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Chicken tikka
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: Indian, north Indian
Calories: 568
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Marinade Ingredients
  • 800 g boneless chicken thighs skinless cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 250 ml plain yogurt
  • 16 gm garlic minced
  • 10 gm ginger fresh crushed or minced
  • 5 gm garam masala
  • 2 gm turmeric
  • 2 gm ground cumin
  • 5 gm Kashmiri chili or 1/2 teaspoon ground red chili powder
  • 6 gm salt
Sauce ingredients
  • 40 ml vegetable oil or canola oil
  • 40 gm butter
  • 1 large onion finely diced
  • 16 gm garlic finely grated
  • 10 gm ginger finely grated
  • 4 gm garam masala
  • 3 gm ground cumin
  • 2 gm turmeric powder
  • 2 gm ground coriander
  • 400 gm tomato puree tomato sauce/Passata
  • 5 gm Kashmiri chili optional for colour and flavour
  • 2 gm red chili powder adjust to your taste preference
  • salt
  • 315 ml heavy or thickened cream use evaporated milk for lower calories
  • 4 gm brown sugar
  • 65 ml water if needed add in 20ml increments

Equipment

  • pan
  • bowl

Method
 

  1. In a bowl, combine chicken with all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade; let marinate for 10 minutes to an hour (or overnight if time allows).
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add chicken pieces in batches of two or three, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry until browned for only 3 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm. (You will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce.)
  3. Melt the butter in the same pan. Fry the onions until soft (about 3 minutes) while scraping up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan.
  4. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant, then add garam masala, cumin, turmeric and coriander. Fry for about 20 seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.
  5. Pour in the tomato puree, chili powders and salt. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and becomes a deep brown red colour.
  6. Stir the cream and sugar through the sauce. Add the chicken and its juices back into the pan and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling. Pour in the water to thin out the sauce, if needed.
  7. serve with hot garlic butter rice and fresh homemade Naan bread!

Notes

Don’t forget to cook your chicken in smaller batches to prevent the meat from simmering in pan juices. 
Sear the chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding, which ensures proper browning and prevents steaming. This step is key for the smoky flavor.
Adjusting Spice Levels: For less heat, reduce the Kashmiri chili powder. Add sugar or more cream to mellow the flavor if needed.