This chicken and potato tikka masala recipe is perfect for a weekend lunch with family and friends. It’s creamy, luxurious, and extremely yummy. You can whip up this crowd-pleaser in under an hour, and trust me, this labor of love is sooo worth it!
What is chicken and potato tikka masala?
Chicken and potato tikka masala is a dish made by combining roasted chicken and potatoes with a thick, creamy curry sauce.
The chicken and potatoes are marinated in yogurt and spices before being roasted. Traditionally, chicken tikka (marinated and roasted chicken) is made in a clay oven or tandoor. In this recipe, I make the chicken and potato tikka in a conventional home oven.
Once roasted, the chicken and potatoes are then tossed in a luscious curry sauce. The curry sauce or masala is made by sautéing aromatics, spices, and tomatoes in ghee before blending this mixture into a thick sauce.
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Ingredients for chicken and potato tikka masala
Chicken
I use chicken fillets, cut into bite-sized chunks, for this recipe.
White meat like chicken breast or chicken fillets often gets a bad rep for being dry or stringy, but these roasted marinated chicken chunks are super tender and flavorful.
Feel free to use boneless chicken thighs for this, if you prefer.
Potatoes
For this recipe, I use 2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes.
If you’re using large potatoes, just 1 should do the trick.
Spices
This recipe uses a number of whole and ground spices to create a warm, flavourful curry.
The spices you’ll need to make chicken and potato tikka masala are:
Whole spices
- Cumin seeds
- Cinnamon stick
- Cloves
- Cardamom pods
Ground spices
- Turmeric
- Chili powder
- Coriander powder
- Cumin powder
- Curry powder
Aromatics
In addition to spices, I use a variety of aromatics such as red onions, garlic, ginger, and green chilies to add flavor and heat to the tikka masala gravy.
These ingredients are sautéed in ghee until the onions are nicely browned and caramelized. This process takes around 8 to 10 minutes. Don’t rush this step! Browned onions form the base of any good curry, so be patient.
Tomatoes
This tikka masala has a rich tomato-based gravy. I use 2 ripe, medium-sized tomatoes here. Make sure to cook the tomatoes down until they’ve softened nicely. Adding a little salt to the pot once the tomatoes are in there will help them break down a little faster.
Cashews
The addition of cashews makes this tikka masala gravy extra creamy and delicious!
If you don’t have cashews, you can substitute them with almonds instead.
Yogurt
Yogurt is a very important ingredient in making this dish.
It’s used to marinate the chicken and potatoes along with ground spices. The yogurt helps to keep the roasted chicken tender and moist.
Plus, yogurt is also added to the curry sauce for extra creaminess.
Serving suggestions for chicken and potato tikka masala
This dish can be served on a bed of rice, or with some roti on the side.
If you’re serving this dish to health-conscious family members or friends, feel free to serve it with brown rice. That’s how I’ve served it in the pictures, and it tastes great!
Be sure to garnish with chopped coriander, as it adds a beautiful pop of color along with fresh, citrusy notes to the dish.
Chicken and Potato Tikka Masala
Ingredients
For the masala paste
- 1 tbsp ghee
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1-inch ginger piece, diced
- 2 green chilies, chopped
- 2 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 8-10 cashews
- ¼ cup water
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp curry powder
- ¼ cup yogurt
- ½ tsp salt
For the chicken & potato marinade
- 6 chicken fillets, cut into chunks
- 2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp yogurt
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- ¼ tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp coarse black pepper
For the tikka masala gravy
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
- 3 cardamom pods
- ½ cup water
- ½ tsp sugar
Instructions
For the masala paste
- Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a non-stick pot on medium high before adding cumin seeds. Fry for about 1 minute.
- Next, add the chopped onions, chilies, garlic, ginger, and ½ tsp salt. Sauté until onions brown, around 8 to 10 minutes.
- On medium-low heat, add tomatoes and cashews. Once the tomatoes soften, add ¼ cup water, turmeric, chili powder, and curry powder. Mix well and cook for 4 – 5minutes.
- Turn off the heat and set the mixture aside to cool. Once it cools down, transfer he mixture to a blender. Add ¼ cup yogurt and blend everything together to form a thick, smooth paste.
For the chicken & potato marinade
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Add the chicken, potatoes, and other ingredients for the marinade into a bowl. Mix together well and allow to marinate for 20 – 30 minutes.
- Pick out the potatoes and spread them onto one half of a lined baking tray, and cook in the oven for 10 minutes.
- At the 10-minute mark, take the baking tray out of the oven and give the potatoes a mix. Add the chicken onto the other half of the tray, and cook for another 10– 12 minutes.
- Remove the baking tray from the oven, and set aside.
For the tikka masala gravy
- Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a non-stick pot on medium high before adding cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Fry for about 1 minute.
- Next, add the masala paste from earlier and ½ cup water. Mix and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add the oven roasted chicken and potatoes into the pot along with ½ tsp sugar. Mix and simmer for another 3 minutes.
- Finally, taste and add more salt if needed before garnishing with chopped cilantro. Serve hot with rice on the side.
Conclusion
This creamy chicken and potato tikka masala is a delicious dish to add to your repertoire.
Its bright yellow color makes it visually attractive, and the creamy yet spicy taste of the tikka masala gravy keeps you coming back for more! Throw in some tender pieces of chicken and charred potato chunks, and you’ve got yourself a real winner!
Bon appétit!
