Creamy Chicken Tikka Masala
⏲ ~32 min total · prep 18 · cook 14 · 4 servings
Lunch⏱ 75 min total🔥 8.0g net carbs⚡ ≈501 kcal/serving~7% of calories from carbs
By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor
Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
- 3/4 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 4 cloves garlic, divided
- 2 tbsp garam masala, divided
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder (or 1/2 tsp cayenne)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 (15-oz) can tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Whisk the yogurt, ginger, 2 of the garlic cloves (grated), 1 tbsp garam masala, the turmeric, and 1 1/2 tsp salt; coat the chicken and marinate 30 minutes on the counter or up to overnight refrigerated.
- Position a rack 6 inches from the broiler and heat it on high. Spread the chicken in a single layer on a foil-lined rimmed sheet and broil 10-12 minutes, turning once, until the edges char and the pieces read 165°F inside.
- Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium; cook the onion 5 minutes until translucent, then add the remaining garlic, minced, for 30 seconds.
- Add the remaining 1 tbsp garam masala and the chili powder; toast 30 seconds until fragrant, then pour in the tomato sauce and simmer 5 minutes, until it darkens and thickens slightly.
- Stir in the cream and simmer 2 minutes to a pale orange gravy.
- Fold in the charred chicken with all its sheet-pan juices and simmer 3-4 minutes so the flavors marry; finish with the cilantro.
Why this recipe works
- The broiler makes the char Most keto versions of this curry skip the char and end up with gray chicken floating in orange sauce. Broiling the marinated pieces six inches from the element fixes that in about twelve minutes, and the sheet-pan juices go back into the gravy.
- Yogurt does the tenderizing Whole-milk yogurt carries the ginger, garlic, and garam masala onto every surface and keeps the thighs from drying under the broiler. Thirty minutes is enough; overnight is better.
- A sauce built in stages Onion first, then bloomed spices, then tomato sauce until it darkens, then cream for a two-minute simmer. Each step layers onto the last, which is how a seventy-five minute recipe tastes longer.
Tips for making this recipe well
Give the marinade time
Half an hour on the counter is the minimum. Overnight in the fridge turns the spice coating into something closer to a brine, and the difference shows at the table.
Single layer, no crowding
Pieces touching each other steam instead of charring. Use two sheets if needed; the foil lining means the baked-on yogurt lifts away with it afterward.
Watch the spice toast
Thirty seconds in the butter is all the garam masala needs. It goes from fragrant to bitter fast, so have the tomato sauce open and ready to pour.
Cream last, briefly
Two minutes of simmering turns it into a pale orange gravy. Much longer and it reduces past spooning consistency.
Check with a thermometer
The pieces should read 165°F at the center when they come off the broiler. The edges should show some char; that darkness is the point of the whole step.
Serving suggestions
Fold the charred chicken into the gravy with every drop of the sheet-pan juices, simmer three to four minutes so the flavors marry, and finish with the cilantro. A serving comes to 8 net carbs, and the seventy-five minutes includes a thirty-minute marinade, so the active work is shorter than the headline suggests. Spoon it over cauliflower rice or eat it straight from a bowl. The sauce at the bottom of the dish is the part people chase, so pour the extra generously.
Storage and meal prep
The curry keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge and thickens noticeably as it chills, which is the cream doing what cream does in the cold. Loosen it with a splash of water or cream and warm it gently, stirring, until it flows again. It freezes for 2 to 3 months, though cream sauces can look slightly broken after thawing. A few minutes of whisking over low heat brings it back together, and the thighs stay tender through the reheat in a way breast never would.
Variations worth trying
- Cayenne instead Half a teaspoon of cayenne replaces the Kashmiri chili when you cannot find it. The color loses its red glow but the heat lands in the same place.
- Breast meat It works, with a shorter broil and a thermometer. Pull the pieces at 165°F immediately, since breast has no fat to protect it from a second of extra heat.
- Overnight marinade Coat the chicken in the morning and refrigerate all day. The spices penetrate deeper and the char comes faster under the broiler.
- Extra gravy Add another half cup of cream and a pinch more salt after tasting. The sauce stretches over more rice without losing its color.
Frequently asked questions
Can I skip the broiler and use a grill?
Yes, and it is a fair trade. Grill the marinated pieces hot and fast until they read 165°F inside, then carry them into the sauce with their juices as the method describes.
How spicy is the finished curry?
Gently warm rather than hot. Kashmiri chili brings color more than fire, and the cream rounds what little heat there is. The cayenne substitution runs sharper, so start with a quarter teaspoon.
Can I use low-fat yogurt?
Whole-milk yogurt is worth finding here. Lower-fat versions carry more water, which thins the marinade and steams the chicken instead of helping it brown.
Why marinate at room temperature?
Thirty minutes on the counter takes the chill off the thighs so they broil evenly. Past that window, or for any longer marinating, the fridge is the right place for the bowl.
My sauce is too thick the next day. What now?
Chilled cream sauces set firm, so this is normal. Warm it slowly with a splash of water or cream and it loosens back to gravy consistency in a couple of minutes.
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