Chicken tikka masala fakeaway
55 min · 46 g protein · 357 cals / serving
Britain's favorite curry made at home: chicken marinated in spiced yogurt and charred under the grill or in the air fryer, then simmered in a smooth, gently sweet tomato and onion masala finished with half-fat crème fraîche and fresh coriander.
Ingredients
Tikka chicken
- 700 g chicken breast, cut into 3 cm chunks
- 100 g nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 lemon, juiced, divided
- 4 tsp garam masala, divided
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp paprika, Kashmiri chili powder or sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed, divided
- thumb-sized piece ginger, finely grated, divided
- 1 tsp salt, divided
Masala sauce
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tin (400 g) diced tomatoes
- 150 ml water
- 1 tsp honey
- a small bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
Steps
- In a bowl, mix the yogurt, half the lemon juice, half the garam masala, the cumin, paprika, turmeric, half the garlic and ginger and half the salt. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes, or up to a day.
- Heat the grill to high, or the air fryer to 200C. Spread the chicken out on a foil-lined tray (or in the air-fryer basket) and cook for 10–14 minutes, turning once, until charred at the edges and 165°F in the thickest piece.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wide pan over a medium heat and cook the onions with a pinch of salt for 10–12 minutes, until soft and golden. Add the rest of the garlic and ginger and the chili and cook for 1 minute more.
- Stir in the tomato purée, the remaining garam masala and the ground coriander and fry for a minute. Add the tomatoes, water, honey and the rest of the salt and simmer for 15 minutes, until thick. For a restaurant-smooth sauce, blitz it with a stick blender.
- Stir the crème fraîche into the sauce, add the chicken and any juices, and simmer for 3–4 minutes to bring it together. Stir in the rest of the lemon juice, taste for salt, then scatter with the coriander.
Good to know
Why grill the chicken first?
The charred, slightly smoky edges are what makes it taste of tikka rather than a plain chicken curry. Simmering raw chicken in the sauce gives you tender meat but none of that flavor.
Will the crème fraîche split?
Half-fat crème fraîche is much more forgiving than yogurt and holds in a simmering sauce. Fat-free yogurt stirred straight into the pan, by contrast, tends to curdle.
What to serve it with?
Basmati rice or a warm chapati, with a cucumber and onion salad on the side. Cauliflower rice or a pile of spinach stretches it further if you want a lighter plate.
Alternatives
Per
- Calories
- 105
- Protein
- (53%)
- 13 g
- Fat
- (27%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (20%)
- 6 g
- of which sugar
- 3 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 215 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1430 kcal goes into the pot and 1835 g of ingredients comes out as about 1360 g of food: 105 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.