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Malai Chicken Tikka Masala

A creamy curry served with buttery naan and salad.
Prep Time1 hour 10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time2 hours 10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: chicken
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 kg chicken thighs cubed can use chicken breast but ensure to marinate overnight to tenderise (thighs are much tender)

Marinade

  • 1 cup plain natural yoghurt
  • 1 ½ tbsp crushed garlic
  • 1 tbsp crushed ginger
  • 2 tsp full gharam masala
  • 1 tsp full turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp full cumin powder
  • ½ tsp full red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp full salt

Sauce

  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 2 tbsp butter (28.4g)
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 1 ½ tbsp crushed garlic
  • 1 tbsp crushed ginger
  • 1 ½ tsp full gharam masala
  • 1 ½ tsp full cumin powder
  • 1 tsp full coriander powder
  • 1 tsp full salt
  • 1 tsp full red chilli powder
  • 400 g passata or tin-tomato blended
  • 1 ¼ cups double cream
  • 1 tsp full sugar
  • ¼ cup water if needed
  • 4 tbsp fresh coriander chopped

Instructions

  • Marinate the chicken in the marinade ingredients for 10 mins to an hour.
  • Add 2 tbsp oil to a large pot or wok, and turn the heat to medium-high, Fry the chicken in the oil until browned (3 mins on each side). You may need to fry in 2 or 3 batches depending on the size of the pot/wok. Remove chicken and excess mixture into another bowl.
  • Melt 2 tbsp butter in the pot, add the onions and let them cream, mix whilst scraping off the brown bits stuck to the pan at the same time.
  • Add 1 1/2 tbsp garlic and 1 tbsp ginger and sauté for 2 mins. Add 1 1/2 tsp gharam masala, 1 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder and 1 tsp salt. Sauté for 2 mins.
  • Add 400g passata, and once it starts bubbling, lid and let cook for 15 mins on low heat.
  • Add 1 1/4 cups double cream and 1 tsp sugar, and mix. Add the chicken and its juices back in and let cook for 10 mins lidded.
  • Check the mixture consistency and add water if necessary. Stir in the fresh coriander.

Notes

Note about measurements/ingredients:
tsp level = filling the teaspoon up to the edges (as if you have levelled (solid) ingredients off with your finger)
tsp full = slightly heaped
tsp heaped = a good mound on top (much higher than 'tsp full')
serving spoon = a large spoon equivalent to 3 tbsp of liquid
cup = 237ml
For baking recipes, the tsp and tbsp are exact amounts and baking spoons are required.
Any green chillies used are the regular Indian green chillies, as opposed to the smaller, hotter bullet chillies. Any mint used is spearmint.