Chicken thighs are marinated in a flavorful, spiced yogurt marinade, then grilled and thrown into an incredible made-from-scratch tikki masala tomato sauce.—Serve with rice for a winner weeknight dinner!
And that right there is just a winner-winner of a HOMEMADE chicken dinner if I ever saw one…
In my face. In your face. Period.
Bye. Thanks for coming.
Okay, I’m obviously still here. I haven’t done nearly enough jibber-jabbering yet today and we obviously can’t have that. 😉
Chicken jibber-jabber = the best kind, amiright?
As you may have guessed by now, I’m a crazy-lady for pretty much all the cuisines. I love ’em all: Mexican…Italian…I clearly have a particular fondness for Mediterranean/Greek err’thing... and recently…
…Takeout-style Indian food. Made from the comfort of my own kitchen and from the comfort of my own jammies. ♥
Cozy curries. Rice upon rice. Chicken tikki masala and MORE CTK gracing all the meals…
Also, I really just love saying the words tikki masala. It’s such a fun name!
Do you see where I got my favorite term winner-winner chicken dinner from? This entire pan of gorgeousness. —>
The faceplant-kinda gorgeousness, no doubt. You know what I mean. 😉
Guys, all kidding aside for a moment. This tikki masala is pretty much loaded with ALL the real-deal, omg-HOLD-me flavors. Tons of kickin’ spice. Ultra-flavorful chicken swimming around in an equally-awesome creamy homemade tomato sauce. Lotsa’ rice heaped on the side.
Sweet dreams are made of the contents of this pan. The end.
A few crucial factors come into play with this tikki masala. As much as I’d love to just throw everything in one pan and call it done, if we want the BEST, restaurant-style tikki masala it takes a little bite more planning.
Starting with the marinade. Boneless skinless chicken thighs are going to require a nice long marinade in a kickin’ spiced yogurt marinade. In the interest of saving time at dinnertime, I usually get my chicken marinating early in the morning so that it has plenty of time to soak up all those flavors throughout the day.
Then once afternoon rolls around things are about to get sauuuuuucy.
The tomato-based sauce might be my fav part about this whole dish. It’s made completely from fresh tomatoes, loaded with spice and exploding with so.much.flavor.
Flavor, flavor, flavor. It’s clearly our theme for the day. 😉
Pureed tomatoes, plenty of Indian spices, onions and garlic and ginger are reduced into a thick, ultra-flavorful sauce and now the final step…
Slap that previously-marinated chicken straight on the grill, and turn a few times just until the inside is no longer pink. Roughly dice up the chicken and throw it ALL into the sauce.
Then bask for a moment in the glory of your better-than-takeout tikki masala.
Only for a moment though. Don’t waste any time in pulling out the hot rice and heaping all the tikki masala your plate will hold on top.
You might need a bigger plate…
Yes. How’s that for conquering Thursday? ♥
Resaurant-Style Chicken Tikki Masala
This recipe may included paid links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- CHICKEN MARINADE:
- 1-1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1-1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- TIKKI MASALA SAUCE:
- 4 medium tomatoes cored and quartered
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
- Rice for serving.
Instructions
- Make the marinade for the chicken: Place chicken thighs in a resealable plastic bag. In a small bowl, whisk garlic, ginger, yogurt, lime juice and spices until smooth. Pour over chicken thighs. Seal bag and allow chicken to marinate in refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight.
- While chicken marinates, prepare the sauce: Place quartered tomatoes in food processor and pulse several times until tomatoes are a slightly-chunky sauce. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat oil until shimmery. Add onion, garlic, and ginger to pan. Stir occasionally until mixture is slightly-softened, about 5 minutes. Stir paprika, garam masala, tumeric, and tomato mixture into onions. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently.
- Remove sauce from heat and transfer to a blender. Blend on high speed until completely smooth. Return sauce to pan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring sauce to a low simmer, then reduce heat to low and cover. Stir occasionally until sauce is reduced and slightly-thickened, about 20 minutes.
- Cook the chicken: Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Grill chicken over medium-high heat, turning occasionally until juices from chicken run clear. Let chicken cool slightly, then dice each thigh into 1-in cubes. Add chicken to sauce and sprinkle cilantro over top. Serve chicken tikki masala warm with rice.
Need more dinner inspiration? Your wish is my command. ♥
Pepperoni Pizza Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Marinated Grilled Summer Veggies and Sausage
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
This chicken looks fantastic, Sarah! I love the yogurt marinade. Sounds so flavorful! And I’m sure this is definitely better than a restaurant. Yum!
Sarah says
Thanks so much Gayle! Hope you have an awesome weekend. 🙂
Joanne says
Tikka masala paneer is one of my favorite Indian food dishes to order! That sauce, though. It’s like velvet.
Sarah says
Total gold, right?? 😉 Thanks girl!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
Oh yum!! This looks sensational, Sarah! That yummy tomato spiced sauce is totally calling my name! So creamy and flavorful!
Sarah says
Thank you so much Kelly! This sounds right up your alley!
Jen | Baked by an Introvert says
Yum! Chicken tikki masala is a favorite around here. Yours looks way better that anything from a restaurant.
Sarah says
You are totally the sweetest, Jen! Thanks for all the love, girlie. xoxo
Shashi at RunninSrilankan says
Indian food is one of my favs – and this tikka masala looks incredible Sarah! I wish I could reach into my screen and grab a spoonful! Loving all those spices in there – fabulous recipe!
Sarah says
Thanks so much Shashi! You must try this tikki masala asap!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
Hurray for comfort foods! So excited to see it! I love indian food. Yum!
Sarah says
Comfort food season is officially ON. 😉
Renee @ Two in the Kitchen says
Ok, I’ve seen a lot of Tikki Masala recipes out there but I am going to try your version because it looks amazing!!
Sarah says
Thanks Renee! If you’re a TM fan then you’ve just gotta try this one!
Dani @ Dani California Cooks says
No joke – I saw this post on my way back from the airport and immediately decided that I needed CURRY. STAT. I picked up a thai chicken curry on my way home! This looks delicious!!
Sarah says
Haha! Oh, gosh you’re a girl after my own heart, Dani! Anytime is a good time for chicken curry, right?? 😉
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says
I love to eat Indian food and Tikka Masala is one of my favorites. Can’t wait to try this!
Sarah says
Thanks Christin! If you’re an Indian food-lover, than this chicken is right up your alley! 😉
Carla says
I believe it’s called Tikka masala, not tikki. Tikki is actually a potato pie.
Bria says
Oh my god, thank you! I’ve been reading these comments with my mouth dropped wondering how in the world anyone got that mixed up! Also i usually don’t put turmeric in mine but it tastes cool with turmeric, too.
Dollie Salvador says
I made this for dinner tonight. Much better than the restaurant!! Thank you for sharing. Delicious!!!!
Sarah says
So glad to hear that, Dollie! Enjoy. 🙂