This tandoori chicken curry is so much quicker to make (just 30 minutes of cooking time) than the traditional version. With a rich tomato-based curry and not much effort, this quick weeknight dinner idea is dairy-free as well. Make a quick kachumbar salad and white or cauliflower rice and enjoy a high-protein, low-carb South Asian meal!
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This curry came about quite by accident, actually. In the early days of my coaching career, I used to host a popular workshop that showed people how to cook healthy South Asian cuisine. I needed a recipe that was quick, easy, and flavorful. It had to be something people recognised, like chicken tikka masala, and tasted authentic too! And voila! This tandoori chicken curry was born.
There’s no browning of onions involved, YES! IYKYK! Instead of peeling and pureeing tomatoes, we take a shortcut to achieve the same rich and thick curry signature of chicken tikka masala. And you don’t need to grill the chicken either!
The curry was such a hit that it wasn’t long before I was creating more quick and easy weeknight dinner recipes like this beef keema recipe.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
⏲️Ready In: 40 minutes
👪Serves: 5
🍽 Calories and Protein: 361 kcal, 36 g
📋 Main Ingredients: Chicken, tomato sauce, coconut milk/half-and-half milk
📖 Dietary Notes: Dairy-free
⭐ Why You’ll Love It: This recipe is inspired by Chicken Tikka Masala. Traditional chicken tikka masala is labor-intensive and time-consuming, but with my shortcuts, this will be your new favorite quick, easy weeknight Indian dinner recipe!
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“Thank you so much for this delicious and easy recipe. It has become our go to week-night meal.” Asia
Tandoori Chicken Curry Ingredient Notes
Chicken: I often use chicken tenders or thighs, cubed into bite-sized pieces, which are best because they are juicier than breast meat and cook more quickly than bone-in meat.
Ginger and Garlic: Both can be used minced or as a paste. If you have this prepped ahead of time, the process will be much faster.
Spices: Red chili powder, turmeric, my homemade tandoori masala, and salt.
Tomato sauce: This is not ketchup but more like strained tomato puree. Also referred to as passata.
Coconut milk: Since we have skipped the onion, which is what gives most South Asian curries more structure and sauciness, we substitute it with coconut milk. The best thing is that you can’t even taste the coconut!
I use the Thai Kitchen brand as I have found it to be the best in quality and consistency.
Variations
- If you don’t avoid dairy, use an equal amount of half-and-half milk (a product that’s half milk and half cream, available here in the U.S.) in place of the coconut milk.
How to Make Tandoori Chicken Curry
The pictures below were taken using half-and-half instead of coconut milk, which is why the curry looks lighter. The picture above, however, is taken using coconut milk.
Step 1: Cube the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces, about 1 inch, and dry them of any moisture. Place in a bowl.
Add the dry spices and toss to coat all of the pieces. Set the bowl aside.
Step 2: Next, heat the oil in a wok or cast-iron pan and, once shimmering, add the chicken pieces in one layer, making sure not to crowd the pan so as to get a good sear on the chicken.
Step 3: Take the chicken out and place it in a bowl. In the same pan, add the ginger and garlic. Stir until aromatic, then add the tomato sauce/passata and the milk. Stir to combine.
Step 4: Add the chicken back into the pan and stir to combine everything. Lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pan. Let the chicken cook for 10 minutes.
Step 6: After 10 minutes, uncover the pan, increase the heat to medium-high, and let some of the moisture dry out. Once the oil rises to the top, garnish with cilantro and enjoy!
Pro Tips
- This recipe comes together fast because there is no marination involved. Because the chicken is cut into bite-sized pieces, it will cook faster, too. You could marinate it if you wanted to, but I feel chicken thighs are a juicier cut of meat, so marinating can be skipped for the sake of time.
- Although I have made this recipe in stainless steel and enameled ceramic pans, I find that the best pan to cook it in is the enameled cast iron, as it heats up quickly and helps achieve a good sear on the chicken.
- If you use a cast-iron pan, it is easier to pop it straight from the stovetop to the oven to broil for some extra charring on the chicken, if desired.
Tandoori Chicken Curry FAQs
Tandoori comes from the word tandoor, which refers to a clay oven used in traditional South Asian cooking. Hence, tandoori means baked. Tikka, on the other hand, means “chunk” or “pieces”.
And while tandoori chicken is prepared much like chicken tikka, with a yogurt-and-spice marinade, and is often one and the same, in Pakistani and Indian restaurants, the tikka is often cooked on an outdoor charcoal grill.
Of course! Puree 3 small tomatoes and use the puree instead. The consistency will be more watery, and the color may vary slightly; however, you can always dry it out by cooking it on high heat, like in this easy chicken kofta curry.
While tandoori chicken is often marinated in yogurt and spices, I have opted to skip the yogurt to keep it dairy-free. However, if you want, you can use half-and-half (1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup cream) in place of coconut milk for the curry.
Yes, absolutely! Let the tandoori chicken curry cool to room temperature, portion it out so you only thaw as much as you need, and store it in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Once ready to eat, defrost overnight in the fridge or on the countertop. Heat on the stovetop until heated through. Discard any leftovers.
What to Serve With Tandoori Chicken Curry
Traditionally, tandoori chicken is served with naan (a wheat-based flatbread), but since we keep things gluten-free around here, white, brown, or cauliflower rice would be great alternatives.
More Pakistani Curry Recipes
If you tried this Tandoori Chicken Curry or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments. I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to get more deliciousness straight to your inbox!
Tandoori Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ghee or neutral oil. I use avocado oil
- 2 lbs. chicken tenders or boneless skinless thighs cubed into 1 " pieces
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1 teaspoons ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon tandoori masala * See note
- 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce * See note
- 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons Himalayan pink salt or to taste
- 1 cup coconut milk or 1/2 cup half and half
Instructions
- Dry the chicken pieces of any moisture and place in a medium bowl. Add the spices and toss to combine. Set aside.
- On medium-high heat, add ghee/oil to a large wok or cast iron pan and once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken pieces in a single layer and do not crowd the pan so that we can get a good sear. Let the chicken cook undisturbed for 3 minutes and then flip on the other side and let cook for another 2 minutes. Do this in batches if your pan is not big enough.
- Take the chicken out into a bowl and in the same pan, add the ginger and garlic and stir till aromatic, about 30 seconds. Next, add the tomato sauce and the milk. Stir to combine and then add the chicken back into the pan.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pan and let cook for about 10 minutes. This will give the chicken and the curry to meld flavors. Once the oil has risen to the top, the chicken is ready to eat!
- Garnish with chopped cilantro, a drizzle of lime/lemon juice. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can substitute the ghee with neutral oil like avocado oil, and even split half ghee and half avocado oil.
- Make a batch of my Easy Tandoori Masala. If you do use store-bought masala, check whether yours contains additional salt and adjust accordingly.
- In the U.S., tomato sauce refers to a puree rather than ketchup. It is also called passata.
Sally says
Nice recipe, easy to do, lifesaver for me this evening, thank you 🙏
Zeeshan says
Thanks for your review:)
Elizabeth Rhodes says
This was a quick and simple dish – next time I plan to add some fresh veggies! Delicious!!
Zeeshan says
So glad you enjoyed Elizabeth. Thanks for leaving a review!
Asia says
Thank you so much for this delicious and easy recipe. It has become our go to week-night meal.
Zeeshan says
I’m so happy Asia! Thank you for leaving a review!
Kanwal says
Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe. Can we substitute store bought canned tomato sauce with homemade tomato purée?
Zeeshan says
Thank you and Ofcourse! The consistency and color may vary slightly but you can always dry it out some more