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In today’s post I wanted to share with you the recipe for my ‘AIP Chicken Tikka Masala’ which forms one of the meals in the ebook ‘30 Minute AIP Meals‘. In the ebook I have paired it with cauliflower pilaf and both the tikka masala and the pilaf come together in 30 mins!
I have posted a different version of ‘Chicken Tikka Masala’ before where I have used cashew nuts. Since cashew nuts is an AIP reintro that is not allowed on the elimination phase of AIP, I challenged myself to come up with an AIP version for this ebook that could be as delicious!. And to tell you the truth, this AIP version not only came out fabulous but was also so much more quicker to make! My son came home from school one afternoon when I was testing this recipe and I gave it to him to taste even though he wasn’t hungry. He ate the entire bowl and asked me ‘ Mom, why have you not made this before? This is just ‘wow’! ‘
This recipe is a great example of how you do not need a ton of ingredients and spices and a ton of time to make a delicious Indian curry!Do try this recipe and let me know below in the comments how you liked it!
OK now for the recipe of this delicious allergen free (nut free, dairy free, nightshade free and gluten free) Chicken Tikka Masala! You can also check out my other Paleo version of Chicken Tikka masala that I have posted before which includes cashewnuts (AIP reintroduction). This curry goes fabulously with fresh home made cassava rotis/tortillas. Check out my youtube video for making those! You can also make Cauliflower Pilaf has a side with this curry as I have shown in the ebook.
- 1 ½ pounds of boneless chicken thighs
- 4 cloves of garlic
- fresh ginger (2 inches by 1 inch)
- 1 small shallot or ½ of a small red onion
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 fresh lemon
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp coconut oil (1 tbsp for baking and 2 tbsp for cooking the curry)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground mace
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 can 13.5 oz, canned coconut milk (Native Forest Simple Organic Unsweetened recommended)
- Additional ¼ tsp sea salt or as needed
- fresh cilantro and thinly sliced red onions for garnish (optional)
- Cut the chicken thighs into small pieces (about 1.5 inch?by 1 inch). Keep aside.
- Pre-heat oven to 450 deg F.
- Peel the garlic cloves, the ginger and the shallot (or onion). Squeeze the lemon juice from the lemon.
- In a food processor, add the garlic, ginger, shallot (or onion), turmeric, sea salt, the lemon juice and the extra virgin olive oil. Grind to a paste.
- Take 2 tablespoons of this paste (leave the rest of the paste in the food processor) and add it to the chicken pieces and mix well using your hands to coat the pieces well.
- Take a large baking tray and line it with Al foil. Brush the foil with 1 tbsp of the coconut oil. Place the chicken pieces onto the tray and bake at 450 Deg F for 10 mins. Then flip the pieces and again bake for another 5 mins. Remove from oven and keep tray aside covered with foil.
- While the chicken is baking(above step), heat a large frying pan. Add the rest of the coconut oil to the pan. Transfer the remaining marinade paste to the hot pan (you can add a tablespoon of water to get all the paste out of the food processor) and turn heat to medium. Cook for 1 minute and then add the ground cinnamon, ground cloves and ground mace and the coconut milk and stir again. Let the mixture come to a simmer and turn heat to low. Check for salt and add more salt if needed. Turn heat off.
- Finally when the chicken pieces are done cooking(in the oven), add them into the sauce and gently simmer for another two minutes just before serving. Turn heat off and garnish with thinly sliced onions and cilantro leaves (if using).
- Serve the chicken tikka masala warm with cauliflower pilaf or with cassava tortilla/rotis.
If you like this curry, you will definitely love my new cookbook ‘AIP INDIAN FUSION‘!
It has 114 AIP compliant recipes that are inspired by Indian cuisine! Click here for more information and to buy the book!
I wanted to make a really tasty dinner on the first day of following AIP and this absolutely hit the spot! I substituted the chicken for jumbo prawns and added mushrooms. The base curry sauce is so versatile and easy to make that I can see this becoming a AIP staple. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing! So good to hear this! I am so glad you loved this sauce! I bet it tasted great with the prawns!
This curry is SO good. The best I’ve had since going on the AIP but will continue to eat it I’m sure even when I’ve been able to add nightshades back into my diet as I hope to one day. It is SO full of flavour, an absolute delight to eat. Thank you, Indira, very much.
So glad you loved it! Yes a curry does not need nightshades to make it taste good, right? I would love t if you could rate the recipe too so others can easily find it! Thanks so much!
This recipe is very tasty! Thank you so much for taking the time to experiment and then sharing your hard work with us. I’m from Cape Town, South Africa and grew in eating curries, masala steak and breyani. It is those flavours that I’ve been missing the most on AIP. But when I ate this curry with roti (your recipe), I almost burst into tears, I was that happy because of the taste.
Hiya, this looks marvellous. Do you put the chicken back in the oven to finish cooking? For how long?
I tried making the rotis/tortillas, following the directions exactly, with even the same type of cassava flour, but in order for it to be a pliable dough ball, not dry and crumbly, I had to use several more tbsp of water as well as at least double the amount of oil. While cooking, in order for it to not be gooey and still raw in the centre, by the time it was fully cooked through it was crispy and hard like a cracker, not soft and pliable. I didn’t oil the pan, just used a cast iron. Can you give me some tips on how to improve this?
Hi Natalie, I think you should watch my detailed video on making a cassava roti/tortilla. I give a lot of tips there. https://youtu.be/gScak12sjF4
I made this recipe a few months ago and have been day dreaming of it every since so I’m making it again tonight. It’s so good. I’ve made so many AIP recipes that I haven’t enjoyed and I feel bummed because of the time/money wasted. This recipe takes a bit of prep but it’s totally worth it!!!
thanks so much! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
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One of my favorite go to recipes. Love your new cool book too.
I noticed in the ingredients list you have cloves but in the directions you don’t add the cloves. Just an observation. I am trying it today for the first time.
Thanks so much for bringing that to my attention! I will fix it now! And hope you tried the recipe and it came out well for you? lmk!
Do you happen to have the nutrition info for this dish? I’m trying to watch my macros and calories. Thanks!
Hello Robyn
Sorry I don’t have the nutrition plug in here. But you can use Carb manager app to get the macros!
I wanted to say that I made this today, which made me finally realize that I could do AIP and still have tasty curry (that my family will also eat!)
That’s so wonderful! I am so happy to hear that! Good Luck on AIP.
thanks so much for your feedback and for rating the recipe too!
[…] Chicken Tikka Masala from Indu's International Kitchen *This preview recipe from 30 Minute Meals for the Paleo AIP is getting lots of love! […]
Can I use a slow cooker? Would I just throw everything in it and cook for awhile? I made some curries in my installer before and I really like how the chicken cooks…
yes I do make another chicken curry that way! By throwing everything into the instant pot! So sure you can try that with this recipe too! I think it will come out great!