# Easy Chicken Tikka Masala ## Description Learn how to make an easy and delicious Chicken Tikka Masala, a popular Indian curry similar to Butter Chicken but with a unique tempering step that enhances its flavor. ## Quick Facts - Calories: 644 per serving - Prep Time: 15 minutes - Cook Time: 40 minutes - Total Time: 55 minutes - Servings: 4 - Difficulty: medium - Cuisine: Indian - Health Score: 6.5/10 ## Nutrition Per Serving - Calories: 644 - Protein: 59g - Carbohydrates: 16g - Fat: 39g - Fiber: 2g - Sugar: 6g - Sodium: 950mg ## Ingredients (4 servings) - 1.5 lbs Chicken Breast (cubed) - 1 tsp Salt (for marination) - 0.5 tsp Black Pepper (for marination) - 1 tbsp Red Chili Powder (for marination) - 1 tsp Cumin Powder (for marination) - 0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder (for marination) - 1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste (for marination) - 0.5 cup Yogurt (for marination) - 1 tbsp Lemon Juice (for marination) - 2 tbsp Oil - 1 leaf Bay Leaf - 3 count Green Cardamom Pods - 3 count Cloves - 3 count Black Peppercorns - 1 large Red Onion (diced, for gravy base) - 1 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste (for gravy base) - 3 count Green Chilies (sliced) - 5 medium Roma Tomatoes (diced, for gravy base) - 0.25 cup Cashews - 0.25 cup Cilantro (chopped, for gravy base) - 0.5 cup Water - 1 tbsp Ghee - 1 tsp Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp Red Chili Powder (for tadka) - 0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder (for tadka) - 0.25 cup Red Onion (finely diced, for tadka) - 0.25 cup Roma Tomatoes (finely diced, for tadka) - 2 tbsp Butter (cubed) - 1 tbsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves - 0.5 tsp Salt (to taste) - 1 tsp Sugar - 0.5 cup Heavy Cream ## Instructions 1. Start by cubing 1.5 lbs of chicken breast into bite-sized pieces. 2. In a bowl, marinate the cubed chicken with 1 tsp of salt, 0.5 tsp of black pepper, 1 tbsp of red chili powder, 1 tsp of cumin powder, 0.5 tsp of turmeric powder, 1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste, 0.5 cup of yogurt, and 1 tbsp of lemon juice. Mix well until the chicken is fully coated. 3. Place the marinated chicken in an air fryer basket and air fry at 380°F (193°C) for 10 minutes until cooked through and slightly charred. 4. While the chicken cooks, dice 5 medium Roma tomatoes and 1 large red onion for the gravy base. 5. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add 1 bay leaf, 3 green cardamom pods, 3 cloves, and 3 black peppercorns to the hot oil and let them sizzle for a few seconds to release their aroma. 6. Add the diced 1 large red onion, 1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste, and 3 sliced green chilies to the pan. Sauté until the onions soften and turn translucent. 7. Add the diced 5 medium Roma tomatoes, 0.25 cup of cashews, and 0.25 cup of chopped cilantro to the pan. Pour in 0.5 cup of water, cover, and let it cook for 20 minutes until the tomatoes are very soft. 8. Carefully transfer the cooked gravy base mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside. 9. For the tadka (tempering), in the same pan, add 1 tbsp of ghee. Once melted, add 1 tsp of cumin seeds, 1 tsp of red chili powder, and 0.5 tsp of turmeric powder. Stir quickly. 10. Add 0.25 cup of finely diced red onion and 0.25 cup of finely diced Roma tomatoes to the tadka. Cook down until the mixture is soft and the oil separates. 11. Pour the blended gravy base into the pan with the tadka and stir to combine. 12. To finish the curry, add 2 tbsp of cubed butter, 1 tbsp of dried fenugreek leaves, 0.5 tsp of salt (or to taste), 1 tsp of sugar, and 0.5 cup of heavy cream. Stir until well combined and heated through. 13. Finally, add the air-fried chicken pieces to the curry and gently stir to coat. Simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Serve hot with naan or rice. ## Allergen Information Contains: dairy, nuts ## Tags indian, curry, chicken, tikka-masala, spicy ## Source Recipe by: Amateur Pro Chef Video: https://youtube.com/shorts/Qo3XoVJgFMw?si=g_KwD_gpgmJp96x8 ## Machine-Readable Data ### Recipe Metadata ```json { "id": "d31c7bd6-bbf9-497d-828a-f58c8aff2b39", "youtube_id": "Qo3XoVJgFMw", "title": "Easy Chicken Tikka Masala", "cuisine_type": "Indian", "meal_type": [ "dinner", "lunch" ], "difficulty_level": "medium", "servings": 4, "prep_time_minutes": 15, "cook_time_minutes": 40, "total_time_minutes": 55, "health_score": 6.5, "created_at": "2025-07-21T16:13:18.000Z", "updated_at": "2025-07-21T16:13:18.000Z" } ``` ### Ingredients Data ```json { "servings": 4, "ingredients": [ { "name": "Chicken Breast", "amount": 1.5, "unit": "lbs", "notes": "cubed" }, { "name": "Salt", "amount": 1, "unit": "tsp", "notes": "for marination" }, { "name": "Black Pepper", "amount": 0.5, "unit": "tsp", "notes": "for marination" }, { "name": "Red Chili Powder", "amount": 1, "unit": "tbsp", "notes": "for marination" }, { "name": "Cumin Powder", "amount": 1, "unit": "tsp", "notes": "for marination" }, { "name": "Turmeric Powder", "amount": 0.5, "unit": "tsp", "notes": "for marination" }, { "name": "Ginger Garlic Paste", "amount": 1, "unit": "tbsp", "notes": "for marination" }, { "name": "Yogurt", "amount": 0.5, "unit": "cup", "notes": "for marination" }, { "name": "Lemon Juice", "amount": 1, "unit": "tbsp", "notes": "for marination" }, { "name": "Oil", "amount": 2, "unit": "tbsp", "notes": null }, { "name": "Bay Leaf", "amount": 1, "unit": "leaf", "notes": null }, { "name": "Green Cardamom Pods", "amount": 3, "unit": "count", "notes": null }, { "name": "Cloves", "amount": 3, "unit": "count", "notes": null }, { "name": "Black Peppercorns", "amount": 3, "unit": "count", "notes": null }, { "name": "Red Onion", "amount": 1, "unit": "large", "notes": "diced, for gravy base" }, { "name": "Ginger Garlic Paste", "amount": 1, "unit": "tbsp", "notes": "for gravy base" }, { "name": "Green Chilies", "amount": 3, "unit": "count", "notes": "sliced" }, { "name": "Roma Tomatoes", "amount": 5, "unit": "medium", "notes": "diced, for gravy base" }, { "name": "Cashews", "amount": 0.25, "unit": "cup", "notes": null }, { "name": "Cilantro", "amount": 0.25, "unit": "cup", "notes": "chopped, for gravy base" }, { "name": "Water", "amount": 0.5, "unit": "cup", "notes": null }, { "name": "Ghee", "amount": 1, "unit": "tbsp", "notes": null }, { "name": "Cumin Seeds", "amount": 1, "unit": "tsp", "notes": null }, { "name": "Red Chili Powder", "amount": 1, "unit": "tsp", "notes": "for tadka" }, { "name": "Turmeric Powder", "amount": 0.5, "unit": "tsp", "notes": "for tadka" }, { "name": "Red Onion", "amount": 0.25, "unit": "cup", "notes": "finely diced, for tadka" }, { "name": "Roma Tomatoes", "amount": 0.25, "unit": "cup", "notes": "finely diced, for tadka" }, { "name": "Butter", "amount": 2, "unit": "tbsp", "notes": "cubed" }, { "name": "Dried Fenugreek Leaves", "amount": 1, "unit": "tbsp", "notes": null }, { "name": "Salt", "amount": 0.5, "unit": "tsp", "notes": "to taste" }, { "name": "Sugar", "amount": 1, "unit": "tsp", "notes": null }, { "name": "Heavy Cream", "amount": 0.5, "unit": "cup", "notes": null } ] } ``` ### Nutrition Data (per serving) ```json { "calories": 644, "macros": { "protein_g": 59, "carbs_g": 16, "fat_g": 39, "fiber_g": 2, "sugar_g": 6, "sodium_mg": 950 }, "dietary_tags": { "vegan": false, "vegetarian": false, "gluten_free": false, "dairy_free": false, "nut_free": false } } ``` --- This recipe is from CalorieGram Recipes - Your AI-powered healthy recipe discovery platform. Visit https://recipes.caloriegram.ai for more healthy recipes.