Chicken Tikka Masala Curry Recipe

We pride ourself on bringing you authentic Indian food and curries from around the world and here is our perfect Chicken Tikka Masala curry recipe.
Pat Chapman, founder of the Curry Club, reckons that this type of curry was invented by a British curry house chef (identity unknown) around 1980 by adding a  a tasty, creamy, pink, mild sauce - including a surfeit of red food colouring - to the already very popular dish of Chicken Tikka. Various other theories say the origins lie in 1950s Glasgow or late 1970s Soho, London, while some insist it did come from India, most probably Punjab during the last 50 years. Whatever the true beginnings, all are agreed that it is one of the UK’s most popular dishes, even being proclaimed by former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook as “Britain's true national dish” .
The many theories of the origins of the Chicken Masala Curry recipe are only matched by the number of variations in the actual ingredients used. As ever, the Real Curry Secret brings you the tried and tested, ultimate version.

Chicken Tikka Masala Curry Recipe
4 chicken breasts, skinned, boned and diced into 1 inch cubes

For the marinade:
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 inch square cube of fresh root ginger, grated or finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground chilllies
1 teaspoon tumeric
2 tablespoons natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon tomato puree
Juice of  half a lemon
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
Salt and black pepper

Sauce:
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped or ground chillies according to taste
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 x 400 grams tin of chopped tomatoes or fresh if you prefer
3 - 4 tablespoons natural yoghurt
Salt and black pepper
Optional cream or double cream

Make the marinade by mixing all the required ingredients together in a bowl, add the cubed chicken and stir, making sure it is all well coated. Cover the bowl and set aside for at least 8 hours - in the fridge overnight would be fine.
Next day remove from fridge and stir well. Using a little vegetable oil, heat a pan to medium high heat, add the chicken and brown it on all sides, taking about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile in another pan, fry the onion, chilli, tumeric and garam masala for 5 minutes, until the onion begins to brown, then add the tomatoes and yoghurt, stirring well and simmer for 10 minutes to get a consistent sauce. The browned chicken pieces are then added to the sauce and simmered for a further15 - 20 minutes, after checking for the seasoning of salt and pepper. If you want a bit more of a luxurious sauce, stir in a couple of tablespoons of cream just before serving. The sauce will not be the colour of many restaurant versions as these often use a lot of food colouring - you could adjust yours by using extra tomato puree near the end of cooking, but be guided by taste and not the final colour of the dish.

With some plain boiled basmati rice and possibly a simple mixed leaf salad you will have a perfect meal featuring this great dish of British cuisine. That is our Chicken Tikka Masala curry recipe - use no other!