Chicken Tikka kicks ass. It’s the chicken fingers of Indian food. You can find it everywhere, it tastes amazing, and everybody loves it. Originally stemming from Indian Punjabi cuisine, the U.K. miraculously likes to take credit for it somehow, since one account states a Pakistani man created it in a restaurant in Glasgow. Despite that, it’s undoubtedly rooted in Indian heritage using curry spices and being cooked in manners consistent with Eastern food. If you want to get technical, Chicken Tikka is plain old boneless chicken pieces marinated in a spiced yogurt. Chicken Tikka Masala is that same thing, only served in a curry sauce, aka a masala. Though it seems fairly intimidating to cook at first, the effort is sooooo worth it in the end since it tastes amazing and looks super fancy. Serve it with some rice or homemade pilaf!

Easy Chicken Tikka Masala

• 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup of plain or greek-style yogurt (approx ¼ – ½ cup)
• ¼ cup lime juice (or substitute lemon juice)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp pepper
• 4 tbsp salted butter
• 1 cup canned tomato sauce/puree
• 2 tbsp coriander
• 2 tbsp cumin
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3 tsp ginger
• ½ cup cilantro flakes
• ½ cup heavy cream (or substitute half and half)
• Salt
• Pepper

1. Cut and clean chicken breasts into small cubes, about 1”-2” in size.
2. Whisk yogurt, lime juice, garlic, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl. Add chicken pieces in. Let stand for 10 minutes.
3. While chicken is marinating, in a skillet pan, add vegetable oil on medium heat.
4. Add chicken and onions into pan and sauté for 7-10 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
5. Remove chicken from pan and add in butter. Stir until butter has completely melted.
6. Add in tomato puree and stir until well blended with butter.
7. Stir in coriander, cumin, nutmeg, cayenne, ginger, and cilantro. Cook sauce for 5 minutes.
8. Add chicken and onion sauté back into sauce, and coat evenly. Add in heavy cream and stir until distributed evenly.
9. Cover pan, raise heat to high, and cook for 5 more minutes until sauce is smooth. Serve hot in pan.

Serves 3-5 people.