Chicken Tikka Masala With Charred Chicken and a Jar Shortcut

It is 6:30 on a Wednesday, the naan is calling, and you are two minutes from opening a delivery app. This chicken tikka masala is about 36 minutes, and 15 of those are a marinade you can spend on a glass of something. Jarred sauce, charred chicken, and a story about how long it simmered that we are happy to let you keep.

The jar brings the cream; your pan brings the char.

Chicken tikka masala is the dish where the sauce gets the credit and the chicken does the work. Yogurt-marinated thighs with blackened edges give a jarred sauce something smoky to be proud of. It serves four with rice and naan, and the jar does much of the sauce work.

Pour the glass while the marinade works, put the naan where the delivery bag would have gone, and let the app wonder where you went.

How to make it

1. Cut 1.5 lbs chicken thighs into bite-size pieces and marinate them in ½ cup Greek yogurt, 2 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp chili powder, salt, and black pepper for 15 minutes.
2. Broil or pan-sear the marinated chicken until charred on the outside, about 8 minutes, then set aside.
3. Warm 24 oz jarred tikka masala simmer sauce in a skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes.
4. Return the seared chicken to the pan and simmer 5 minutes to combine flavors.
5. Cook 2 cups basmati rice in salted water until tender.
6. Warm 4 naan breads in a dry skillet.
7. Serve the chicken tikka masala over the rice with the naan on the side.

Notes

Cooked leftovers keep three to four days refrigerated, per USDA FSIS. Store the chicken in its sauce, and keep the rice and naan separate so neither turns gummy.

Chicken tikka masala often tastes rounder on day two, perhaps because the spices have had longer with the sauce. Reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of water. We have not tested freezing, and yogurt-marinated chicken may change texture after thawing, so the fridge is the safer plan.

Jars vary in heat. Taste the sauce while it warms, before the chicken goes back in, and decide whether the chili powder in the marinade was enough. If your sauce is mild, a pinch more chili stirred in at that point will wake it up.

Broil if your skillet is small and you want everything in a single layer, or pan-sear if you like to hear the sizzle. Either way, the aim is dark, charred edges, and a crowded pan gives you gray chicken instead. Work in batches if you need to, and shake off the excess marinade first, because a heavy coat of yogurt can scorch before the chicken browns.

The USDA safe minimum for poultry is 165°F. Charred does not necessarily mean cooked through, so check a thick piece before it goes back into the sauce.

If this landed in your week with a swipe, the agent shops the sauce, the naan and the basmati as one list. The shortcut does not need a second trip.

Swaps that actually work

The charred chicken is the point, so leave the sear alone. Dropping raw chicken straight into jarred sauce gives you a pleasant dinner, and not the chicken tikka masala you tell your friends about.

Any tikka masala simmer sauce can stand in. Mild, medium and hot versions exist, so choose for the person eating, not for the person shopping.

Chicken breast works in place of thighs, though it dries out sooner. Cut the pieces a little larger and be quick with the heat. Plain yogurt can replace Greek yogurt in the marinade, but the coating will be thinner and the char a little less even.

Pita, flatbread or a stack of tortillas can take the place of naan if that is what you have. Basmati is the point of the rice, but any long-grain white rice will do the job.

If you are missing the garam masala, you can leave it out and lean on the sauce for the spice, though the marinade will taste simpler. We would not swap in curry powder, which pulls the flavor somewhere else entirely.

If it goes wrong

The chicken is pale instead of charred. The pan was crowded, or the marinade was wet and steamed rather than seared. Cook in two batches, give the pieces space, and let them sit until they release from the pan. For tonight, a minute or two under the broiler adds the color.

The sauce is too thin. Give it an extra few minutes at a simmer with the chicken in it, and it will reduce. Do not rush it, because the sauce tastes better when it clings.

The sauce is too sharp or flat. A pinch of salt usually fixes flat. For sharp, a small spoonful of yogurt or a pinch of sugar rounds it off. Taste after each addition.

The chicken is dry. It cooked too long, or the pieces were small and thin. Let them rest in the sauce for a few minutes off the heat, and cut them larger next time.

It is too spicy for your guest. Stir in a spoonful of Greek yogurt and look innocent. It was meant to be this mild all along.

What to serve with it

The default for chicken tikka masala is what the recipe gives you: basmati rice and warm naan. A dry skillet is enough for the naan, which softens and picks up a few toasted freckles without any butter.

The better version of the default is a quick raita. Yogurt, cucumber and a pinch of salt next to the curry cools each bite down and makes the plate look finished. It takes a minute to stir together, so make it while the chicken simmers and nobody will guess it was an afterthought. A cold spoonful against a hot, spicy bite is a small trick that tends to impress.

The thing in the fridge that lifts it is a squeeze of lime, a handful of cilantro, or thinly sliced red onion on top. Fresh and sharp against rich and creamy is a good pairing.

As lunch the next day, tuck the chicken into a warm naan like a wrap, or spoon it over rice in a container. It travels well and reheats without fuss.

Why this one earns its place

There is an argument for ordering in, and the argument is that someone else does the work. This chicken tikka masala makes a counter-argument: you get the same takeout shape, with charred edges and a sauce that you get to call yours.

It stretches, too: scale the chicken and the sauce together, and you have a dinner that looks generous. Swipe it into the week, let the agent shop the sauce, and take the compliments as they come.

Keep going with Butter Chicken, Chicken Biryani, and weekly meal planning.

More like this: all Indian recipes in Crave Corner.