Chef Kunal's recommended Chicken Tikka Masala
Image Credit: Chef Kunal Kapoor's recommended chicken tikka masala

India has a strange obsession with chicken. Without any doubt, we can say that butter chicken and chicken tikka masala are among the most ordered dishes in India. But very few people know that chicken tikka masala was not originated in India. Some legends say that a Bangladeshi chef in the 1970s, added a mild-tomato cream sauce to his chicken tikka, that is the pieces of boneless chicken marinated in curd and curry spices, following a request from a customer in the UK. Some also say that the dish was derived from butter chicken, a very famous and popular dish in North India.  

It would not be wrong to say that chicken tikka masala is one of the first widely accepted example of fusion cuisine. Now, there are many ways to make chicken tikka masala but the one recommended by our most loved celebrity chef Kunal Kapur is a must. Have a look: 

Ingredients  

First marination 

  • 500 gm chicken leg boneless 
  • Salt to taste 
  • 1 lemon 
  • ½ tbsp ginger paste 
  • ½ tbsp garlic paste 

Second marination 

  • 5 tbsp mustard oil 
  • 1 ½ Kashmiri chili powder 
  • 1 cup hung curd 
  • 1 lemon 
  • Salt to taste 
  • ½ tbsp ginger paste 
  • ½ tbsp garlic paste 
  • Half a lemon 
  • ½ tsp methi leaves powder (dried) 
  • Pinch of chaat masala 

For masala 

  • 1 tbsp oil 
  • 3 tbsp butter 
  • 1 bayleaf 
  • 1 cup chopped onion 
  • 1 tbsp chopped ginger 
  • 1 tbsp chopped garlic 
  • 1 green chili 
  • ¾ tbsp Kashmiri chili powder 
  • Salt to taste 
  • 2 cups tomatoes 
  • Dash of water 
  • ½ tsp methi powder 
  • Handful of chopped coriander 
  • 1/2 cup cream 

Method 

  • Take a bowl and add boneless chicken 
  • Add ginger paste and garlic paste 
  • Squeeze lemon and salt 
  • Take another bowl and hung curd 
  • Add mustard oil, Kashmiri chili powder, ginger paste, garlic paste, and lemon 
  • Also, add methi powder and chat masala 
  • Add the marinated chicken to the mixture and mix well 
  • Keep it for sometime and roast the chicken pieces 
  • Take a pan and turn on the flame 
  • Add oil and butter 
  • Add bayleaf 
  • Add chopped garlic and ginger 
  • Sauté 
  • Add onion and red chili powder 
  • Add tomatoes and add the marinated chicken pieces 
  • Add a dash of water 
  • Let it cook for sometime 
  • Add cream and garnish with coriander leaves 
  • Serve 

Thank us later!