Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast for tikka masala?

Yes! Chicken thighs are actually the traditional choice for tikka masala because they're more forgiving at high heat. You'll get a slightly richer result, but less protein. For this high protein version I used chicken breast, but thighs work great with the exact same method.

Do I have to blend the sauce in this tikka masala recipe?

You don't have to, but it makes a big difference in texture and the flavors more even. Blending gives you that smooth, velvety sauce you expect from a good tikka masala. If you skip it, the sauce will be chunkier but still tastes great.

Can I make this meal prep friendly?

Absolutely - that's one of the best things about this recipe! The curry keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days. Store the chicken tikka masala and rice together in meal prep containers (or separately if you prefer). It reheats really well on the stovetop or in the microwave. My Thai-Style Basil Ground Turkey Bowls are another meal prep go-to if you want to rotate something different into your week.

Gluten Free Chicken Tikka Masala for Meal Prep (50g+ Protein!)

Description

High protein chicken tikka masala made with chicken breast and Greek yogurt. Gluten free, meal prep friendly, and over 50g protein per serving!

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Chicken:

2 pounds chicken breast
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, full fat
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced (about 2 inch piece ginger)
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice

For the Curry Sauce Spices:

1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cayenne or kashmiri chili powder

For the Curry Sauce:

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced (about 2 1/2 inch piece ginger)
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 - 15 ounce cans tomato sauce (about 3 1/2 cups)
2 cups water
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, full fat
1/2 cup 2% milk or cream

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Instructions

Prep chicken and make marinade. Cut the chicken breast into 2” pieces and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, garlic, ginger, garam masala, salt, cumin, coriander, paprika, chili powder, black pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice, stirring until fully combined into a paste.
Marinate chicken. Add the chicken to the bowl and stir until each piece is coated in yogurt mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
Prepare curry sauce spices. In a medium bowl, combine paprika, garam masala, turmeric, coriander, cumin, cardamom, and kashmiri chili powder. Set aside until ready to make the tikka masala.
Sear chicken. When ready to make the tikka masala, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a deep pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the marinated chicken and cook for 1-2 minutes before flipping and searing another 1 minute. Be careful not to overcrowd the pot; cook the chicken in 2-3 batches and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil if necessary. Remove seared chicken to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
Sauté aromatics. In the same pot (no need to wipe it out), reduce heat slightly and add 2 tablespoons of butter and the onion. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, until the onions have softened and turned somewhat transparent. Add the salt, ginger, and garlic, cooking for another 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
Cook curry sauce. Add the prepared curry sauce spices, stirring with a spatula to coat everything in spices. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until very fragrant. Pour in the tomato sauce and water and stir until fully combined. Cover the pot and let the mixture simmer for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes to make sure the vegetables don’t burn on the bottom.
Blend sauce. To blend the curry sauce, you can either carefully transfer the hot sauce to a heat-safe blender and blend until smooth or use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. You’ll likely get a smoother sauce with a heat-safe countertop blender, but make sure your blender is heat safe before using!
Simmer chicken. Add the blended sauce back to the pot if necessary. Add chicken to the curry and stir. Let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through. Stir in Greek yogurt and milk, simmering for another 2 minutes or so to heat through.
Serve or store. Divide the curry and rice between 5 bowls. Garnish each bowl with parsley and extra yogurt and serve. Leftover curry and rice will keep in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

Typically, you’ll find tikka masala recipes that use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast. Chicken thighs are definitely more forgiving, but to keep this as high protein as possible I went with chicken breast and opted to keep the sauce a little more rich using butter and full fat Greek yogurt. That said, you can definitely use chicken thighs if you’d like!

Tikka masala recipes often call for searing the chicken until it’s charred, which is part of the reason you’d use chicken thighs as opposed to chicken breast; chicken breast can easily get tough and stringy. So, I seared the chicken thighs here but didn’t cook it at high enough heat or long enough to char it, instead finishing cooking through the simmer.

If you can, use kashmiri chili powder. I found some at my local ethnic grocery store. It has a pretty unique flavor that comes through the curry!

The first time I made chicken tikka masala, I made my own garam masala spice blend by toasting and grinding down whole spices. While this does indeed create an amazing garam masala that I was able to use for several batches, I didn’t want this recipe to become too over-complicated. If you want to make your own garam masala, great! Otherwise, a store-bought blend works fine. Garam masala spice blends are all a little different, although most will have at least cumin, green cardamom, cinnamon, and coriander. Personally, I’d opt for a blend that incorporates a few more spices, like black pepper, clove, and black cardamom.