Recipe for wonderfully spicy chicken tikka masala

Chicken tikka masala is served in almost every Indian restaurant in Europe or North America. Strictly speaking, this is not an Indian dish at all. We show you a recipe that you can use to cook chicken tikka masala at home.

Chicken Tikka Masala, a typical Indian dish. Many Germans think so. After all, the specialty can be found on almost every menu in Indian restaurants. No one knows exactly where the dish comes from, but there are many stories about it.

The most compelling legend tells that chicken tikka masala was invented in the 1970s by a Bangladeshi chef then residing in Glasgow, Scotland. To satisfy a customer who complained that his meat was too dry without sauce, he reportedly added a mild tomato sauce to a dish called chicken tikka. The starter dish, chicken tikka, is actually yoghurt, curry and marinated chicken chunks, served kabab-style.

Chicken Tikka Masala should actually be a British dish. It is often used as a symbol of modern multicultural Britain. If you want to conjure up a bit of British or rather Indian cuisine at home, you should bring enough time with you. Because our recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala is not one that is quick. But we promise that the effort is worth it!

Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe / Ingredients for 4 persons

400 grams of chicken breast fillets
250 grams of yogurt
2 cloves of garlic
40 grams of ginger
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 teaspoons paprika powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
20 grams of coriander
4 onions
1 chili
3 cardamom pods
¼ teaspoon black mustard seed
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
5 cloves
2 bay leaves
400 grams of diced tomatoes
200 milliliters of cream
½ lemon

Preparation

Crush the paprika, ground coriander, garam masala, cumin and turmeric in a mortar or blender. Dice ginger and garlic and mix with spices and yoghurt. Pour over the shredded chicken breast fillet, mix well and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.
Chop onions, garlic and chili.
Spread the marinated chicken on a baking sheet and bake at 200 degrees for 12 minutes.
Pick the cilantro and chop the stalks.
Heat a lot of oil and briefly roast the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Then add bay leaves, cloves and cinnamon and sauté for 10 seconds. Then fry the onions until golden brown. Add the garlic, ginger, chili and coriander leaves and sauté briefly until translucent.
Chop the paprika powder, ground coriander, cumin and turmeric and then fry them. Reduce the heat and add the chopped tomatoes. Let the whole thing simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes and stir well every now and then.
Add some water and remove bay leaves and cardamom pods. Blend in blender to a smooth paste. Then put the paste back into the pan, add the cream and bring back to a simmer.
Season to taste with garam masala, salt, sugar and lemon juice. Remove chicken from oven and mix in. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with basmati rice.