When we lived in California last year, we had some really great friends that introduced us to Chicken Tikka Masala. For this reason, we will forever be in their debt.
Please, don’t knock this until you’ve tried it. I had never eaten Indian food before, but I am a through and through fan now! I really wish I could just give you a bite of this through your screen because it is really that good. Every time we have it (which is probably way too often), I find myself stuffing my face to the max, not just because I’m hungry, but because I can’t get enough of the taste! I will warn you that this recipe is not for the faint in heart. It takes a little bit of time, but it is well worth the reward. This might make you tempted to cut corners and not make the naan (a garlic flatbread) that goes with this meal, but don’t do it! The naan is a vital part of the deliciousness that makes all of this up! (The Chicken Tikka Masala recipe was found at Allrecipes.com and the Naan recipe was also.)
Chicken Tikka Masala with Naan
This Chicken Tikka Masala with Naan Bread is better than any restaurant Tikka Masala out there! It is a little time consuming, but so worth it. If you are new to Indian food, this is the one to try!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Resting Time 1 hour
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 6 people
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 2 tsp. salt
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
For the sauce:
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper finely chopped
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 tsp. paprika
- 1 & 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 8oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
For the naan:
- 1 .25 oz. package active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water as hot as you can get it out of the tap
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 3 Tbsp. milk
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 tsp. salt
- 4 cups bread flour
- 2 tsp. minced garlic
- 1/4 cup butter
Instructions
MARINADE: In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, black pepper, ginger, and salt.
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Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for one hour.
NAAN: While chicken is marinating, in a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water - let stand about 5 minutes until is starts to bloom.
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Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and flour.
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Knead for 5-6 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth.
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Place dough in a greased bowl and cover - let rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
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After an hour, punch down dough and knead in garlic.
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Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. (I usually get about 12 balls out of it.)
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Place dough balls on a cookie sheet.
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Cover and let rise again, until doubled in size. (About 30 minutes.)
SAUCE: In a large frying pan, pour in the marinated chicken (marinade and all) and cook until no longer pink inside - transfer to strainer, but do not rinse.
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While chicken is cooking, melt butter in another large frying pan. (Sometimes, we just use a big pot.)
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Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute.
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Add cumin, paprika, and salt - combine well.
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Stir in tomato sauce and cream - simmer on low heat until sauce thickens.
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Add chicken and continue to simmer until desired thickness.
NAAN: After the second rising, preheat griddle to medium-high heat.
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Roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle.
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Grease griddle with butter and place dough on it - cook for 2-3 minutes or until puffy and golden brown.
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Flip naan and cook another 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
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Remove from griddle and repeat process until all the naan has been prepared.
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Dish up some Chicken Tikka Masala, grab a piece of two of naan and eat up!
It is best served by using the naan to scoop up the Chicken Tikka Masala. The cool thing about this naan is that you can also use it for flatbread sandwiches or…whatever else you use flatbread for. This recipe may sound a bit confusing, but give it a try and it will all come together. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
I was lucky enough to partake of this deliciousness in the home of High Heels and Grills. It’s divine! Make it, love it and share it with everyone you know because they will love you forever.
Looks fabulous! I lived in England in high school and learned to LOVE Indian food. Actually, this is the national dish for England, due to all the Indian immigrants there! LOVE IT! Mmmmm……guess what I’m making for dinner later this week?!?! 🙂
Love Chicken Tikka Masala, but never made it at home before, oooh I have got to give this a try now
This look absolutely delicious 😀 thanks for such a great recipe! I’m your newest follower, found your blog through ‘Blog Hop’ hope you’ll stop by and check out my blog too 😀
http://sophiameola.blogspot.co.uk/
xx
I love Chicken Tikka Masala and have always wanted to try making it – thanks for posting the recipe. I’ve made naan before in a real tandoor oven and I appreciated it so much more at the risk of the skin on my hands and arms, lol.
I enjoy Tikka Masala and this recipe looks really good. Thanks so much for sharing it.
That looks delicious! I love Indian bread the bestand I’m sure they’d go well with your dish.
Cheers … visiting from Show & Tell Friday!
http://turningboholano.blogspot.com/2012/08/letting-god-be-god.html
oh yes!! This is a fabulous recipe…yum!!
I am your newest follower..pls follow back if you can.
this is seriously my favorite meal of all time. my mom made it every year for my birthday – and now i get it when i’m home on new years and husband and i go out to eat for my birthday 🙂 i found some packet that is a super easy combo to make the sauce (just add water and chicken and cream) – but i need to try this recipe!
just found your blog from the weekend hop and excited to be your newest follower!
love,
elisabeth
p.s. I’d love for you to drop by lavitaebella-elisabeth.blogspot.com when you get a chance and say hi!
sounds like a great meal one that would be pleasing to my family will plan to try this later in the year when it gets cooler here thanks for sharing
come see us at http://shopannies.blogspot.com
My weakness is Indian food. Yum, yours looks like the real deal! Thanks for linking to Foodtastic Friday.
Thank you for participating in Show Your Stuff Blog Hop, You are invited to come back:
http://juliejewels1.blogspot.com/2012/08/show-your-stuff-36-taco-casserole.html
We loved this recipe, the only thing I will change next time is the salt, I thought it was way to salty. The flavor was amazing and the naan bread was great.
I can totally understand that Tiffany! I’m a salt lover, but my husband always thinks it’s still too salty. The crazy thing is, our recipe calls for HALF the amount of salt as the original. Haha I’m so glad you like it though!
Sarah we as in my husband and I made this again tonight, it was amazing again. Jesse my husband cannot stop talking about how good it is. We love Indian food, but are not able to have it a lot since we live in Africa so it was great to see this recipe on pintrest. Thanks again.
I made both the Chicken Tikka Masala and the Naan bread tonight and it turned out fabulous! I used 1/2 large jalapeno and substituted 1 tsp chili powder for 2 tsp paprika (because I was out). It was so tasty! I will definitely make this again and again! Thank you!
I am making this right now! The sauce is thickening, but I’ve already tasted the chicken and it is just fabulous.
I have never commented on a recipe before (I am newly learning to cook, so I think my inexperience clouds the results), but this was so perfect! It may be one of the few things I make more than once.
Thanks!
Just made this last night and it was excellent. The spices blended wonderfully together. This is a keeper!
This was my first experience with chicken tikka masala and I must say, this recipe is PHENOMENAL! My husband and I have made it twice since Wednesday! We went exactly by the recipe the first time and tweaked it on our second time. The second time, we used tomato paste instead of sauce to thicken it up a bit, we used two jalapeños instead of just one (which I do not recommend…maybe 1.5 jalapeños was enough!), a little more garlic, and added garlic powder to the marinade. Both were amazing! This is comfort food at its finest!
This totally made my day to read! I’m so happy you guys like it!! When someone asks me what my favorite recipe on my blog is, I always default to this Chicken Tikka Masala. I love it so much, I just wish it didn’t take so dang long to make! I think of it as a labor of love though, because it is worth it every single time! Glad you were able to find a great recipe from our blog. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I’ve only tried chicken tm once, I made it with a premade jar sauce. Meh. But now as I see this, I might just have to try it from scratch. Thanks for sharing!
You really should! Even when we go to Indian restaurants, I personally don’t think their Tikka Masala can compare to this recipe. It’s amazing!!