A lighter version of Tikka Masala made with Chicken and Veggies. Served over Basmati Rice and Homemade Garlic Naan Bread.
I love Indian food. I just do not know a lot about it. I’ve tried a few different dishes that I’ve liked, but I have no idea what half of them were. I’ve had Tikka Masala a few times, so I thought I’d start there.
Since I did not have a tandoor, I made this recipe on the stove and in a slow cooker. I felt the stove top method had a thicker sauce and seemed to condense the flavors more. Both ways tasted great, though. For the slow cooker method, just add everything together and cook for 8 hours on high or 4 hours on low.
To make this recipe lighter, I skipped the cream and just used a can of coconut milk and a big scoop of yogurt. The second, or third time, I made this, I added WAY too much spicy and used whole container of yogurt to my bowl trying to cool off the heat. Way too much spice! Huck of course loved it! You can also make this a vegetarian dish by leaving out the chicken if you’d like.
For the beer, I used an IPA Huck homebrewed. Most IPAs will work in this recipe becasue Spicy food + IPA = The Perfect Pairing.
That’s all I have today. Honestly, I have a million other things I could write about, but can’t seem to find much to talk about regarding this dish! Not sure why? Maybe next time.
Oh, and don’t forget the Naan Bread for dipping. It’s a must!!
- 1 Pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- ½ Tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½ Onion- Diced
- 4 Cloves Garlic- Chopped
- 2 teaspoons Curry
- 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 2½ Tablespoons Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon Tumeric
- 1 teaspoon Ground Pepper Powder {More or less depending on your taste}
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Coriander
- 1 Can Coconut Milk
- ½ Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
- 1 Cup Pureed Tomatoes {Canned}
- 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
- ½ Cup Beer
- 12 Oz Bag California Blend- Fresh or Frozen (Pre-Chopped Broccoli, Carrots, and Cauliflower)
- Cooked Rice
- Yogurt and Cilantro for garnish
- Preheat a large skillet, with a lid, over medium heat and add oil to pan. Cut the chicken into large bite size pieces and season with salt and pepper. Add chicken to the pan and sear each side, about 1 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, combined all of the dry spices. In another larger bowl, whisk together the Coconut Milk, Greek Yogurt, Pureed Tomatoes, Tomato Paste, and Beer.
- Once the chicken is seared, sprinkle in the seasoning. Stir to fully coat each piece. Add the liquid mixture and stir.
- Simmer covered over medium low heat, stirring regularly, for 25-30 minutes or until the sauce is thick and the chicken is fully cooked. Add the veggies in the last 15 minutes of cooking.
- Serve over warm rice and extra yogurt and fresh cilantro for garnish.
That looks great! Anytime I make tikka, I never put the veggies in too, I just steam on the side. I think next time I will include them in with the sauce! Thanks!
That’s what I originally planned, but I thought this way added more flavor to the veggies. Adding them at the end help keep their crunch, too.
I love Indian food and Chicken Tikka Masala too. I also often need to adjust the heat level as hubby likes it really spicy while I just like it medium hot. This looks so delicious and craving it right now. Pinned, too. :)
Thanks! I love spicy food but got a little carried away with the pepper powder on one of my batches.
Sloane,
Tikka Masala is the ultimate in homemade Indian that my whole family enjoys. I prefer to use my slow cooker, but just thicken the sauce by mashing the sweet potatoes I’ve tossed in and adding a cornstarch slurry. I love the idea of adding additional veggies as I’m always looking for ways to use the farm share veggies up before the next pick up.
Thanks!
The mashed sweet potatoes is interesting! I’ll have to try that.
This looks perfect! I love Indian food. :)
I don;t know a lot about Indian food wither - other than I LOVE it, and this dish looks amazing
LOVE Tikka Masala; this version sounds delicious and I’m thinking I can revise it a bit and make it for my Indian neighbor who is vegetarian; I’ll just serve the chicken on the side for me!
This looks amazing! I have been wanting to learn more about Indian cooking, this recipe looks like a great start!