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№ 846 · Indian ·British

Chicken Tikka Masala (Two-Variant Card)

Tempo
1h + overnight marinade ideal
Picante
Calor 2 de 5
Dificuldade
Médio
Rende
4porções

Ingredientes

Chicken Tikka Masala

Britain's de facto national dish — chicken cubes marinated in spiced yogurt, grilled, then simmered in a creamy tomato sauce. This card combines two saved recipes: a classic Indian version (yogurt marinade + tomato-cream sauce, 2-stage) and Gordon Ramsay's simplified one-pan version (faster, no marinade required). Pick your style; both work.

Heat: 2/5. From chile powder + green chiles. Easy to adjust.

Variant A — Classic (overnight marinade, 2-stage)

Ingredients

Part A — chicken marinade (overnight)

  • 1 kg boneless chicken (thigh or breast), cut into 4cm cubes
  • 60ml plain yogurt
  • 3 tsp minced ginger
  • 3 tsp grated garlic
  • ¼ tsp white pepper
  • ¼ tsp ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp ground mace (or skip)
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp green cardamom powder
  • ¼ tsp Kashmiri chile powder (or middle-path: ¼ tsp paprika defumada + a pinch Cepera Mexicano)
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 4 tbsp neutral oil

Part B — masala sauce

  • 150g tomato paste
  • 300g passata (tomato puree)
  • 1 kg fresh tomatoes, chopped (about 6 medium)
  • 2 tsp ginger paste (or grated fresh ginger)
  • 2 tsp garlic paste (or grated fresh garlic)
  • 2 fresh green chiles (seeded for less heat)
  • 1 tbsp Kashmiri chile powder (or middle-path: 1 tbsp paprika doce + 1 tsp paprika defumada + ½ tsp Cepera Extra Forte)
  • 2 tsp ground cloves
  • 8 green cardamom pods, lightly bruised
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 150ml heavy cream (creme de leite fresco)
  • 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi) — non-negotiable for the iconic flavor
  • 2 tsp ginger, julienned (for finish)
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tbsp honey, if needed (taste — bottled tomato can be sour)

Method (Variant A)

  1. Marinate chicken overnight. Mix all Part A ingredients in a bowl with chicken cubes. Refrigerate 8-24 hours.

  2. Pre-cook chicken. Preheat oven (or AFO) to 180°C. Spread marinated chicken on a tray with marinade. Bake 8 minutes, basting with melted butter halfway. Drain excess marinade. Bake 2 more minutes to firm up. Set aside. (Or grill on a hot pan or skewers for tandoor-effect char.)

  3. Build masala (in PCC20 on P5 Refogar). Combine tomato paste + passata + chopped tomatoes + ginger paste + garlic paste + green chiles + Kashmiri chile powder + cloves + cardamom + about 1 L water. Bring to simmer.

  4. Pressure cook the sauce. Lock lid, P14 (Carne), 15 minutes. Natural release.

  5. Strain and finish. Open lid. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a clean pot (squashing solids to extract maximum flavor). Discard the solids. This gives the canonical silky CTM texture.

  6. Bring sauce to a gentle simmer, add butter, cream, fenugreek leaves, julienned ginger. Salt to taste. Honey if needed.

  7. Add chicken back. Stir in the pre-cooked chicken with any juices. Simmer gently 5 min to combine. Off heat.

  8. Plate. Basmati rice. Naan. Sliced raw onion + lime + chopped coriander on the side.

Variant B — Gordon Ramsay's quick (no marinade, one-pan)

Ingredients

  • Peanut oil (or any neutral oil)
  • 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
  • 1-2 fresh green chiles (depending on heat preference)
  • 2.5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
  • ½ tsp chile powder (Kashmiri ideal) (or paprika doce + Cepera Mexicano)
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tbsp soft brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree (paste)
  • 400g chopped tomatoes
  • 4 boneless chicken breasts, cubed
  • 10 dried curry leaves (Indian groceries)
  • 4-6 tbsp natural yogurt
  • Fresh coriander, chopped

Method (Variant B)

  1. Sauté. Heat 2 tbsp oil in PCC20 on P5 (Refogar). Add sliced onion + chopped chile + ginger + garlic. Cook 2-3 minutes.

  2. Bloom spices. Add chile powder, turmeric, garam masala, brown sugar. Cook 1-2 minutes.

  3. Tomato base. Add tomato puree + chopped tomatoes. Stir, cook 4-5 minutes.

  4. Blend. Transfer sauce to a blender; blitz smooth. Return to PCC20.

  5. Cook chicken. Add 1 tbsp fresh oil to the same pot, fry the cubed chicken until lightly colored, 3-4 minutes. Pour the blended sauce back over. Add curry leaves.

  6. Pressure cook. Lock lid, P14, 10 minutes. Natural release.

  7. Finish. Open lid. Stir (or swirl) in yogurt. Add half the chopped coriander.

  8. Plate. Garnish with remaining coriander.

Tame it (drop to heat 1)

For both variants:

  • Halve the Kashmiri chile powder + add 1 tbsp paprika doce for color
  • Use only 1 green chile, seeded
  • Increase cream/yogurt at end (heat moderator)

Sub: bottled chiles only

If no Kashmiri chile powder available:

  • 1 tbsp paprika doce + 1 tsp paprika defumada + ½ tsp Cepera Mexicano replaces Kashmiri chile powder
  • See chile-substitution-guide.md for full mapping

Serving

Steamed basmati rice with a knob of butter. Naan or chapati. Sliced raw onion in lime juice + salt. Chopped fresh coriander. Cold lassi salgada (savory yogurt drink) or off-dry Riesling.

Notes

  • Variant A vs B. A is 2-stage, more authentic, takes overnight planning. B is fast, one-pan, weeknight-friendly. Both make great CTM.
  • Strain the sauce (Variant A). This is what separates restaurant CTM from home CTM. The fresh tomatoes contribute body but their seeds/skins make the sauce coarse; straining gives the iconic silky texture.
  • Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves). Non-negotiable for the signature CTM flavor. If unavailable, ½ tsp ground fenugreek seed crushed (less floral but workable).
  • Cream vs yogurt finish. Variant A uses cream (richer), B uses yogurt (lighter, tangier). Either works in either variant.
  • Make ahead. Both variants improve overnight in fridge. Freezes 2 months.
  • Variant naming. "Tikka Masala" technically describes the SAUCE; "tikka" is the marinated grilled chicken. Variant A treats both stages separately; B simplifies into a unified dish. Both are valid CTM.
  • Wine: off-dry Riesling, Gewürztraminer, or just cold beer.
  • Why one card with two variants: in our convention review we agreed to merge the two saved CTM recipes into a single card showing both styles, since the user might want to pick based on time available.
  • Cross-references:
    • For a creamier vegetarian variant: lentilha_dal-makhani.md
    • For a sharper, hotter Indian-Portuguese: paleta-porco_goan-vindaloo.md
    • For a milder Mughal-style: frango-coxa_chicken-korma.md