My love for Indian food started with my late nights at work. My team and I would try to find a new place every night to eat to make the long hours bearable. We would decide where to order based on a place around the world. I know we sound pretty lame, but this was the only thing we looked forward to after 6pm. One of my favorite nights was when we ordered Indian food and I had chicken tikka masala. Chicken tikka masala reminded me of a dish my mother would make and maybe that’s why I loved it so much. This dish was everything I needed to get me through those long nights.

Cooking Indian food always intimidated me, however I wanted to try something new. So I started to do some research on how to make my favorite dish, chicken tikka masala. One thing was true with all the recipes I found, I was going to have to invest in a few more spices. Side note: who knew there was spice called masala hence the name? Once I knew the composition of the dish I decided to put my own twist into the dish. I always thought it would be great as a stew so I decided to add some carrots and potatoes. Overall, this recipe turned out to be a lot easier than I thought. Most of my time was spent measuring spices.

Chicken Tikka Masala is easy to make.

I’ve been trying to get Brian to try Indian food for the longest time. I finally got the chance with this recipe over the summer. While it was cooking, Brian noticed the smell of fall in the air, thanks to the nutmeg and cinnamon. Even though the 80-degree weather did not get us in the fall mood, this recipe sure did. We couldn’t wait to crank up the air conditioner, put on some sweats and dig in.

This dish is our new favorite comfort food and is better than what I’ve had before. Even when the chicken is done, you will want to soak up the sauce with a warm piece of Naan (traditional Indian Bread). Now that I’m a mom, saving time is a top priority. We cheated and purchased already-made Naan from Trader Joes. I really have no reason to ever make my own because Trader Joes’ Naan is delicious and cheap. You better believe this dish will become a comfort food staple in this house.

Chicken Tikka Masala = our new comfort food.

Print Recipe

Chicken Tikka Masala

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Serves: 4-5

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 2-inch pieces
• ½ cup Greek yogurt
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tbsp. fresh lime
• ¼ tsp. of ground ginger
• 2 tbsp. of olive oil
• For the sauce:
• 2 tbsp. of butter
• 1 chopped medium white onion
• 16-ounce can of tomato sauce
• 1-cup of heavy cream
• 1 medium carrot chopped
• 2 small red potatoes peeled  and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Fresh or dried parsley for garnish
• Spice mix:
• 1 tbsp. garam masala
• 1.5 tsp. of kosher salt
• 1.5 tsp. Paprika
• 1.5 tsp. Cumin
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. nutmeg
• ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp. black pepper

Instructions

1

In a small bowl, mix your spices together and place to the side.

2

In medium bowl, coat your chicken evenly in the Greek yogurt, garlic, lime, ginger and half of the spice mixture. Cover the chicken and place in fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes to an hour.

3

While the chicken is marinating in a sauté pan, melt the butter on medium heat.

4

Once melted add onions, cook until translucent (about 3-4 minutes).

5

Then, place the carrots and let cook for an another 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the carrots to cooks slightly, but not to burn them.

6

Add the tomato sauce, heavy cream and potatoes and turn up the heat to bring the sauce to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer. Let cook for another 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and cooked through.

7

While sauce is cooking, warm 2 tbsp. of olive oil in a medium a cast iron skillet. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until the chicken is cooked through. Place chicken in a bowl and cover to keep warm.

8

When the sauce is done, stir in the chicken, garnish with parsley and serve over rice and a piece of Naan.