Chicken tikka masala with naan
Charred chicken tikka in a thick onion-tomato masala with capsicum, a little fresh cream and kasuri methi, served with buttered naan. A weekend and restaurant favourite that is easy at home on a tawa; the same marinade cooked in the oven or air fryer gives dry chicken tikka.
- 55 minTime
- 50 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- 51 gprotein per portion
- 1050kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 600 gChicken thigh fillet, in 4 cm pieces
- 100 gHung curd (Greek yoghurt)
- 2 tbspGinger-garlic paste
- 1 tbspKashmiri chilli powder
- 3 mlTurmeric
- 1 ½ tspGaram masala
- 1Lemon (nimbu), juiced
- 1 tbspMustard oil
- to tasteSalt
- 1Capsicum, in 3 cm squares
- 1Onion, cut into petals
- 1 tbspButter, for frying
- 2 tbspRefined oil
- 1 tspCumin, seeds
- 2Onions, finely chopped
- 3Tomatoes, puréed
- 2 tspCoriander powder
- ≈ 150 mlWater
- 100 mlFresh cream
- 1 tspKasuri methi
- 10 gCoriander leaves, chopped
On the side
- 6Plain naans
- 1 tbspButter, melted, for the naans
Method
- Mix the chicken with the hung curd, half the ginger-garlic paste, half the Kashmiri chilli powder and turmeric, a third of the garam masala, the lemon juice, mustard oil and salt.
- Cover and leave the chicken to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes, or up to overnight.
- Finely chop the onions for the masala and purée the tomatoes in a mixie. Cut the capsicum into squares and the other onion into petals.
- Heat the oil in a kadai, add the cumin seeds, then the chopped onions, and fry until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Add the rest of the ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute.
- Add the tomato purée, the rest of the Kashmiri chilli powder and turmeric and the coriander powder and cook, stirring, until the masala is thick and the oil separates, about 8 minutes.
- Heat the butter in a frying pan or on a tawa on high heat and fry the chicken in batches, turning, until charred in spots and cooked through, 8–10 minutes. Add the capsicum and onion petals for the last 3 minutes so they char at the edges.
- Add the chicken, capsicum and onion to the masala with the water and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile warm the naans on a hot tawa, about 30 seconds a side, and brush them with the melted butter.
- Stir in the fresh cream, kasuri methi crushed between your palms and the rest of the garam masala, simmer for 2 minutes and sprinkle with coriander leaves. Serve with the naans.
