Pub Classics · Glasgow / British-Asian

Chicken Tikka Masala

Name: Chicken Tikka Masala
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: Tikka: 700g chicken thighs, 150g Greek yogurt, 2 tbsp tandoori masala, juice of ½ lemon; Sauce: 2 onions, 4 garlic cloves, 20g ginger, 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 1 tbsp garam masala; 1 tsp each cumin, coriander, smoked paprika; 400g passata; 200ml double cream; 1 tsp sugar; fenugreek leaves if you can find them; Basmati rice and naan, to serve

Officially “a true British national dish”: charred tikka chicken folded into a creamy tomato masala — the curry that out-sells roast dinners and tops UK recipe searches year after year.

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 40 min
Total: 70 min
Yield: Serves 4
Difficulty: Moderate
Era: 1970s curry house

Ingredients

Tikka: 700g chicken thighs, 150g Greek yogurt, 2 tbsp tandoori masala, juice of ½ lemon
Sauce: 2 onions, 4 garlic cloves, 20g ginger, 2 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp tomato purée; 1 tbsp garam masala; 1 tsp each cumin, coriander, smoked paprika
400g passata; 200ml double cream; 1 tsp sugar; fenugreek leaves if you can find them
Basmati rice and naan, to serve

Method

Marinate the chicken in the yogurt, tandoori masala and lemon for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
Grill the chicken at 240°C / 465°F for 12–15 minutes until charred at the edges. Rest.
Soften the onions in butter and oil for 15 minutes; add garlic, ginger and all the ground spices; cook 2 minutes.
Add the tomato purée and passata; simmer 10 minutes until brick-red and thick.
Blend smooth, return to the pan with the cream, sugar and fenugreek; simmer 5 minutes.
Fold in the chicken and its juices; simmer 5 minutes more. Serve over basmati rice with naan for scooping.

Oven temperatures are given in Celsius, Fahrenheit, fan and gas mark throughout. Quantities are metric, as cooked and written in the UK.