Indian Food

Chicken tikka masala (Hindi: चिकन टिक्का मसाला; Urdu: مرغ تکہ مصالحہ) is a curry dish of roasted chicken chunks (tikka) served in a rich-tasting red or orange-coloured sauce. The sauce is usually creamy, lightly spiced and contains tomatoes. Chicken tikka masala has been found the most popular dish in British restaurants and it has been called a "a true British national dish."^[1]

The origins of chicken tikka masala are disputed. An expert on street food declared that the dish originated in Punjab during the last 50 years. Another view is that it originated in the first Indian restaurants in Soho, London, during the 1970s.^[2]. See Origins section for other theories.

Chicken tikka masala is chicken tikka, chunks of chicken marinated in spices and yogurt, that is then baked in a tandoor oven, served in a masala ("mixture of spices") sauce.^[3] There is no standard recipe for chicken tikka masala; However a tomato and coriander sauce is common, a survey found that of 48 different recipes, the only common ingredient was chicken tikka.^[4] The sauce usually includes tomatoes, frequently as puree; cream and/or coconut cream; and various spices. The sauce or chicken pieces (or both) are coloured orange with food dyes or with orange foodstuffs such as turmeric powder, paprika powder or tomato puree.^[5] Other tikka masala dishes replace chicken with lamb, fish or paneer.