Curry Stand Chicken Tikka Masala Sauce

Having said that, I am a health freak who loves curry and Indian food and cannot eat full fat/calorie versions, so I often tweak mine. This recipe is amazing as is and is better than what most Indian restaurants serve. To make it healthier, I used an 8 oz.can of tomato sauce, a 6 oz.can of tomato paste, and 1 cup of fat-free half and half. The tomato paste will compensate for the liquidity of the fat-free half and half. I also used about 1 tbs of olive oil in place of ghee, and used a little olive oil spray when I added the spices to the onions. For the chicken, I marinated it in a yogurt/spice mixture and broiled it in the oven before mixing it with the tikka curry. Like I said, original version is 10 stars, and IMHO so is the reduced fat version. I served it with whole wheat homemade roti and roasted peppers/green beans. My Pakistani husband was more than impressed with the flavors and refused to believe it was healthy! Thank you for this amazing recipe that will become a staple in our household!

This recipe is absolutely fantastic. While it may seem like a lot of work, to the uninitiated, it is completely worth every second. I didn't change a thing, it's perfect the way it is. This has become a staple in my house. It freezes well, and even storing in the fridge as leftovers- reheats superbly.

Sweet Baby Jesus! This is THE Tikka Masala recipe for the masses as well as the elites! Simple to prepare and wonderful to consume! I recommend preparing this dish just as it is written...then modify if you want. The recipe here provides a wonderful dish with a little heat but not a burn. PERFECT IN MY OPINION! I like heat and will probably add more next time but it is not necessary as this dish is absolutely perfect the way it is. Golf clap!

Being Indian and having my mom make amazing masala sauce, I would say this recipe was very good! I would personally add more chili pepper, add a tsp of garam masala, and 1 tsp of ground coriander as well. Really comes out fantastic!

This is amazing and has saved us money since we no longer have to go to an Indian resturant. Couple of notes if you are going to alter this in any way, the portion of cream to tomato is very important or the flavor will be off, I had two 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce and used both, simply added two additional tablespoons of cream and it was perfect. Also the curry is a must in this! When tasting the recipe before adding the chicken thought it didn't have the right balance, after the chicken was added and the curry blended into the sauce...Wow! So if you are going to try making a veg variation with chickpeas or paneer, suggest adding the curry for the chicken directly into the sauce. Such a fantastic and easy recipe!!

YEP! Try this recipe! Turns out scarily close to what I get at my local Indian restaurant and the hubby and I enjoyed the leftovers the next night as well!

I used to use a different Tikka Masala recipe that was on this site. I have deleted that one from my recipe box!!! This has a great flavour and I make it with out too much spice as my stomach doesn't like too much cayenne but my hubby can add more when I serve. I like to marinate my chicken in plain yogurt with some curry, tiny bit of cayenne, cinnamon and bit of turmeric for a couple hours and then skewer and bbq, then I pull it off the skewer and add to the sauce, also add some peas or green beans for a little veggie! Thank you thank you thank you for submitting this recipe!!!!

I haven't reviewed a recipe here in a long time but I had to add my voice to the resounding raves for this dish. Indian food is the cuisine I have the least experience with and I honestly didn't know what to expect from the mixture of spices as I was making this. However, I was looking for something different and hoped for the best. This dish is absolutely delicious. It has a very complex flavor- sweet, hot, tangy, spicy- every component adds to it and I can't imagine omitting a thing. The only thing I did differently was that I used boneless chicken thighs, as it was what I had, and they became tender and moist in the sauce. This recipe makes a lot of sauce and in the future I will double that and freeze some (as some reviewers say it freezes well). It was so delicious, my fiance and I are already talking about when we will make it next! Next time I may try adding in some chickpeas or cubed potatoes or squash when I'm sauteeing the chicken, to soak up every bit of the delicious sauce. But I wouldn't omit or change the ratio of spices, as it's perfect as-is. Fantastic!

Absolutely loved this!!! It tastes just like the Tikka Masala from our favorite Indian restaurant, we are in love! And it really is surprisingly simple! Because there are so many; the ingredient list may look daunting to the novice, but the directions are so simple and direct that it should be no problem for even said novice! One good cooking trick I like, when so many ingredients - especially spices - need to be added at once, is to measure them all out ahead of time in a separate bowl. I like to dumb each measurement into a nice neat pile in the bowl so I can keep track of what I've already measured out. Then when the time comes to add the spices I can just dump them all in at once and don't run the risk of burning any of the spices while I'm still measuring and dumping others. I also started the chicken (and upped the curry to 3/4tsp) while the sauce was simmering for 10-15 min after adding the cream (side note: YES you MUST use heavy cream if you want this to be the real deal!). You could also start the chicken while sauce is simmering for the first 10 min before adding cream and set it aside to wait for later. Either way, start the chicken while your sauce is simmering to help cut down on time. One last thing, I used a sauce pan for the sauce part instead of a skillet. The higher sides make it so much easier to stir quickly and continuously. ;)

Made this recipe twice. Tonight I substituted the heavy cream with coconut milk and just a wee bit more curry. It was amazing. This sauce will lend itself to more than chicken. It reacts well to personal tweaks too. Fantastic!

This is by far the best recipe I’ve made on allrecipes.com (and I’ve made a ton.) The result is the most flavorful, savory, and rich sauce. If you love that orange saucy tikka masala, this recipe is definitely for you. This is even better than the one they serve in town and is a big hit in my home. We have already prepared this 4 times and will continue to do so. I made some slight tweaks though to suite personal preferences. Since I didn’t have any ground ginger on hand, I substituted 1 Tbs freshly grated ginger. This I cooked along with the garlic and onion. I coated my diced chicken ahead of time with the seasonings. Along with the curry powder, I also added 2 tsp garam masala, and salt to taste. Doing this will result in the most delightfully tasting chicken. Because of this, I reduced the initial cinnamon used in the sauce down to ¼ tsp. Spooning this on top of rice and garnishing with cilantro really adds the finishing touch! We can’t get enough of this recipe. One of my favorites! Thanks for sharing.

Good recipe and outstanding comments!! Motivated me to give it a try, marinated the chicken beforehand overnight, was luxurious! The masala needed a little something, was good to start with, comments really work for this recipe. :)

Excellent. Just excellent.

This was easy to make and tastes great! My husband has been to India many times and he says this is the closest he's had to a good curry since being over there and we've been to lots of Indian Restaurants. Next time we are going to add some potato to it and see how we like it.

This was delicious! It tastes 10 times better than any chicken tikka masala I've had at a restaurant or from carryout. Don't change anything and don't make any substitutions. For the love of God, don't try to make it "healthier". Just make it, eat it, and enjoy the one life you have.

So glad I found this recipe! It's exactly what I was looking for: Cheap, easy, and delicious. Make sure you don't forget to garnish with a little chopped cilantro at the end - it finishes the dish perfectly.

This recipe is fantastic. We had some leftover heavy cream from an appetizer I made for a Super Bowl party. I saw this recipe and decided to try it. My husband was home from work and he is actually the one who made it, so I don't know if he made any changes. If I had to guess, I would say he added more curry. I really want to make this again, but I don't usually cook with cream. It may be reserved for special occasions or I may try it with light coconut milk instead of the cream. Thanks for the recipe. It was a real treat.

This is exquisite! I have no words for the sheer amount of amazing that this recipe creates - it's been a hit every time I make it and is one of the rare recipes where I don't fiddle with the spices. It is, in a (woefully inadequate) word: PERFECT.

My husband and I have always loved cooking and trying new foods. After watching a show about Indian cuisine, it seemed like a perfect new project. I spent quite a while looking for an easy, relatively mellow introduction. I can't comment on the actual authenticity, but it was every bit as good as the Indian restaurants that I've been too, and he enjoyed his first Indian meal. The only variation that we made to the recipe was to start by par-cooking the chicken and removing it from the pan to make the sauce rather than using a second pan. Sooo good, and the house smelled great!

This is sooooooo delicious! A bit too much cayenne for me, maybe 1/2 tsp. next time. But other than that, so good!

This recipe is fantastic! Hands down the best homemade chicken tikka masala that I have tried. It does taste very close to the beloved restaurant version. I used garam masala instead of curry powder and half and half instead of cream otherwise followed the recipe. Definitely make this!

I chose this recipe over others because I didn't have yogurt on hand. A few weeks later, I got my yogurt and made one of the other Chicken Tikka Masala recipes that call for it. This recipe is much better than the version with yogurt. Excellent flavor!!

Almost perfect. I had to add a cup of milk to get it to the right consistency, and I added 1/2 cup of finely ground cashews to give it that luxurious richness. This is my new go-to recipe!

Delicious recipe! I don't like much heat and this was perfect - just a tiny little kick. And so quick and easy. I actually made it with seitan, tofu, and tempeh, as we are vegetarians. I think I liked the tempeh the best. My husband loved it, but would prefer some veggies in there, so I may try it with some red pepper and cauliflower next time. I also used coconut milk instead of cream and it was perfect (still used the ghee, 'cause ghee is awesome, so it wasn't vegan, though you could easily make it vegan by using Earth Balance margarine).

It was great, but I think I will take out the tablespoon of sugar. Do not overheat the onions or garlic or they will turn bitter!

I tried the other chicken tikka recipe on this site and liked it a little bit more. This one was very good, however, but a bit too sweet for my tastebuds. I did omit the salt entirely (not needed) and would omit the sugar next time. Also I used non-fat cream and the consistency and flavor was good. The only other thing that I might change is to add a bit more butter (didn't use ghee) as an emulsifier to blend in all of the spices more. Good recipe! Thanks for sharing it.

It was a little spicy for the kids but we loved it - flavors had blended even better next day. I sub'd non-fat plain yogurt for the heavy cream (fat content was rather high) and thought it tasted fab

This was really good!! I didn't have ghee so I used regular butter and put in half the cayenne since Indian food can be really spicy which I'm glad I did because it was perfect. I also did not add the optional salt and sugar at the end. I made it with almond milk instead of 1/2 and 1/2 because that is what I had. It was so good like that but I can imagine it would be even better with the cream.

We just finished eating, WOW best recipe curry I've ever did. Try it, you won't regreat it.

I have been really getting into cooking lately and wanted to make Indian food. I found the recipe and took other peoples instructions to half the cayenne pepper. Everything else was done exactly as this recipe describes. This really is a 5 star recipe. Its fairly easy to do and the flavor was like my favorite Indian restaurant. TOP NOTCH AND THANK YOU!!!!!!

This was good chicken tikka masala. I did not have any cream, so I subbed 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup greek yogurt and it turned out fine. I will have to make this again when I have cream! Thanks.

This recipe is my personal favorite. I serve it at all of my parties, and it's always a big hit. I transfer the sauce and chicken into the slow cooker as I finish them and let them cook on high for 4 hours instead of simmering them in the pan. That way I can make a double batch using my largest pan for both the sauce and the chicken, and have time to get ready for the party while it cooks away.

OMGoodness!! This was de’freakin’licous! If you were here I’d hug you!! I substituted a few items only because I did not have them in my pantry. Substitutions are tomato paste instead of tomato sauce, yogurt instead of cream, agave/honey instead of sugar, chicken thighs and drumsticks instead of breasts. To thin the paste I stirred in no salt chicken broth in the onion and spice sauce. I baked the thighs and drumsticks on 335 until almost tender. I also seasoned the meat with black pepper, curry, and Island Spice chicken blend. I was familiar with the dish as I normally order it with lamb at restaurants. I am going to make it again with lamb.

Are you kidding me?! BEST recipe I have found on this app - and that is saying something! My entire family LOVES this and it's in our regular rotation now. Thank you a didn't change a thing and it turns out perfect every time.

My friend just made this a few days ago and shared a generous amount of it with me today. I'm glad she didn't give me any more or I'd be in a food coma right now. I don't even like curry! I. Don't. Like. Curry..... Man, I wish I had some more of this curry right now. Stellar recipe. :o)

This is the only chicken tikka masala recipe I make. I think it tastes BETTER than the same dish at my favorite Indian restaurant (Mirch Masala in Colorado Springs), and that's saying a LOT. The heavy cream is so decadent and so delicious with the rich spice blend and tomato flavor. I admit that I use the really expensive San Marzano crushed tomatoes (instead of sauce) in this recipe, as well as meat from a whole rotisserie chicken (because I love the juiciness of dark-meat chicken), and sometimes I put cilantro on top. Other than that I don't alter it! Try this ASAP, you'll LOVE it!

Rather spicy, if you like a noticeable heat to your food then stick with the amount of cayenne given, if you aren't a spicy food person cut it in half. I like spicy so I thought this was great. Made over rice with roasted asparagus with garlic as a side. Delicious!

YUMMMMM. Just the right amount of spice, perfectly balanced. My husband made his "yum" face for about 15 minutes after he first tasted it. This is definitely a keeper!

We love any kind of curry.... and this was not disapointing!! I was raised with an East Indian relative(through marriage) and have become accustomed to cooking different curries, usually tomato based, not creamy, and this one will be added to our book and made again many times. Served with steamed rice and homemade roti bread.

This was absolutely FANTASTIC We could not help smacking our lips at the flavours. My daughter even ate some leftovers for brunch. We love Indian food but I don't have much knowledge of the spice mixes or ratios to use so to have this recipe turn out so beautifully without a lot of effort has put this recipe at the very top of my favourite main dishes. Believe me - it is very easy to make and not at all time consuming - you probably have all of the ingredients on hand already and the aroma was absolutely gorgeous. My sincere compliments and a huge Thank You to the provider of this recipe. I will definitely try any others that you submit.

This is absolutely delicious! I’ve made this so many times I’ve lost count. Very layered flavors and you can adjust the heat and sweetness easily to your liking. I’ve also used half & half with no problem. If you’re looking for a different recipe for chicken, try this! It’s amazing!

We tried this recipe tonight and I was true to the instructions except for the ghee. I just used regular butter but all other ingredients were per the recipe. This was awesome! Just what we look for in a good saucy curry. We added cauliflower when sautéing the chicken.

I was a little doubtful that this would turn out like the restaurant tikka masala, but it all came together in the pan. I was so pleasantly surprised and this was so easy (and a forgiving recipe as well). My husband doesn't like Indian food (while I love it). Now that I have a great and simple recipe to cook my favorite dish at home, we'll never have to go to the restaurant again. I didn't have any heavy cream at home, so I used a can of full fat coconut milk and it worked out great. I didn't have any tomato sauce from the can or onion, but I used diced tomatoes in a can with onion (still same volume) and it still worked. Wonderful recipe, Chris!

This recipe was very good, and better than most that I have tried ... BUT ... It has too much cumin, which turns into the predominant flavor that overshadows all the rest. Next time, I will try using 2 tsp of cumin and see how it turns out.

I made this recipe exactly as stated and it was so unbelievably delicious. I have never had this in a restaurant, so I can't compare it, but this is the best thing I have ever done with chicken in my cooking life. I don't even usually like chicken breast, usually I find it too dry, but this was moist and bursting with an incredibly delicious complex flavor. If not for the cream, I would make this every week, but still I think it will end up in a twice-a-month rotation in our house. So good!!!

I really enjoyed this recipe, but I might change a couple of things so I gave it four stars. One thing I would do is use yogurt instead of heavy cream, and use slightly less than what's called for. It waters down the flavor a tad too much. Perhaps just a scant bit less. I would also use red chili powder instead of cayenne next time, and by that I don't mean chili powder that you buy at most grocery stores. It's a specific Indian spice that I only have found at a little mom and pop Indian shop near Pike Place market (for you Seattle-ites). I think this would give the dish a slightly more authentic flavor, but otherwise the ratio and types of spices were perfect and delish! I love the way the onions and garlic are cooked in this recipe, it's just perfect. Also, instead of ghee (don't have any!) I used coconut oil which was awesome because it is also very pure, but I didn't taste the coconut flavor over the other flavors in the dish. It may have added a slight layer of flavor but not enough to be an issue. If I could just master homemade naan, I wouldn't need to go to an Indian restaurant again!

marinated the chicken first with the other tikka marsala recipe then grilled the chicken and used this sauce and pow! husband kissed me afterwards. said I outdid myself. sooooo good. excellent dish.

I love this recipe as is! So delicious with naan bread, we don't even eat rice with it.

My son found this recipe and made it this weekend when he was home. Delicious! As others have said, very close to the version from our favorite Indian restaurant. We cut the cayenne pepper in half, and used canola oil since we didn't have ghee handy. Reheats beautifully the next day. May try it with plain low fat yogurt rather than cream sometime to lower the cholesterol content.

Best curry recipe on the entire Allrecipes website! I did make some modifications, however, namely converting this entire recipe to the Instant Pot! I doubled the entire recipe for my 8 qt Instant Pot. Started the IP on Sautee and the More setting and sauteed the onions and the garlic until the onions were soft and translucent(I swapped the fresh garlic out for Garlic paste) then tossed in the chicken and continued to sautee until all of the chicken was white on the outside. Next up I tossed in ALL of the seasonings and stirred to combine then added the Tomato sauce. Close the lid then hit the manual button for 10 minutes on High pressure. Once its done quick release and stir in the heavy whipping cream and heat until warmed through. I served it on some Basmati rice in a bowl and it came out really good! I highly recommend!

I usually double the recipe and freeze portions for later, HUGE favorite in my house. I will add jalepenos/habaneros if we are feeling spicy, and you can substitue chickpeas if you're interested in going meatless.

I only gave it five stars because I couldn't rate it higher. This is an excellent recipe. We cut the cayenne in half but kept everything else. Definitely oo la la!

OMG, this is a bomb! If you want to show your Indian food lover friend/family that you can cook authentic Indian food, make this. I found this recipe about 3 months ago and I made it about 4 times already, making 4 times the recipe every time, and freezing the leftover to deal with the emergency cravings in the family later. All my family loves this! I usually serve this curry with Trader Joe's naan bread, or coconut rice made with a recipe from this site. It is a staple now. Thank you!

I made this recipe for my husband and I, when the kids were at a sleepover, since we don't always get to eat the spicy foods we love when I am cooking for all of us. We LOVED this recipe, and it was easily adjusted for what we had on hand. Instead of ghee, I used unsalted butter - didn't have tomato sauce, so I substituted crushed tomatoes - no turmeric, so used curry instead - and lastly, didn't have whipping cream, so substituted evaporated milk. It was heavenly!! I'm reheating leftovers tomorrow, and will add some unsweetened coconut milk to cut down the spice for the kids, but I know they will love this, too. Thanks, Chris, for a wonderful recipe!

We liked this a lot. I didn't use all the cayenne, personal preference. For some reason some of my chicken came out tough, when the other 3 breasts in the package cooked last night (none of it marinated) were not tough. I have no explanation for this so I'm going to assume it's my error. Thanks for sharing!

I love Allrecipes and I have a lot of great go-tos from this website. This is by far THE BEST recipe that I’ve made off of this website. I followed the recipe but instead of the ghee butter, I used vegetable oil and I cooked the chicken fully in a different skillet then transferred it to the amazing God sauce with all the spices. We love Indian food and we have eaten at 5 star Indian restaurants and I can tell you, this tastes EXACTLY THE SAME.

Delicious and restaurant quality. Followed the recipe with small changes. I used fresh ginger instead of ground, doubled the cayenne (I am a huge spicy fan) , and used 3 chicken breasts instead of four (I like my curry to be on the saucier side). Turned out great and very easy to make! Served it with basmati rice.

This is an excellent recipe for adventurous adults or those used to Indian cuisine. My family doesn't enjoy traditional Indian food much but I was feeling froggy. My 3 yo hated it with a passion lol but my burger and fries husband really liked it, especially after a generous topping of chopped cilantro (TRY IT!!). I doubled the recipe and used reg butter, half and half, & halved the heat subbing 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes for the double batch. I only had about 1 lb ckn so I lightly fried 3 lg cubed potatoes in a sprinkling of salt, pepper, sugar, onion powder and curry. Did the same for the cubed ckn. I think the potato and cilantro are a must for this recipe. Also, even after cutting the heat, it still had a pleasant tingle to it (btw I am a fan of spicy). Had I followed the recipe this would have been nearly too spicy to eat!

My BF loved this recipe. I personally thought it was too spicy. The chicken was very tender, melted in your mouth without any extra marinating or brining. We served this over rice and had with Naan bread. I don't know if this is something I would do again.

This was good, but we thought it was a bit too spicy, I'd probably do 1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne next time.

OMG! I love, love, love Tikka Masala and when I read the reviews, I figured that this was worth a try. I am SO glad I did! This recipe is so good and so similar to what I've gotten from several local Indian restaurants. I have made this exactly as it is written and it was really good "as is". Per the suggestions of others, I have used olive oil (instead of ghee), cut the cayenne to 1/2 tsp, and added another 1/2 cup of cream (actually, I added an additional 1/2 cup of half half because that's what I had in the frig!). The result was slightly milder and creamier... but still really good! This has become a weekly staple in our house! Thank you SO much for sharing!!! UPDATE 6/16/17 We continue to make this recipe at my house and continue to love it! I have come across a life changing alteration! With the addition of small children to our home, it was difficult to make this and watch it from step to step. Sooo... follow step 1 ("fry" the various spices), then dump everything else in a dutch oven or slow cooker, put it on low for about 2-2.5 hrs, and WALK AWAY. Stir it every 40" or so... Chicken comes out super tender and I really can't tell a difference in the taste. I can safely walk away from it and go do other things. No more watching, stirring, adding, etc... FABULOUS!!

Oh wow, this is soooo good! Made it twice. The first time I used 1 tsp of cayenne like the recipe stated. I thought it was perfect, but not everyone agreed. I used 2 tsp the next time, everyone loved it, but I thought it was too hot. So I added a little sour cream to mine, and it was perfect. The combination of spices is fantastic. Very easy recipe, foolproof. Served with white rice, but want to try naan bread next time!

After reading all the rave reviews today, I decided it would be the perfect dinner for us tonight! I followed quite closely, but did take other reviews into account somewhat. Decided to use full fat half and half that I already had on hand and it was still thick and rich with flavor. Since we enjoy spicy dishes, I did double the cayenne and also added a little ground coriander and garam masala as was suggested in addition to all the other spices. My husband and I absolutely loved this and practically licked our plates :) I will definitely be making this again soon and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants true Indian flavors and loves ethnic food. Thanks All Recipes for a home run!

Very, very good. I made the recipe exactly as written and it was just perfect for me. My daughter is not into spicy things and thought it was a little too spicy. I made cucumber raita, jasmine rice and served it with Naan. Great recipe.

I'm a big fan of Indian food and this is the BEST homemade tikka masala I've tried. The only change I made was using regular butter instead of ghee. I love that I could easily find the ingredients in my cupboard or fridge and didn't need to go to a specialty shop. Thanks so much for posting this!!

Great Recipe! My wife is just starting to eat Indian food and this is a great dish to start with!

this recipe is awesome. people that don't like it either did it wrong or don't understand what tikka masala is. this is probably the only time in allrecipes.com history that I didn't make 302 changes to a recipe and made it as is and it was PERFECT. As far as indian food goes and the multitude of spices they use, this really isn't that complicated. I served over jasmine rice with a cilantro garnish, the green really pops against the neon orange and this dish is totally good enough for company. Thanks Chris.

Fantastic! We dont have an Indian restaurant close by and this recipe will definitely tie me over. If you like Indian food, DO NOT MAKE SUBSTITUTIONS. You wont be disappointed.

Here's how you make this recipe awsome. First skip onion and sweet pepper. Then use 1.5 TBSP cumin, 1/2-3/4 tsp salt, 1/4 cayenne, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 TBSP butter, 1 TBSP olive oil, 1 TBSP Pinot Grio White wine, 1/4 onion powder, 1/4 nutmeg, 3 green cardamom, 1 black cardamom, Patak's Tandoori Masala. Scar chicken aggressively, premarinate with Patak & yogurt, toast spices until aroma, strain heated tomato sauce. Combine, add cut chicken direct & cover. Cook on medium 10 min, uncover, cont cooking, slowly add cream & sugar, add cardamom near end, when it taste balanced (slightly lacking intense) just let thicken on low - medium heat. Never add cream before 25 minute mark; don't make it too creamy nor too tomato-y, nor too salty, careful with salt, sugar is the last balancer, never use clove (taste like flower). The key to rice is to let stand for 10-15 covered no heat. The most velvety, best tikka you will make.

This tikki masala was a huge hit! But it came with many changes. My changes make it a low-carb/keto's dream, and my non-keto boyfriend loved it! Many people are saying it's missing something. The answer: more butter! Get European butter if you can. (eg KerryGold, it's much creamier. It's usually in the butter aisle or where the specialty cheeses and meats are. Trust me, you will never go back to American-style butter after you get this stuff.) I usually put in another 2-4 TBS of butter while the sauce thickens and when I add the chicken. This gives it that "something"-a nice, savory taste, which is what you want in a tikki masala. Nix the sugar, you won't need it, especially with sweet butter. WAY MORE CREAM! And yes, you need heavy cream, no low fat nonsense here! I added at least 2 cups to make it savory. If your spicy sensitive as I am, cut the cayenne down to 1/2 tsp and add the extra cream mentioned above to tone it down. Chicken-mix the raw chicken with a spice mixture of half of the cumin called for, (put the rest in to the sauce when it says to), garam masala, (seriously, a masala recipe that DOESN'T call for garam masala? It is a hard to find spice, but if you have it, use it! If not, either look up how to make a substitute mixture of that spice or just keep it out) and the curry. Sear as per instructions with the spice mixture on the chicken-delish! Enjoy and happy cooking!

I've tried a half dozen tikka masala recipes that I found online, and this is the best one I have found yet.

Loved everything about it. The only part of the recipe I didn't follow to the letter was using butter instead of ghee. Added the optional sugar but not salt. DS and I (the spice wimps) agreed that next time I could use the tiniest hair less cayenne, and DBF could sprinkle a bit extra on his portion. Made half a recipe to try it out (and because I only had a small can of tomato sauce)...from now on, making the full recipe :)

Great recipe! Now I don't have to bribe my friends and family to go to an Indian restaurant! I made it exactly as written (something I rarely do). Next time I'll a lot of sauce and freeze it for later.

After a few different ways off making this dish. I have added green beans, potatoes, and peas and red/cayenne peppe, while removing the sugar. Highly recommend adding the vegertable; it makes the dish more full.

We love this recipe! Delicious

This is amazing! Perfect recipe.

One of the best curry recipes I've ever made. My family loved it! I served it with buttered Turmeric Jasmine rice (w/cloves) and Garlic Naan. I used Garam Marsala in place of regular curry power and used 6 cloves of garlic instead of 4. I will definitely make this again.

I made this last week exactly as written and we loved it. I made it again this week, and the only thing I changed was to DOUBLE everything so that I could freeze a batch for next week! This is PERFECT!!! It makes step #1 easier to have all of your spices measured out before you ever start cooking the onion.

This is SO delicious! I did use evaporated milk in place of the cream and I didn't cook it as long as was stated because even though I simmered it, it was plenty thick and if I cooked the chicken in the sauce for 30 minutes it would have been way overcooked. The flavors are wonderful and it smells great. I served it over rice with peas on the side. I am adding it to the rotation. One of these days I will use cream.

This recipe is fantastic. The only reason I gave it 4 intead of 5 stars is because I made a few substitutions. Namely - coconut milk for cream, fresh minced ginger instead of ground (added with garlic). With tomato sauce added a one chopped plum tomato for texture. Big hit with family. Will definitely make again -- thanks for this excellent submission!

Fantastic recipe. I used about half the cayenne because my kids don't like the heat. It still had just enough kick to make me happy. I also used half-and-half in place of the heavy cream to cut the fat down a bit. Even with these changes, I thought this was one of the best Indian dishes I've ever made; and I make a lot!

I've made this so many times, I usually serve it with the "Indian basmati rice" recipe from this site. I add more cayenne like Mr. Chris does because I too like it spicy, other than that I don't change a thing. Spice list is long which made it seem intimating at first but it's a piece of cake to make and now my friends think I'm a chef!

Outstanding recipe! A bit on the hot side, but with a little tweaking . . . .

This was pretty good but I had JUST had chicken Tikka Masal from an authentic Indian restaurant and it wasn't AS good. I wanted to compare the two. I didn't use heavy cream (I used milk), which I am positive made a difference. Even with the HC, I would say it would get 4 stars. Good but not as good as other Indian recipes on here for sure.

First recipe I have ever reviewed. This recipe was amazing exactly as is. My husband said it was the best meal I have made yet and definitely competes with Indian restaurant cuisine. Thank you, Chris, for making me look like the most brilliant chef ever. This will definitely served when we have company that I want to impress!

Very good! This was my first attempt at an Indian dish and it turned out very well. The smell of the spices heating in the pan with the onion was AMAZING! The only change I made was to decrease the amount of cayenne and next time I'll decrease it even more - too spicy for my palate, but I'm more of a wimp than many when it comes to heat. :) Thanks for the recipe!

This has become a go-to for me in the last year. It's not too tough to make, doesn't require any exotic ingredients I can't find in my area, and tastes great. Just cook up some rice, slather some chicken over it, and voila. Enjoy the heat.

I thought I didn't like Indian food until I made this. The creaminess of the tomato sauce with the spices was perfect. It was really easy, too.

So good I’m making my first review. I’ve lived in London and have tried a lot of this dish in restaurants. This recipe is world class. I’m far from an expert cook, and tried to make as close as possible as written. But I used butter (didn’t have ghee) and coconut milk vs cream (because I love it). I cut the cayenne pepper in half for family members used to bland (but add it back on my dish), and cut the sugar a little to 1 tsp with 1 tsp stevia. Simmered for an hour to reduce the runnier coconut milk and infuse flavor in the chicken a little more. Superb over basmati rice.

I love this!! I used my Instant Pot. Saute mode for the sauce and spices - I took another reviewers suggestion and added 1 teaspoon each of coriander and garam masala, and omitted the sugar. Pressure cooked the chicken for 8 minutes. Saute mode again and added the heavy cream and sauteed another 5 minutes. So good! Going to make this again and again. Thank you!!

Rich, interesting flavours blend together beautifully in this dish. Even replacing cream with almond milk yielded a thick, smooth sauce.

this is the kind of recipe that you eat for supper, go to bed and can't wait to have leftovers for lunch. so good

Made this as stated and it competes with some I've had from local restaurants. I found that I enjoyed leftovers more as the sauce thickened quite a bit after refrigerating. The initial consistency was a little on the watery side for me ... Probably just needed some more simmering time.

Omg sooooooo good! I must have added too much cinnamon by mistake, but it's soooo good with rice! Highly recommend!

I never, ever leave reviews... even though I cook off of Allrecipes several times a week. However, I loved this recipe so much that I thought it warranted creating an account and leaving 5 stars. While the list of ingredients looks intimidating, it really doesn't take all that long to prepare. A lot of the time is 'idle' while letting it simmer. Thanks so much for sharing.

Fantastic! Yay!

Outstanding recipe as written. Very tasty.

Delicious! And so easy and fun to prepare. Such a wonderful medley of spices. It's a family favorite.

I LOVED this recipe! As most people say, it is perfect and I agree. It’s really hard to believe it’s that good until you make it but it is delicious. In my opinion, it tastes better than most Indian restaurants and not nearly so oily. I feel very guilt eating this in a restaurant but this is much healthier. My husband is Indian and he even said it was very good so I will definitely be cooking this again. My eight year old daughter who is a picky eater, even liked this and she won’t eat most Indian food. My four old gobbled it up. I am very excited to find a dish my whole family loves.