This easy chicken tikka masala with vegetables is rich, creamy and delicious – and comes together in around 30 minutes! It features a creamy, mild tomato-based sauce, tender chunks of marinated chicken and hearty vegetables. Make it when you’re craving comfort food or need a quick weeknight meal; the whole family will love it!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Quick and easy – the chicken can be marinated ahead of time and everything comes together in 30 minutes or less.
- Perfect for the whole family – the sauce is mild enough for everyone to enjoy (or can be customised to add more kick). It contains loads of hearty vegetables like cauliflower, sweet potato and peas.
- Creamy and comforting – spooned over basmati rice with some garlic naan, it makes a cosy, comforting dinner that’s easy enough to prepare any night of the week.
- Tender chicken – for this recipe, yoghurt helps to tenderise the chicken and the spices infuse it with loads of flavour.
- Meal prep friendly – all of the elements can be prepared ahead of time, ready to throw together on a busy weeknight.
- Customisable – customise to add your favourite veggies, or use whatever you have in the fridge or freezer. Not sure what vegetables go with tikka masala? See the list below.
Need some more quick chicken recipes? Try this cashew chicken stir fry or chicken tacos.
Ingredients you will need
** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. This photo is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!
- Chicken thighs – use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Dark meat has much more flavour and stays moist and tender after it has been cooked. If preferred, skinless chicken breast can be used. But be careful not to overcook it.
- Vegetables – there are so many vegetables that go well with tikka masala. Use 2 cups of your favourite fresh or frozen vegetables. I use a mix of knobby cauliflower florets, diced carrot or sweet potato and frozen peas. Spinach leaves are a great addition too, or even a can of lentils or chickpeas for added protein. For more vegetable ideas, I’ve added a list of suggestions below.
- Spices – this recipe uses simple pantry spices like turmeric, garam masala, ground coriander, cumin and paprika. Garam masala is a blend of spices that typically contains coriander, pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and cumin. You will find all of these spices in the spice section of your local supermarket.
- Greek yoghurt – yoghurt is used with lemon juice and spices to make a tikka masala marinade. It works to tenderise the chicken and adds tang to balance the richness of the creamy sauce. A thick yoghurt is best for marinating, as thin or runny yoghurt will fall of the chicken in the pan.
- Canned tomatoes – use diced or crushed tomatoes with no additional flavours or additives.
- Ghee is a form of clarified butter that is commonly used in Indian cuisines. It is ideal for frying and cooking at high temperatures due to its high smoke point. It can be found it most supermarkets. Alternatively, vegetable or canola oil can be used instead.
- Thickened cream – cream is added to the sauce at the end, for richness, texture and to balance the acidity from the tomatoes. I recommend cooking cream or thickened cream with 35% fat content, but you can use low fat cream if preferred. Alternatively, coconut milk can also be used, however the taste of the sauce will differ.
- Complete the tikka masala by scooping it over some steaming hot basmati rice with some naan bread.
Step by step guide
Full ingredient notes and quantities can be found in the detailed recipe card below. But here is a brief overview of what you can expect;
- Marinate the chicken – coat the chicken pieces in the yoghurt, lemon juice and spices to tenderise. Leaving it to marinate overnight allows maximum flavour infusion, but use the time that you have.
- Chargrill the chicken in a smoking hot wok, under a grill/broiler or on a barbeque until cooked with the edges lightly smoky and charred. Remove the chicken from the heat to rest.
- Cook the vegetables in the ghee along with the spices, until fragrant.
- Make the sauce – simmer the vegetables in the canned tomatoes and cream for 8-10 minutes, until the sauce thickens and becomes a deeper red colour. Stir through the charred chicken and simmer for a further 1-2 minutes. If using light cream, keep it out until the end so that it doesn’t split.
- Toss the chicken back through the sauce and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
Serve over steamed basmati rice with some lemon or lime wedges.
Full ingredient list and instructions are found in the recipe card below.
Vegetables for tikka masala
Customise to add 2 cups of any of the following veggies;
- Diced sweet potato (leftover roast sweet potato or pumpkin make great additions, add them at the end to heat through).
- Diced potato
- Sliced onion
- Frozen peas
- Broccoli florets
- Cauliflower florets
- Diced carrot
- Red capsicum
- Spinach leaves
- Diced or shredded zucchini (squeeze out any excess liquid before cooking).
- Diced eggplant (particularly nice when grilled!)
You can also add up to one can of drained lentils or chickpeas.
Expert tips
- Cut the chicken as uniformly as possible, to ensure it cooks evenly.
- Marinate the chicken overnight, if possible. The longer the chicken sits in the marinade, the more flavour is able to soak in. This dish is perfect for meal prep, because it can marinate and sit covered in the fridge for 1-2 days before cooking.
- While the chicken is cooked at a high heat to get a lovely charred flavour, the sauce should be cooked over medium-low heat. Because the sauce contains cream, it can split if cooked too high too quickly.
- Want it spicy? Add some hot chilli flakes, fresh chillies or chilli powder, to taste. To keep it mild for some, serve it up and add pinch of chilli flakes at the end for those who prefer a little kick.
- In a rush? Add some leftover shredded chicken or even a BBQ rotisserie chicken to the curry sauce instead of marinating, if required. While the flavours won’t be as full, it still makes a tasty dinner in a hurry!
- While this recipe uses a wok or frying pan for convenience, grilling or barbequing the chicken will give an even better flavour.
- Customise with any fresh or frozen vegetables that you have sitting in your fridge.
- How to serve; serve tikka masala with vegetables, steamed basmati or white rice, toasted pita or pan-fried naan bread. Top it with chopped coriander and serve with lemon or lime wedges on the side. Garlic naan or roti bread is perfect for mopping up the extra curry sauce!
FAQs
Thanks to the mild spices, crushed tomatoes, yoghurt and cream, this recipe is very mild. However, you can add chilli flakes or fresh chillies if you’d like it to be spicier.
Once the leftovers have cooled to room temperature, transfer them to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can reheat leftovers on the stovetop or in the microwave until steaming hot.
Yes! Aside from reheating beautifully, it also tastes even better the next day, because the flavours have had more time to develop. Re-heat in a pan over medium heat until steaming hot. Or, microwave in 30-40 second bursts, stirring in between until heated through.
Add your favourites! I use cauliflower, carrots or sweet potato and peas to the sauce for added flavour and texture, as well as a handful of spinach leaves. But you can add any fresh or frozen veggies you have on hand.
Tikka masala can be frozen, but I recommend leaving the cream out until you are ready to re-heat and eat. While it is perfectly fine to freeze the sauce with the cream added, the cream can become grainy in the freezer and separate once defrosted and re-heated. If you plan on freezing it for later use, cook the recipe as per the instructions below, but omit the cream. When re-heating, add the thawed tikka masala to the pan, add the cream and simmer for a few minutes until thickened and heated through.
All of the elements can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge, ready to add to the pan. Coat the chicken in the yoghurt marinade, cover and store in the fridge overnight. The veggies can be chopped and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. The tikka masala spices can be measured, mixed together and stored in a container in your pantry, ready to add to the pan.
Related recipes
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Chicken Tikka Masala with Vegetables
Ingredients
For the marinated chicken
- 750 grams chicken thigh fillets cut into thick chunks
- ½ cup Greek yoghurt unsweetened
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger finely grated. Or, use ginger paste in equal quantities.
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric ground
- ½ teaspoon salt
- black pepper
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
For the tikka masala sauce
- 3-4 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
- 2 cups vegetables of choice cauliflower florets, frozen peas and cubed sweet potato (or add your favourites from the list above)
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 6 teaspoon ground cumin
- 6 teaspoon ground paprika sweet Hungarian paprika, not hot or smoked
- ½-1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- pepper
- 3 cups canned tomatoes crushed or diced tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups cream 375ml cooking cream or thickened cream. You can use low fat cream or regular coconut milk, if preferred.
- chilli powder or flakes (optional) optional, to taste
To serve
- steamed basmati or white rice
- roti or naan bread
- lemon or lime wedges
Instructions
Marinate the chicken
- Place the yoghurt and other marinade ingredients into a small bowl and stir. Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Marinating overnight is best for the most flavourful and tender chicken, but let it marinate for as much time as you have. At least 2 hours is recommended where possible.
Cook the chicken
- Heat a large pan/wok (or BBQ grill) until smoking hot. Add 2 tbs of the ghee or oil (if using a pan, omit for BBQ) and cook the chicken on all sides until lightly charred and cooked through. You may have to do this in batches to prevent the marinade from stewing the chicken.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a plate to rest.
For the tikka masala sauce
- In the same wok or frying pan, heat the remaining ghee (or oil) over medium heat. Add the vegetables and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the garlic, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper (and chilli powder if desired) and stir for a further 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Stir in the tomatoes and cream. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat. Gently simmer over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring until the sauce has reduced and thickened. **Don't cook on high heat or the cream may split.
- Add the cooked chicken to the thickened sauce and stir to combine. Simmer for a further 1-2 minutes.
- Serve immediately over steamed rice with naan or roti bread and lemon or lime wedges. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Cut the chicken as uniformly as possible, to ensure it cooks evenly.
- Marinate the chicken overnight, if possible. The longer the chicken sits in the tikka masala marinade, the more flavour is able to soak in. This dish is perfect for meal prep, because it can marinate and sit covered in the fridge for 1-2 days before cooking.
- While the chicken is cooked at a high heat to get a lovely charred flavour, the sauce should be cooked over medium-low heat. Because the sauce contains cream, it can split if cooked too high too quickly.
- Want it spicy? Add some hot chilli flakes, fresh chillies or chilli powder, to taste. To keep it mild for some, serve it up and add pinch of chilli flakes at the end for those who prefer a little kick.
- In a rush? Add some leftover shredded chicken or even a BBQ rotisserie chicken to the curry sauce instead of marinating, if required. While the flavours won’t be as full, it still makes a tasty dinner in a hurry!
- While this recipe uses a wok or frying pan for convenience, grilling or barbequing the chicken will give an even better flavour.
- Customise with any fresh or frozen vegetables that you have sitting in your fridge.
- How to serve; serve tikka masala with vegetables, steamed basmati or white rice, toasted pita or pan-fried naan bread. Top it with chopped coriander and serve with lemon or lime wedges on the side. Garlic naan or roti bread is perfect for mopping up the extra curry sauce!
- Storage; Once the leftovers have cooled to room temperature, transfer them to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can reheat leftovers on the stovetop or in the microwave until steaming hot.
- Please note that the nutrition information is based on the tikka masala being divided into 6 serves. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional toppings or sides served with the tikka masala.
- This recipe is made using Australian metric cups and spoon measurements. Any reference to cups or spoons in this recipe is in Australian metric. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in April 2019, but was re-published with new information and photos in February 2024.
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