Chicken Tikka Recipe

This is the chicken most takeaway curries actually start with.

In a restaurant the meat isn’t cooked in the sauce. It’s marinated, cooked hot, then added to the curry at the end. That’s why the flavour runs through the chicken instead of just sitting on the outside.

Once you’ve made a batch you can drop it straight into dishes like our favourites such as our Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe or Chicken Korma Recipe. It also works on its own as a starter or wrap filling.

Cook this and you’ve got the base for loads of fakeaways during the week.

To make this recipe you’ll need my tikka spice blend, it’s what gives the proper curry house flavour. We also sell it as a bundle, with red food colouring to give it that bright red look.

Why cook the tikka first if it's going in a curry?

Curry houses always prepare tikka ahead of service and is mostly a service based decision. The sauce reheats the chicken, it doesn’t cook it.

That’s what gives you that takeaway texture and slight char.

If raw chicken goes straight into sauce you may end up boiling it.

You can add this directly into a pan of Masala sauce and dinner is basically done.

Storage once cooked

Fridge: up to 3 days

Freezer: about 3 months

If reheating from frozen, it's best to air fry or grill the chicken tikka pieces to maintain the same flavour and quality. You can microwave them but it may make the meat a bit dry. Batch cooking this once saves loads of time later.

What is the difference between chicken tikka and tandoori chicken?

In most curry houses the difference between chicken tikka and tandoori chicken isn’t really the marinade or the colour, it’s the cut of the meat. This is my understanding of it and it does differ from region to region. Some say it purely depends on the colour!

My understanding in the West Midlands has always been that tandoori chicken is cooked on the bone, usually whole legs or quarters, which keeps it juicier and gives a deeper roasted flavour. Chicken tikka is the same style of marinade but boneless pieces, cooked faster and used as a starter or dropped into curries.

More takeaway recipes

If you make this chicken tikka then you’ll have to try these recipes too:

Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

Chicken Korma Recipe

Masala Sauce Recipe

Madras Recipe

Pathia Recipe