Primal Chicken Tikka Masala
There’s nothing better than successfully re-creating your favorite restaurant dish at home. Especially when your homemade Primal version tastes every bit as good as the less-healthy version on the restaurant menu. Mark’s Daily Apple reader Jillian McCabe spent years tweaking her Chicken Tikka Masala recipe so that it tasted just like the one served at her favorite Indian restaurant. When she and her husband Matt started the 21-Day Total Body Transformation, she found it surprisingly simple to turn the dish into Primal Chicken Tikka Masala. There’s no naan or rice served with her version (although you could serve it over steamed, grated cauliflower “rice”) and instead of cream or yogurt, she now uses coconut milk. “This dish will make your home smell divine,” says Jillian. And she’s right.
Chicken Tikka Masala is a staple in many Indian restaurants. Boneless chicken is typically marinated in spices and yogurt then baked, broiled or grilled and simmered in a creamy tomato sauce heavily laced with spices. The spices don’t necessarily make the dish spicy-hot, although they can. Jillian’s version doesn’t seem spicy at first, but a slow burn starts catching up with you by the end of the bowl.
This recipe is made in two steps. The chicken bakes in the oven while the sauce simmers on the stovetop, then the two are combined. If you’re tempted to start eating the chicken right when it comes out of the oven, it’s understandable. Incredibly moist, deeply flavorful and bathed in a shimmering coconut milk sauce, it could be a meal on its own. However, adding the chicken to the thick tomato-based sauce creates a bowl of rich, aromatic Chicken Tikka Masala that will have you coming back for more – which is fine, because this recipe makes a big batch. Plan to serve it to friends, or freeze some for another meal.
Chicken Ingredients:
- 6-8 boneless/skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped (bottom stems cut off)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 can coconut milk
- 4 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
- 4 tablespoons finely chopped or grated fresh ginger
- Small pinch cayenne pepper (or more, for a spicier dish)
- Generous pinch of salt (you can add more to the sauce later, if needed)
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine all the ingredients in a large baking dish. (The spices can stain pans, so Jillian uses a disposable lasagna pan.)
Bake the chicken, covered, for 1 hour.
While the chicken is baking, make the sauce.
Sauce Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 yellow onions, sliced thinly
- 6-ounces tomato paste (or less, for a less tomato-y sauce)
- 1 can coconut milk
- 28-ounces canned/boxed crushed tomatoes in their juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala (an Indian spice blend)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Instructions:
In a large, deep pan over medium heat sauté the onions in the olive and coconut oil until golden brown, about ten minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients, mix well, and let simmer 20 minutes, stirring often.
When the chicken has finished baking, add it to the sauce on the stovetop. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Serve in bowls alone or over cauliflower rice.
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Posted By: Worker Bee
Try adding a cinnamon stick and a few 3-5 whole cardamom pods to the oil for a couple of minutes until fragrant and then remove and continue with frying the onion. Also add a couple of table spoons of almond flower to the sauce at the end a couple minutes before you remove it form the heat. But I would only add the almond flour if you are going to puree the sauce.
Looks yummy! Could this be crockpotified? Seems like it wouldn’t loose too much flavor by not baking the chicken…perhaps browning the chicken or onions first, then adding it all together and cooking all day?
Can you do this with a whole chicken, and if so what adjustments would you make?
Hiya, I have been making this for years and everyone loves it but on the stove top. I fry the onion and garlic and ginger till golden add the spices and fry for a min, The ratio of spices I add to the browned onion garlic ginger is 1 tsp each of tumeric, cummin, paprika, salt and 1 tablespoon of coriander powder and chilli to taste. Then I add a tablespoon of vinegar and stir for 1 min more then put in a whole chicken cut into small portions and coat well. Add 2 fresh chopped tomatoes and the cinnamon stick and 6 bruised cardammon pods and a stick of lemon grass or 2 thick slices of lemon rind and put the lid on and leave it to simmer for 40 min. It makes its own liquid. Then add 250 mls of thick coconut milk and let it simmer with lid off to reduce and make a thick sauce. You can add more salt and lemon to taste, Add spinach at the last minutes of cooking and fresh coriander and serve as is or over cauliflour rice…. .. Its so good to see something I’ve loved for years presented in a different way….This was called in my Indian recipe book Kukul Mas Sri Lankan Curry.
Oooh, I have all this except the lemongrass, I am going to give it a shot tonight. A bit less fussy than the other one, and i have some home grown toms that need eating,
Cheers
No wurries and let me know how it goes…
I cannot wait to try this. It looks delish. I recently gave your Tender Prime Rib Roast with Mushroom and Bacon Sauté recipe a try and it was very good, although my all time favourite is still the Savoury Roasted Pumpkin with Beef Short Ribs. The sauce for that is amazing.
Chicken Tikka is very delicious dish.For knowing different kind of Chicken dishes check this link.
This is at the last stage of simmering on the stove now – multiple tastes so far are saying this recipe is a winner!
Made this dish tonight, tastes really rich and creamy. A big hit, thanks for the recipe!
If you don’t have a food processor, try making the Cauliflower Rice with a potato masher after steaming. Dead easy.
This looks AMAZING!!!
Made this last night to rave reviews by my 14-year-old son. “Frickin’ delicious!” was his report. It is easy to throw together, too. I used a combo of chicken breast and thigh meat.
Wow. That’s all I can say as I slowly sip and and polish off bowl #2 of this recipe. Only thing excluded was the cilantro. I will definitely make this again. The only problem is… will it last so I can share it???
Nice recipe! Can’t wait to try this!
Yum! Anyone have a primal chicken korma recipe?
Here in India, Tikka is in fact referred to as ‘barbequed’ chicken bits. So if you had the chance to skewer those guys over some hot coal, the flavours would transform your dish. If not, you could put the skewers in the oven or microwave grill.
Another indulgent addition to this dish is a dollop of butter!
Made this a couple nights ago. Delish! But it wasn’t quite as richly flavorful as the true Indian version and too watery. I’d advise:
-double the spices in the sauce (turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, etc),
-don’t add the water to sauce, and
-marinate the chicken overnight before baking.
Cauliflower was a much better ‘rice’ than I expected; it only lacked the absorption quality of rice, thus requiring me to spoon my watery sauce out. But too yummy to complain about small things!
Oh this is too funny! I just wrote a recipe for a Paleo/primal version of Chicken Tikka Masala last night. Great minds must think alike! I will have to try this one out and see how it compares!
This is in my oven/on my stove right now. My house smells so good I can’t even stand it!! I’ll probably burn my mouth trying to eat it as fast as possible
This is a favorite recipe of ours! I served it over cabbage the other night and got great reviews
(Sliced cabbage, cooked in butter and a little sea salt until wilted but still has a little crunch to it)
This is REALLY good. I didn’t need to serve it over anything. I added a little fenugreek powder to the chicken and to the sauce and that was super.
My bf and I made this recipe last night. He ate it with rice, but I went strictly primal and loved it. Have plenty for leftovers and quite tasty, very much looking forward to lunch today.
This recipe sounds delicious but it also sounds like it would take a LOT of ingredients that many people wouldn’t have lying around. Sounds really pricey for someone on a budget unless you already have all those spices..
Do you think I could set my oven to broil at 400 degrees instead of bake? The heating elements for the “bake” function currently aren’t working (but the broiler works).
This was sooo delicious!!! We ate the chicken and the sauce together with nothing else. I used my kitchen sissors to cut the chicken into bite sized pieces before I cooked it which worked really well. Next time I will chop the onions…didn’t like the long stringy onions. I had used my mandolin and sliced the onions whole. Even cutting the onion in half and then slicing it would have been better. Next time I will be making a cucumber yogurt sauce to go with it. This is definitely a keeper. I will be making this for family and friends.
Maybe with a side of sweet potato? I can’t wait to make this, it sounds wonderful. Thanks for all the hints and comments, it makes for easy cooking!
Just made this and tried a taste – FANTASTIC!
I left the chicken in a little too long in the oven so the chicken didn’t have much sauce with it but this is great regardless. The spice has a GREAT kick to it and it tastes just like you’d get in an indian restaurant.
The only thing I might change is I do love lots of veggies in my curry – so may add in broccoli, carrots, etc next time. Thanks for posting!
Made it yesteday, and it’s hands down the best curry I’ve ever had!
Just tried this recipe out today and I liked parts of it – the chicken part was really good, but the sauce was way way too tomatoey. I’ve never noticed a tomato taste any time I’ve had this dish. It made a ton, and for once I am not looking forward to devouring my tikka masala leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
This looks like a great recipe. I have one question though. Is there much coconut flavor from the coconut milk? Don’t kill me
, but I really don’t like the flavor of coconut.
Alternatively, would just using yogurt be okay?
Thanks,
Kevin
Hi Kevin, There honestly is a bit of a coconut flavor. If you are a dairy eater, go with 2 cups of plain full fat Greek yogurt or 2 cups of full fat whipping cream in the marinade and then also in the sauce portion. So that would be 4 cups total you would need for the entire dish. Enjoy and let me know how it goes.
Thanks! Will be giving it a try and will let you know.
Jillian, do you use freshly ground spices from whole or do you just use the powders in the jars? I’ve heard people swear by using the fresh/whole everything ( http://www.joegrossberg.com/archives/002047.html ), but that’s awesome if you can achieve the restaurant taste without it! Gotta try this.
Hi Michael, I use the dried ground spices in jars to achieve the taste in the recipe; I bet the fresh spices would be over-the-top amazing! What I do is buy my spices in bulk and then make little spice “kits” by measuring everything out – one for the marinade and one for the sauce. They make great gifts for friends when you add the recipe to them.
Made this on Sunday and fed the family with it. It was awesome, with food like this my paleo journey should be a breeze!