Chicken Tikka Masala // Vegetarian Tikka Masala

Served with Rice, Naan, and dipping Chutneys

One Potato recipes come with an Instacart link to pre-fill your grocery cart with all the ingredients you need to make that recipe, saving you time at the grocery store. Free Subscribers can read the full first recipe of the month, plus the first Special of the month. Paid Subscriptions cost $5/month or $45/year and you receive access to the full recipe every Thursday, the archive of recipes + Sauce library, and all One Potato Specials Sunday articles + more Features as we grow.

---

Before we dive into today’s recipe, we want to remind you to send us your Tiny Food Stories! For Thanksgiving, the holiday season - whatever you celebrate - and year round events such as birthdays and anniversaries, we want to publish a collection of Tiny Food Stories for and from our One Potato community. Click this link to read our post to learn more, or Click Here to submit your story directly. We can’t wait to start compiling and sharing with our community.

And now . . . to this week’s yummy recipe.

Tikka masala sauce combines warm spices like cumin, coriander, and turmeric with creamy tomato and yogurt, creating a rich, velvety base that’s both earthy and tangy.

A touch of ginger, garlic, and garam masala adds depth, bringing aromatic heat and a hint of sweetness that balance perfectly. For a vegetarian twist, you can swap the chicken with cauliflower and chickpeas, or paneer cheese for a paneer tikka masala dish. Stir-fried with a touch of oil and paired with tender spinach, the cauliflower and chickpeas soak up all the delicious flavors of the sauce, making it just as comforting and filling.

Serve this dish with your favorite chutneys—whether it’s a refreshing cilantro mint chutney, tangy tamarind, or sweet and mild mango chutney, the choice is yours. Store-bought chutneys offer mild to medium options, letting each family member choose the spice level to suit different palates. 

To save time, use your favorite store-bought Tikka Masala sauce - it’s a win-win.

If you’re following our November Cook’s Calendar, this is an easy weeknight dish you’ll be cooking multiple times - meaning you’ll want to stock up with Tikka Masala sauce on hand:

Masala Mamma Tikka Masala Simmer Sauce (2-pack - Organic, no added sugar)

Patak’s Tikka Masala Simmer Sauce (3-pack - GF, Vegetarian)

Brooklyn Delhi Tikka Masala Simmer Sauce (Single - Vegan, Dairy-free)

Sharwood’s Tikka Masala Curry Sauce (3-pack)

Tamarind Chutney

Mango Chutney

Mint Chutney

Want more veggies? Tikka masala is strictly a simmer sauce, meaning that a true tikka masala recipe is protein that is seared, and then simmered in the sauce. If you would like to add more vegetables, you can add cauliflower and English peas to this recipe to increase the vegetable content in the meal. You’ll want to add these to the pot when the meat is simmering in the sauce.

—> Behind the Paywall: Meal Prep & Time Savers, Make Extra, & Pro Tips for cooking up this recipe. Then, read the Full Tikka Masala recipe plus a quick link to pre-filled Instacart groceries and a printable shopping list…