The origin story of chicken tikka masala is contested to a degree that might seem absurd for a curry. The most often-cited version places it at the Shish Mahal restaurant in Glasgow in 1971, where Ali Ahmed Aslam, a Pakistani-born chef, reportedly improvised a tomato-cream sauce for a customer who sent back his chicken tikka complaining it was too dry. Glasgow took this story seriously enough to push for Protected Designation of Origin status. Across the world in Old Delhi, Zaeemuddin Ahmad of Karim's restaurant disputes this entirely, saying the dish was created by his Mughal-era forebears and has been on their menu for generations. Food critic Rahul Verma adds a third claim: that it is simply a Punjabi dish, a spicier cousin of the butter chicken that Kundan Lal Gujral invented at Moti Mahal in the 1950s. The tikka element itself is older than all of these stories; the Mughal emperor Babur's kitchens were producing boneless meat on skewers in the sixteenth century, the cooking method that makes this dish possible.
The technique that makes the difference
Two things separate a good chicken tikka masala from a dull one: the char on the chicken and the depth of the masala base. For the chicken, we follow the technique Maunika Gowardhan uses in her Tandoori Home Cooking: besan (chickpea flour) goes into the marinade. It binds the spiced yogurt to the meat so that, under a domestic grill, the chicken actually chars rather than steams. Without it, the yogurt tends to slide off before any real colour forms. The kasuri methi goes into the marinade as well as finishing the sauce, so the fenugreek character runs through each piece of chicken and does not just sit on the surface of the gravy.
For the masala, this recipe follows the Indian rather than British approach: fresh blended tomatoes and cashew paste, not passata and a quarter-litre of cream. The cashews, soaked in hot water and blended completely smooth, bring body and a natural sweetness that cream alone cannot replicate. The onions need a full 18 to 20 minutes over a medium-low flame to reach a deep copper-brown. That time is not a suggestion. The moment when oil starts to separate and pool at the edges of the tomato masala is your signal that the base has cooked through. The cream and kasuri methi go in last, off the heat, so their character is preserved rather than cooked away.
How to serve it
Basmati rice and paratha both work well. If you are making naan at the same time, aim for a slightly thicker consistency so the sauce stands up to being scooped. The tikkas can be grilled a day ahead and refrigerated; the masala base keeps overnight and tastes better for it. For an optional smoky note, try the dhungar method: place a piece of red-hot charcoal in a small steel bowl nested in the finished curry, add a few drops of ghee, and clamp the lid on tight for five minutes. It gives you something close to the faint tandoor note that no domestic grill can fully replicate, and it is worth doing at least once.
How to make it
Follow the steps in order. Read through once before you start - most Indian cooking is about timing, not technique.
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Pat the chicken pieces dry with kitchen paper. Combine all marinade ingredients in a large bowl, add the chicken, and turn to coat every piece thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. The besan (chickpea flour) binds the spiced yogurt to the meat so it can develop a proper char under the grill; skipping it is the single most common reason home tikkas come out pale and steamed.
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When ready to grill, preheat your grill to its highest setting and position the rack close to the element. Thread the marinated chicken onto metal skewers or soaked wooden ones, leaving a small gap between pieces. Lay across a wire rack set over a foil-lined tray. Grill for 15 to 18 minutes, turning once at the halfway point and basting with a little melted butter. You are looking for genuine dark char at the edges, not just gentle colour. Rest the cooked tikkas on the tray while you build the masala.
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Heat the oil and butter together in a heavy kadai or wide saucepan over a medium flame. When the butter begins to foam, add the bay leaf, crushed cardamom pods, cloves, and cinnamon. Let them crackle and bloom for 30 to 40 seconds until you can smell them in the oil.
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Add the chopped onions with a pinch of salt. Reduce to medium-low and cook, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes, for 18 to 20 minutes. You are aiming for a deep copper-brown colour throughout. Pale or golden onions will give you a flat, one-dimensional sauce; this long cook is where the depth of the finished dish comes from.
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Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir into the onions. Cook for 2 minutes until the raw smell has gone. Add the Kashmiri chilli powder, ground coriander, cumin, and turmeric with a splash of water (about 3 to 4 tbsp) to prevent the spices burning. Stir continuously for 2 minutes. The paste should look deep red and smell intensely fragrant.
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Pour in the blended tomatoes. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, for 12 to 15 minutes. Watch for the moment when oil begins to separate and pool at the edges of the masala: this is your signal that the base has cooked through. Do not rush past this stage.
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Drain the soaked cashews and blend with 4 tbsp of fresh water to a completely smooth paste. Add to the masala and stir well. Pour in the 150 ml of water, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust salt.
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Add the grilled tikka pieces to the masala along with any resting juices from the tray. Fold through gently and simmer on a low heat for 5 to 6 minutes so the chicken absorbs the sauce.
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Remove the pan from the heat or reduce to the lowest possible flame. Stir in the double cream, then crush the kasuri methi between your palms and scatter it directly into the pan. Add the garam masala and the optional knob of butter. Taste and balance with caster sugar and salt. The kasuri methi goes in last because its volatile oils are what give the dish that distinctive bittersweet fenugreek finish; add it earlier and the character cooks off.
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Let the curry rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Scatter with torn fresh coriander and serve hot with basmati rice, paratha, or naan.
💡 Tips from the kitchen
Prep time includes a minimum of 4 hours marinating; overnight gives significantly better results. Besan (chickpea flour) in the marinade is the detail most home recipes skip: it binds the spiced yogurt to the chicken and is what allows genuine char to form under a domestic grill rather than a steamed grey coating. If your tomatoes are watery or out of season, cook the blended tomato down for an extra 5 minutes before adding the cashew paste. The masala base freezes well for up to two months; add the cream and kasuri methi only after reheating.