Chicken Tikka Masala Meal Prep
Marinated chicken thigh, seared for colour and finished low and slow in a deeply spiced tomato and cream gravy, served with fragrant turmeric rice. This is proper restaurant-style tikka masala, built entirely from scratch.
The chicken only needs colour at the sear stage — it finishes cooking in the simmering gravy, so pushing it too far in the pan just dries it out early. The gravy itself takes real care too: cooking the tomato paste until the oil visibly separates is what clears out the raw, sharp edge, and letting it simmer the full 25 minutes is what builds the deep, spoon-coating richness this dish is known for.
It reheats well from the fridge or freezer — the cream can look a touch separated on the first reheat from frozen, but a good stir brings it straight back together.
Chicken Tikka Masala Meal Prep
CHICKEN · CURRY · MEDIUM
Deep, rich, genuinely restaurant-quality
Searing the chicken for colour only, rather than cooking it through in the pan, means it finishes gently in the gravy — the result is noticeably more tender than chicken that's been fully cooked twice.
Cooking the tomato paste until the oil visibly separates is the marker most home versions skip, and it's the difference between a sharp, raw-tasting sauce and one with real depth.
Letting the gravy simmer the full 25 minutes until it coats a spoon is what gets it to that thick, restaurant-style consistency rather than a thin, watery curry.
Chicken Tikka Masala Meal Prep
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade -
- 1 kg Chicken Thigh, Boneless & Skinless Diced
- 6 Garlic Cloves Grated
- 10 g Ginger Grated
- 8 g Kashmiri Chilli Powder
- 4 g Ground Turmeric
- 4 g Garam Masala
- 130 g Natural Greek Yogurt
- ½ Lemon Juiced
- 15 ml Peanut Oil
- Salt & Pepper
Gravy
- 28 g Ghee Clarified Butter
- 1 Brown (Yellow) Onion Sliced
- 1 Red Bell Pepper (Capsicum) Sliced
- 2 Garlic Cloves Chopped
- 10 g Ginger Jullienned
- 15 g Garam Masala
- 10 g Whole Cumin Seeds
- 10 g Ground Coriander
- 4 g Kashmiri Chilli Powder
- 300 g Tomato Paste
- 4 g Sweet Paprika
- 150 g Natural Greek Yogurt
- 300 ml Chicken Stock
- 200 ml Thickened Cream
- 10 g Coriander (Cilantro) Chopped
- Salt & Pepper
Turmeric Rice -
- 300 g Basmati Rice Washed
- 550 g Chicken Stock
- 6 g Ground Turmeric
- 5 g Coriander (Cilantro) Chopped
- Salt
Method
- Combine the chicken with all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl, stirring to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 48 hours.
- Place a pan over high heat. Add a splash of spray oil and sear the chicken for 2½ minutes on each side, or until golden — working in batches to avoid steaming it. The chicken won't be fully cooked at this stage; this step is for colour only. Remove and set aside.
- For the sauce, heat the ghee in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and capsicum and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring regularly, for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add the spices and cook for 1 minute, stirring well. Add the tomato paste and cook for 4 minutes, or until the oil visibly separates.
- Add the chicken, reserved marinade, and yogurt to the sauce, and cook for 2 minutes at a gentle simmer. Add the stock, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes, or until a thick, deep red gravy has formed that coats a spoon. Add a splash more stock if it reduces too much. Season to taste.
- Add the cream and most of the chopped coriander. Stir through and cook for 2 minutes to heat through. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the remaining coriander.
- Place the rice, chicken stock, and ground turmeric in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the lid on for 4 minutes. Remove the lid, stir through the coriander, and fluff with a fork.
- Serve the curry and rice in 5 x 750ml meal prep containers.
Why is the chicken only seared, not fully cooked, at first?⌄
The sear is just there to build colour and flavour. It finishes cooking through during the 25-minute gravy simmer, which keeps it much more tender than fully cooking it in the pan first.
How do I know the tomato paste is cooked enough?⌄
Watch for the oil visibly separating and pooling around the edges of the paste — that's the sign it's properly cooked out. It usually takes around 4 minutes over medium-high heat.
Why does my sauce look separated after reheating from frozen?⌄
This is normal for a cream-based sauce that's been frozen — it can look a little split on the first reheat. Give it a good stir as it warms through and it'll come back together into a smooth gravy.
Can I freeze this?⌄
Yes — the reheating instructions are built around thawing frozen portions, so it's freezer-friendly. Worth a Cronometer-style check with Jack on the exact fridge and freezer timeframes, since those aren't specified on the card yet.
