30 Minute Easy & Delicious Chicken Tikka Masala

I picked up this jar of Tikka Masala sauce in the store one day on a whim. It was inexpensive and I really had no idea what to do with it and only a rough understanding of what it was – a curry sauce.

Jarred Tikka Masala sauce – no special ingredients or spices needed!

With this pre-made, jarred sauce, no special spices or ingredients are required!

The other night I decided this was the “something different” (don’t you get tired of the same recipes over and over?) I needed to make for dinner. I had taken 2 large chicken breasts out of the freezer the day before, and salted them to increase flavor. I cut up the meat into bite size (about 1″) pieces, and dredged them in a flour mix of flour, salt, pepper and smoked paprika, about 1/2 tsp each.

Lightly brown the chicken chunks

In some hot duck fat (more flavor!) I sauteed the meat until lightly browned, then pulled it out and set it aside. The chicken was not cooked through at this point. Next I sauteed a roasted red pepper that I charred and peeled, mushrooms and onion together until the onion was softened, and mushrooms slightly browned.

Have the onion, mushrooms and roasted red pepper sliced up
Get all the veggies in the hot pan after the chicken is done

Add the meat back in, pour in the sauce, and add half a jar of water to think it out. Simmered it until the chicken was cooked through, maybe 8-10 minutes.

Let the whole pan simmer for 8-10 minutes

I served it over hot noodles, but I supposed since it’s Indian in nature, white rice would have been more appropriate. In either case, it was delicious! Maybe not traditionally correct, as I have never eaten Tikka Marsala before, but it worked for me!

And something definitely “different” for us to have for dinner. slightly spicy, but not hot, with chicken that was melting-ly tender. And since it made a big skillet full, I had enough not only for dinner, but 2 more lunches for me. I’m betting sliced beef or even shrimp would work as well.

Serve with noodles, or rice, and bread

So good, in fact, that I already put another jar in my online shopping cart for my next order. The next time you stock the pantry, grab a jar. It makes a meal in 30 minutes or less! the jar of sauce was less than $3 at my store, and the chicken breast was from my freezer, which I buy in the family size discount packages. So really very budget friendly considering I got 6-7 servings from it!

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Easy Chicken Tikka Masala

Using jarred Tikka Masala sauce puts this easy chicken dish on the table in half an hour.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Keyword tikka masala
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 15-16 oz jar of tikka masala sauce
  • 2 chicken breasts, cut in 1" chunks boneless, skinless
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 sweet red pepper, roasted with skin removed, sliced or 1 jarred pepper
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 1 8 oz container mushrooms, sliced button, or cremini
  • 2-3 tbsp duck fat, olive oil or bacon grease
  • water
  • cooked rice or noodles

Instructions

  1. Wash and slice vegetables if not already done; cut up chicken into bite size pieces

  2. Mix the flour and spices, and dredge the chicken. Super easy – put the flour in a bag and add a few pieces of chicken, then shake.

  3. Heat the oil or your choice of fat until shimmering and add the chicken. Saute and turn pieces just until lightly browned.

  4. Remove chicken as it browns.

  5. After all the chicken is sauteed, add the mushrooms and let saute a couple minutes, then add the onions. When onions have softened stir in the red pepper slices.

  6. Pour in the jar of sauce, and then add water to fill jar halfway, shake, and add to the pan with the sauce.

  7. Stir to combine, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes.

  8. Serve hotover the rice or noodles, with crusty bread or naan.