Chicken Tikka Masala

This creamy bowl of goodness is what you need when looking for comfort food! I think I can confidently say that this Chicken Tikka Masala can compete with any Indian restaurant you eat from! Why eat out when you can make your favourite meals at home!

Below are some tips for when making this recipe:

• Leave the chicken to marinate for as long as possible (overnight if time allows) but a few hours will also be fine

• Use chicken thighs rather than chicken breast as I find chicken breast to be a bit too dry

• We'll be making our own tikka masala paste for this recipe but feel free to increase ingredients for the paste and store in the fridge to use for other recipes

As always you can watch me make this on my Instagram and don't forget to tag me in any pictures/videos if you try any of my recipes!

Ingredients

Serves 3-4 people

For the Paste

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

5 garlic cloves

1 tbsp ginger

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp fenugreek leaves (if you can't find them it'll be fine without)

2 birds eye chillis, the red ones as we want the colour (or 1 tsp chilli powder)

2-3 tbsp oil

60ml water

For the chicken

800g chicken thighs

1 tsp salt

5 tbsp greek yoghurt

For the sauce

2 tbsp butter

1 onion finely diced

5 garlic cloves finely diced

1 tbsp ginger grated

1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp paprika

300 ml double cream

1 tsp brown sugar

Coriander to garnish

Salt to taste

Instructions

1. In a pan add the coriander seeds and cumin seeds and cook on a low heat until they start to smell fragrant. Mix them around whilst in the pan.

2. Add the coriander seeds and cumin seeds to a blender along with the other dry ingredients for the paste. Once blended add in the water and the oil to make it into a paste consistency.

3. Cut your chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces and wash.

4. Dry your chicken and add 4tbsp of your paste, the salt and the greek yoghurt; cover and let marinate in the fridge for as long as time allows.

5. Heat enough oil to just cover the bottom of a skillet or a pot over medium-high heat. When it is hot add your chicken in batches, ensuring you do not overcrowd the pan. Brown for 2-3 minutes on each side and set to the side. Repeat until you have browned all your chicken pieces.

6. In the same pan add your butter and let it melt. Add the finely diced onion and fry until a light brown colour about 3 - 4 minutes.

7. In a blender, blend the tin of chopped tomatoes so it is nice and smooth and there are no chunks of tomato left.

8. Add garlic and ginger to the pan and fry until fragrant (about a minute or so)

9. Add the rest of your paste that you made earlier (should be about 3tbsp) to the pan and fry for about a minute so everything is nicely incorporated.

10. Pour in the blended tomato, the sugar, paprika and chilli powder and turn down the heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes (the sauce should turn a deep brown-red colour) Don't forget to stir occasionally

11. Still on a low-medium heat pour and stir in the double cream. Add the chicken and its juices and let it all simmer for anywhere between 10-20 minutes depending on how thick you want your sauce. If you need to, you can always pour in some water to thin out the sauce.

12. Taste and see if you need to add any salt and pepper.

13. Garnish with coriander and serve with fluffy rice and naan bread and enjoy!