for the most part, but the yogurt was a bit “lumpy” (not sure how else to describe the consistency when I fried the chicken and added it to the sauce. I used whole milk yogurt. Is low-fat better?
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Emma Christensen
Hi, ASato! Hmm… Whole milk yogurt is definitely the best to use and usually doesn’t curdle — or any little bits that do curdle end up getting absorbed back into the dish. Was your final dish also a bit curdled-looking? You might try shaking off as much of the marinade as possible before frying the chicken. I think that will help!
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Janet M.
Looks delicious, but unfortunately I can’t eat tomatoes. What do you suggest I use instead? (Okay to reply privately.) Thanks in advance!
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Emma Christensen
Hi, Janet! If you can eat red peppers, I’d try substituting one or two red peppers (or even roasted red peppers!). If not, then you can try just skipping them altogether and adding a little chicken broth to help thin out the sauce. The tikka masala won’t be quite the same since tomatoes are a backbone to the flavor, but it should still be pretty darn tasty! Let us know how it turns out if you try it!
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Bill
Hi Janet, replace the tomatoes with rutabaga or turnip. When soft, mash the rutabaga chunks or use a blender stick
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Sharon
I have a collection of Tikka Masala recipes, but this is my favorite so far! Mine came out with plenty of sauce, maybe because I wasn’t measuring the yogurt but guessing. I couldn’t find my coriander, so I used a Penzey’s curry powder and did not add more turmeric, and it worked out well. I served with rice and an easy side dish that we once had on an Indian buffet – fried okra (no breading) until crisply, then seasoned with Indian spices. Thank you!
xxxxxyyyyy
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D
Is “plain whole milk yogurt” the same as “whole plain yogurt”? (Or did you use the same type of yogurt to marinate the chicken and the yogurt you used afterwards?) thanks!
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Emma Christensen
Hi, D! Yes, that is correct — the same yogurt is used both times. I’ve updated the recipe to reflect this change. Thanks!
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John Meyer
I made this last night and loved the taste. However, compared to most Indian dishes of this type, there is way too little sauce. Next time I make it I’ll use two cans of fire-roasted tomatoes and perhaps three, and probably add some more yogurt in order to “keep up” with the additional tomatoes.
I would also be interested in finding out what garam masala was used. Having that in the recipe is like specifying “curry powder:” neither one is a spice, but instead is a mixture, and which mixture you use can have a big impact on the taste.
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Darrell
If you want to make a tikka massala that they make in british takeaways/restraunts you need to look at BIR (british indian restaurant) recipes. Theres a lot of info online. All the currys start with the same “base gravy” which is basically a spiced onion soup then different ingredients are used to make the different varieties of curries. MistyRicardo is a great youtube channel for BIR recipes.
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Tina
I made this tonight, substituting a 14 oz. box of tofu for the chicken, as I am vegetarian. It was so delicious! This is definitely going into my regular rotation. I added 1/2 pound fresh green beans, cut into bite size chunks, and some thinly sliced spinach tonight, to make it a one-pot meal, and enjoyed that quite a bit. I’m thinking cauliflower for the next time I fix this. Thanks so much!!
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Poppy
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. I’ve tried several chicken tikka masala recipes and this one is a keeper. My kids and even my picky husband loved it. I did double the sauce because my kids like the extra sauce for their naan. Thank you for the tasty recipe!
xxxxxyyyyy
Delicious and easy but pretty spicy- I’ll definitely make it with less cayenne next time. I also made a batch with tofu instead of chicken and it turned out good!
xxxxxyyyyy
I believe I originally found this recipe here in 2018 and have made it 4 or more times since then. It is wonderful and a dish my son (an adult) will request so I nearly double it. Leftovers go quickly. I increased the yogurt because we like having plenty of the sauce for the basmati rice.
xxxxxyyyyy
The recepie is perfect ! I was doing it first time and it went great ! But I used ghee :)
xxxxxyyyyy
Suggestions for making this dairy free? Would an alternative milk-free yogurt be thick enough? Thank you!
Hi, Amy! I’d recommend using plain coconut yogurt. Enjoy!
So yummy….thanx