One-Pan Chicken Tikka Masala
Need a quick curry recipe for a busy weeknight dinner? This better-than-take-away, one-pan chicken tikka masala takes only 40 minutes from start to finish. Whether, you are looking for a comforting or lighter dish, it is guaranteed to be a hit with the entire family.
Serves 4
Effort: easy
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Gluten free
Ingredients
1.4 kg chicken pieces
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp butter
1 red onion, diced finely
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp ginger, grated fresh or paste
1.5 tbsp tikka mix - Gourmet Spice Kits
500ml passata
300ml cream
1 tsp brown sugar
Fresh coriander OR parsley to garnish
See hints & tips to give the dish some heat.
Instructions
Pre heat the oven to 200c/ 180c fan. In a heavy bottomed skillet on a medium/ high heat, brown seasoned chicken pieces in olive oil until golden on each side but not cooked all the way through (about 3-4 mins on each side). Remove to a plate and set aside.
Turn the heat down to medium/ low, add butter, onion, garlic and ginger and cook slowly until the onion is softened and the garlic & ginger fragrant.
Stir in 2.5 tbsp of tikka mix and cook through for 1 minute.
Add passata, cream, brown sugar and season to taste, stir to combine, turn the heat back up, bring the sauce to a simmer before adding the chicken pieces back to the skillet.
Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Let the dish stand for 5 minutes before serving.
See hints & tips for serving suggestion.
Hints & tips
Chicken - I love these chicken packs as they are mixture of different pieces and handy to have in the freezer. Any chicken pieces you want to use will work, such as skin on thighs and legs.
Maryland pieces would be great too but remember to cook for longer as they are bigger. Add an extra 1 minute on each side when frying and and extra 10 mins in the oven.
How to make this dish spicy - Add in 1-2 tsp of hot chilli powder with the tikka spice mix at step 3. Alternatively, you can add in 1-2 fresh red chillies (finely chopped) at step 4. Or you could do both if you like it really spicy!
Ginger - Tip - Keep a piece of fresh ginger in the freezer. I keep the skin on as it adds extra flavour and is suggested to have health benefits. Pull it out when needed and while still frozen grate what you need. Then, pop it back in the freezer for next time.
Ginger paste - I also keep ginger paste in the fridge. My favourite brand is Gourmet Garden Paste.
Cream - Use coconut milk if you prefer a lighter dish.
Serving suggestion - For a more comforting dish serve with mash potato and veggies.
To make this dish lighter serve along side rice of choice & Bombay carrot salad
Portion size - This dish serves 4 comfortably or two with leftovers. It could be doubled up if you have a larger enough baking dish. Follow steps 1-4 but pour sauce into the large baking dish before adding chicken pieces. Cooking time would be the same.
Storage - Will keep in the fridge for 3 days. Suitable for freezing.
