Chicken Tikka Masala and Naan Bread

Make the nation’s national dish from the comfort of your own home. This authentic and  perfectly spiced curry and fluffy naan bread will make you think twice before ordering a takeaway!

Type of dish : Meat dish

Prep: 12 mins

Cook:  50 mins (not including the marination time)

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the chicken tikka marinade:

- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 kg boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs and cut into large chunks
- 2 tablespoons Ginger-Garlic Paste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
- 2 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- 1 tablespoon turmeric power
- 1 tablespoon chilli power
- 1 tablespoon cumin and coriander power

Method

STEP 1 :

Clean your chicken thoroughly and cut into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl.

STEP 2 :

To create the marinade, Add 1 cup of plain yogurt to the chicken pieces followed by the ginger and garlic paste and all the spices (ground black pepper, garam masala , cayenne pepper, turmeric power, chilli powder, cumin and coriander powder) and give it a good mix. Make sure to add salt to your taste.

STEP 3 :

Once mixed add 2 tablespoons of oil and mix once more until it’s all combined. Leave the chicken in the fridge to marinade preferably overnight. But if you are short on time you can leave the chicken in the fridge for an hour 1 hour before cooking it.

STEP 4 :

After the chicken has marinated, heat up a large pan and drizzle some oil then cook the chicken.

STEP 5 :

For the masala sauce,  heat oil and butter together in a pan and add chopped onions, garlic and ginger paste and cook for 10 minutes until the onions are soft and turn a nice golden brown. Add salt and chopped tomatoes and mix thoroughly until all combined. If the onions become too dry or begins to stick  add a few teaspoons of water.

STEP 6 :

To the onions, add garam masala, paprika, turmeric ,chilli powder , coriander power and tomato paste and cook until all the spices are incorporated.

STEP 7 :

Then add the marinated chicken and cook for 15 mins. Then add enough water to cover the chicken and leave to simmer with the lid on for 25min. Make sure to occasionally stir the pot to stop the curry from sticking to the bottom.

STEP 8 :

While the chicken is cooked, we can begin making our naan bread. Simply combine the self-rising flour, plain yogurt, and a pinch of salt together in a big bowl and mix until a dough is formed. Divide the mixture into 6 sections and roll out the dough on a floured surface. Roll the dough until you get a circle ,or something that resembles a circle, that is around 2 cm thick

STEP 9 :

Heat a large nonstick pan over a medium heat, and cook the Naan on each side for 5 minutes or until it’s cooked through and slightly brown. Then brush with some butter and keep warm in the oven or microwave while the remaining naans are made.

STEP 10 :

Remove the lid and stir the chicken making sure to scrape the bottom. Remove a piece of chicken and check that it is cooked all the way through. Finally add the cream and mix altogether then garnish with some coriander. Add the fresh warm naans and Enjoy!

All images, Ⓒ Pexels / Recipe researched and created by Nazifa Miah

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