Chicken tikka masala recipe

Chicken tikka masala is by far a tasty, delicious, and lip-smacking dish that is a food dream for many around the world. However, there is a widespread debate surrounding this incredibly tasty chicken dish.

The English people say that it is their national dish, while the Indians trace it to their culture, which spread to India during the time of the Mughals.

Leaving this debate to whichever side you are on, let us give you a brief and simple idea on how to make this mouth-watering chicken dish easily at home.

List of items for chicken marination

Since you have to make chicken tikka, there are some common spices and herbs that you need for marinating the chicken. These are-

• Hung curd
• Coriander powder
• Ginger garlic paste
• Cumin or shahi jeera powder
• Kashmiri red chili powder
• A pinch of salt
• Garam masala powder
• Fresh lime juice
• Freshly crushed black pepper

Other items

• Chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
• Finely chopped onions
• Tomato puree

Steps to make chicken tikka masala at home

Step 1: Marinating the chicken

The first step is to make the chicken tikka, for which you have to coat the chicken with all the masalas given above, curd, and lemon juice, and let the marination rest for at least 1 to 2 hours. If you can rest it for some more hours, that would be better.

 Step 2: Making chicken tikka

Now it is time to grill the chicken or place it on skewers over burning coal until the chicken is nicely soft, and a char develops on the outside.

Step 3- Making the gravy

In a pan, heat some oil and add one-by-one the following things-

• Ginger garlic paste
• Chopped onions
• Coriander powder
• Cumin powder
• Garam masala powder
• Black pepper
• Coriander stems (optional)

Sauté on mdiaum heat and add tomato puree. Let the rawness of the tomato disappear as you keep churning everything for a few more minutes.

Now take this out in a bowl and allow it to cool for some time, and then make a paste in a blender.

Step-4: Sauté finely chopped onions, more spices, and add the paste made above

In this step, in the same pan, sauté finely chopped onions and add the same spices given above. Since it is chicken tikka masala, you know it is a spicy dish. So do not shy away from adding spices.

You can call it the tadka or the seasoning, which gives the last touch of flavor to the dish. It is now time to add the paste you have made in step 3 above to the pan and let it simmer for a few minutes.

You want to have a thick gravy, but too watery, so add water only if needed. Now add salt to taste and let it simmer for a few minutes.

Step 5: Add the chicken tikka, and it is time for plating

Your gravy is ready, and now it is time to add your freshly made hot chicken tikkas to the gravy and simmer just a few seconds before turning off the gas and plating it for your guests.