On my last blog {mattawamum} I created a post for Bombay House’s Chicken Tikka Masala, which was by far my most popular recipe. I recently read through the comments section, and someone mentioned that Bombay House was confirmed to use fenugreek, a herb commonly used in Indian cooking that I had never heard of before. Since I am a huge perfectionist, and get bored really easily, I thought I would change up this recipe, in hopes to improve it. My husband’s motto in life is: “why mess with a good thing?” Which is scary, because this Bombay House Chicken Tikka Masala is one of his all time fave’s, but that’s why he needs me… because I like to mess with good things, and make them GREAT!
So I ordered some Methi Powder on Amazon, which is ground up fenugreek seeds (I wanted to keep the masala smooth), then added a little more garam masala and tomato paste, and boom! I think I got a pretty legit Bombay House Chicken Tikka Masala recipe! Thank you awesome internet stranger for your brilliant advice. It really was just what the recipe needed.
That, and a few new and improved photos to make you want to eat some right now!
New & Improved Bombay House Chicken Tikka Masala
Serves: 4-6
Prep Time: 2 hrs (marinade)
Cook Time: 20 mins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Lbs chicken breast, chopped into bite size pieces
(Marinade) - 1 cup plain yoghurt
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp red pepper
- 2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp methi powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground ginger
(sauce) - 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeño, minced
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp Methi powder
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 can (14.5oz) tomato sauce
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1-2 c heavy whipping cream
Instructions
1. Cut the chicken into 1 inch cubes.
2. Put the chicken in a dish or large ziploc bag, and add all of the marinade ingredients. Put in the fridge for 1-2 hours then discard the marinade.
3. Grill or cook the chicken in a high sided skillet about 5 minutes per side, or until no longer pink inside.
4. Melt the butter over medium heat. Add garlic and jalapeño and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala, methi powder and salt. Stir to combine
6. Stir in tomato sauce and paste and simmer for 15 minutes until thickened
7. Add the cooked chicken to the sauce and stir in the cream according to desired heat: 1 cup for hot-medium, 2 cups for medium-mild.
Notes
Serve with white rice, naan and mango chutney and garnish with fresh cilantro.
I am so glad I messed with this good thing, and the husband was too! Let me know in the comments below if you can taste the difference with the added methi and garam masala, and make sure to check back soon, because I plan on improving and adding lots more Bombay House inspired recipes!
<3 Sarah
Can’t wait to try this tonight!!
Yay! My first taste tester. You’re awesome XO
I love adding steamed cauliflower and carrots and frozen peas to my tikka masala – it isn’t the same without the veggies. Can’t wait to try your recipe.
Hey Tiffany! Thanks for your comment, great idea! Soon I need to post some Indian vegetable side dishes like Bombay Potatoes, Saag Aloo/Paneer, Channa Masala, etc. It’s so nice to serve Indian food family style like in a restaurant, it’s just so hard to cook it all at once, so adding the veggies in is genius!
Hi Sarah,
The stars must have aligned tonight because somehow I stumbled on your page and now I’m eagerly awaiting a delivery from amazon for methi powder! Cannot wait to try this recipe!! Thank you for the inspiration on this cold night in Colorado!!
Perfect timing, you are so welcome! Could you taste the difference with the Methi?
You, dear woman, are a SAINT! Bombay House is my favorite restaurant in the ENTIRE WORLD! We live in North Carolina now and I can’t tell you how often I crave it. I’ve tried other recipes and nothing comes close. And don’t worry, I went there so often when i was single and then with my husband that the waiters all knew me by name and one of them always brought us free ice cream. He even gave us a wedding present. Seriously so so excited to try this.
Amelia, It is SO nice to hear we’re not the only ones they knew by name! Love that someone else loves that place, and these recipes as much as I do! I am working on updating my Korma right now, but I plan to add many more!!!
Question – the tomato puree is it 80 ounces or 8 ounces?
I just wanted to clarify, the instructions mention tomato paste but the ingredient list says tomato purée. Which one should be used? And 80z means 8 oz, correct? I’m so excited to make this!
Thanks for picking up on those errors! I use an 8 ounce can of tomato paste! I have corrected it to be clear.
I have a question .. I’m going to make this for my mother for mother’s day and I wanted to make sure that I was going to make it correctly. The recipe states “1 can tomato puree (80z)” … now is that 80 oz or 8 oz … and is it tomato puree or tomato paste because the recipe states “Stir in tomato sauce and paste” … I just don’t want to make it wrong. Thanks!!
Your original recipe was great, I made it many times, however the new recipe calls for tomato paste which the old did not. I followed the new recipe tonight and it tasted way way to much like tomato. Was the tomato paste a mistake? Or did you intend to change that?
If you don’t like the tomato paste, then add less or leave it out, but I think with the added spices and methi, it balances it out and makes the sauce thicker too, so I personally like it.
What kind of Mango Churney do you use?
I like Sharwood’s Green label Mango Chutney https://www.amazon.com/Sharwoods-Green-Label-Mango-Chutney/dp/B003AU9AI0/ref=sr_1_19_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1507220925&sr=8-19&keywords=mango+chutney
And I also like Crosse and Blackwell which is easier to find in most grocery stores, and does a regular and spicy kind: Crosse & Blackwell Genuine Major Grey’s Chutney, 9 oz
Fabulous!!! Made this tonight and loved it!! I ordered the methi powder a while back and finally got around to making this. Thank you for sharing and tweaking it to be so good!
What brand garam masala do you use?
About how many people does your recipe serve? So excited to give it a go!
That’s a good question. It serves 4 large portions, maybe 6 small!
That’s a good Q. It serves my family of 5! I would say between 4-6 people.
The freezing rain in D.C. makes it so I can’t go to the Indian market tonight, but I’ll head out tomorrow. I’ve been craving this since we moved from Utah 6 months ago and the craving only gets more intense the longer I’m pregnant. The Indian out here is bland, bland and not spicy at all so I’m looking forward to the change in the recipe. Thank you! After I try it out I’ll try to remember to post how it was.
Thank you!! This is just what I’ve been craving and it tastes close enough to Bombay House that I could’ve been fooled if I hadn’t made it myself. Delicious!
Ha. That was me who gave you that advice. I love Indian food and have been cooking it for years now at home with a full complement of spices. -Jason
THANK YOU Jason!
I made this hoping my daughter could eat this hoping that removing the jalapeno would eliminate the spiciness. Any recommendations what I can add to make it less spicy?
Adding cream will milden things up, but if you want it SUPER mild, omit the cayenne powder from both the marinade and the sauce, {as well as the jalapeno} and you should be good.
Oh my gosh! This was delicious! My daughter and I made it for dinner tonight and it was well worth the effort it took. I bought fresh cilantro along with the other ingredients but I completely spaced using it. At what point in the recipe do you add it? It was so yummy I’m going to make it the same way next time anyway. My husband says a touch spicy but we really liked it. Next time I’ll add more cream to his helping. I can’t wait for my leftovers at lunch tomorrow!
I’m so glad you guys liked it! If it’s a touch spicy, omit or reduce the amount of cayenne and that should help! I just use the cilantro as a garnish at the end, sometimes I leave it out too!
Hello!
I’m the guy who mentioned Kasoori Methi. I’m glad you gave it a try all these years later and enjoyed it. I’m going to use your new recipe tonight, and see how it goes. One thing I wanted to say is that the Bombay House uses Kasoori Methi Fenugreek LEAVES. Dried. I’ve never used the powder, so maybe they are the same flavor? But they use the dried leaves. Here is a link to one on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Rani-Fenugreek-Natural-Kasoori-Ingredients/dp/B018PUTG24/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=Methi+leaves&qid=1570388528&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE1WkVOQkdDQUZYOVgmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAyNzAzNTU0NDMzQVAyODVITlImZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDM1OTk0MjNPRDAwQ0VEMENDMUwmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl
That’s a huge link, I’m sorry. you can also just search for Kasoori Methi Leaves.
I’m excited to try this new version of yours. Thanks for sharing.
Jason here again. Last night I posted about the Kasoori Methi.
I cooked the recipe with the following changes:
1. I used Kasoori Methi dried leaves (rubbed together in my hand) instead of Methi Powder.
2. I used chicken thighs instead of breasts. Personal preference.
3. I added one Serano Chili to the Jalapeno.
Everything else was exactly the same and it was just amazing. Used two cups of cream to make it milder, but it was really hot.
This is NOT the same taste as the Bombay. It’s just not. I don’t know how to repeat it completely, but it’s so good it probably doesn’t matter. I fed 7 people last night who RAVED ABOUT IT.
Thanks for compiling the recipe. I about 30 Tikka Masala recipes in my personal home book, and this is definitely one of the absolute best. THE END.
-Jason