Tikka Masala Roast Chicken
This tikka masala roast chicken is marinated with tikka spices, slow roasted until perfectly cooked then glazed with homemade tikka masala paste to finish!
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This dish combines a whole roasted chicken with a classic chicken tikka masala! Here, a whole chicken is marinated with tikka masala spices then slow roasted until the meat is juicy & tender. To give this roast chicken that classic tikka masala finish & flavour, we’re going to be glazing it with homemade tikka masala paste at the end, as well as a blast of high heat to give the crust plenty of char. A sprinkle of toasted cashews & chopped coriander finished this chicken off really nicely!
Not only is this curried roast chicken super easy to make but it also makes a great base for an easy midweek dinner! I served mine with my coconut & lime baked rice, a smashed cucumber & cashew salad, mango chutney & poppadoms.
For more dinner recipes to try, take a look at our collection of main course recipes! There’s loads of really good dinners to make, from easy midweek meals to impressive weekend dinners.
What You’ll Need
- Large Chicken – This recipes uses a 2kg whole chicken, which will generously feed 4 people.
- Tikka Masala Marinade – We’re marinating our chicken with tikka masala spices before cooking it! This is made with cumin & coriander seeds, garam masala, turmeric, paprika & veg oil.
- Tikka Masala Paste – To glaze the roast chicken, you can either use a homemade tikka masala paste or use a ready made one. The recipe for the homemade curry paste is included in the recipe card & makes around 100 grams of paste.
- To Stuff The Cavity – To further enhance the tikka masala flavours, we’re stuffing the chicken’s cavity with fresh ginger, garlic & lemon.
How To Make Tikka Masala Roast Chicken
This dish combines 2 classic chicken dishes; a whole roasted chicken and a chicken tikka masala! Here, we’re marinating a whole chicken with tikka masala spices, stuffing the cavity with fresh ginger, lemon & garlic then roasting until perfectly cooked. To glaze the chicken, we’re going to be brushing it with a homemade tikka masala paste towards the end of the cook then giving it a quick blast of high heat, to char it nicely.
Tikka Masala Marinade
So a classic tikka masala is made with cumin, coriander, garam masala, turmeric & smoked paprika, which is also what we’re going to be making our marinade with. There’s fresh ginger, garlic & lemon in a tikka masala as well but we’ll be stuffing these inside the chicken’s cavity!
To make the tikka masala marinade, we toast cumin & coriander seeds until fragrant then crush them into a coarse powder using a pestle & mortar. Then we add in garam masala, turmeric, smoked paprika & enough vegetable oil to make a paste. Then the marinade can be spooned over the chicken & massaged into the skin, before being left in the fridge for at least an hour.
Tikka Masala Paste
This homemade tikka masala paste takes around 30 minutes to make, so it can either be made several days in advance & stored in the fridge or you can make it whilst your chicken is roasting.
To make our homemade curry paste, we fry sliced onion until soft then stir in grated garlic, classic tikka masala spices (the same as the marinade plus some chilli powder) & tomato paste. Once the spices & tomato have been cooked out, we let the onions cool slightly then blend them into a paste with lemon juice & veg oil.
Roasted Chicken
Before roasting our chicken, we’re going to be stuffing its’ cavity with fresh ginger, lemon & a bulb of garlic. To prep, we cut the bulb of garlic in half & thickly slice the lemon & ginger (there’s no need to peel!).
Cooking this chicken can be broken down into 2 stages. First, a slow roast to bring the meat up to temperature then a blast of high heat at the end to crisp up the skin & to glaze.
Slow Roasting
To slow roast our chicken, we place it onto a rack set inside a roasting tin then cook in an oven that has been preheated to 160°c/320°f until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 65°c/150°f. This will take around 1-1½ hours but start checking the chicken after 1 hour.
Probe the chicken in the thickest part of the breasts & thighs.
Glazing
Once the chicken is up to temperature, we take it out of the oven then increase the temperature to 220°c/428°f. Next, we brush the chicken with the tikka masala paste then continue cooking until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 73°c/163°f & the skin & glaze are a deep golden brown.
Once the chicken has rested, the internal temperature will have reached a temperature of 75°c/167°f, which is when chicken is fully cooked. Cooking chicken this way avoids drying out the meat!
Resting & Carving
Now that our roast chicken is cooked, we need to let it rest for 30 minutes, loosely covered in foil. To carve, we cut the legs off at the thigh joint, remove the wings then cut the breasts off the bone. Then to serve, we place the chicken onto a plate, spoon over any resting juices then top with toasted & chopped cashews & finely chopped coriander.
Tips & Tricks
- For the best quality chicken, buy one from your local butcher!
- For maximum flavour, marinate your chicken for at least an hour before cooking.
- To avoid overcooking the chicken, use a digital food probe to check the internal temperature of the meat.
- Let your roast chicken rest for 30 minutes before carving. This ensures juicy & tender meat!
Frequently Asked Questions
To give your chicken the best flavour, it’s best let it marinate it for at least an hour or for up to a day in the fridge.
Once cooked, the tikka masala roast chicken will be a deep golden brown all over & the internal temperature of the meat will be at least 75°c/165°f. Make sure to take the internal temperature in the thickest part of the meat. With a whole chicken, this would be in the thickest part of both the breast & thigh.
Yes, if you’d prefer you can use a ready made tikka masala paste to glaze your chicken instead of using a homemade one. You’ll need 100 grams of tikka masala paste for this recipe.
Whole roasted chickens should be allowed to rest for at least 20-30 minutes before being carved, as this lets the juices redistributes throughout the meat, keeping it moist.
Equipment Used
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More Dinner Recipes To Try!
- Foolproof Roast Chicken (Slow Roasted)
- Butter Chicken
- Goose Fat Jacket Potatoes
- Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs With Garlic & Herbs
- Black Garlic Hanger Steaks
- Coq au Vin
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Tikka Masala Roast Chicken
Equipment
- Large Roasting Tray
- Digital Food Probe
- Pestle & Mortar
- Blender
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
- 2 kg Whole Chicken (See Notes)
Marinade
- 2 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 tsp Coriander Seeds
- 2 tsp Garam Masala
- 2 tsp Fine Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
To Stuff The Cavity
- 1 Bulb Of Garlic
- 1 Lemon
- A 2" Piece Of Fresh Ginger
Tikka Masala Paste
- 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 Brown Onion (Thinly Sliced)
- 2 Garlic Cloves (Sliced)
- ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
- ½ tsp Coriander Seeds
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
- ½ tsp Ground Ginger
- ¼ tsp Turmeric
- A Pinch Of Chilli Powder
- 1 tsp Tomato Paste
- 1 tsbp Lemon Juice
Toppings
- 50 g Cashews (Toasted & Roughly Chopped – See Notes)
- 1 tbsp Finely Chopped Coriander
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry then place into a large container. Make sure that the cavity is empty! If the chicken is trussed, untie it as well.
Marinade
- Add the cumin & coriander seeds into a small frying pan then cook over a medium heat until toasted & fragrant. This will only take a minute or so.
- Transfer the toasted seeds into a pestle & mortar then grind into a coarse powder. Add in the remaining marinade ingredients then stir to combine.
- Next, spoon the marinade all over the chicken then massage it into the skin (a pair of food safe gloves comes in handy here!) then leave to marinade in the fridge for at least an hour.
Slow Roasting
- Place the chicken onto a rack set inside a roasting tin then leave to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat an oven to 160°c/140°c fan (320°f/284°f).
- Next, cut the bulb of garlic in half and thickly slice the lemon & ginger. Stuff all of this into the chicken's cavity.There's no need to peel the ginger!
- Place the chicken into the preheated oven then cook until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 65°c/150°f. This will take around 1-1½ hours. Start checking the chicken after 1 hour.Probe the chicken in the thickest part of the breasts & thighs.
Tikka Masala Paste – Make This Whilst The Chicken Is Cooking!
- Add 1 tbsp of the veg oil into a medium saucepan, set over a medium heat then add in the sliced onion & a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring regularly until the onions are soft & translucent. This will take at least 10 minutes.
- Once the onions are cooked, add in the sliced garlic then cook for another minute.
- Next, stir in the seeds & dried spices, cook out for a minute then stir in the tomato paste. Cook out for another minute then transfer the onions to a bowl & leave to cool slightly.If the onions have started to stick to the bottom of the pan, deglaze it with 2 teaspoons of water.
- Once the onions have cooled slightly, blend them into a smooth paste with the lemon juice & the remaining 2 tablespoons of veg oil. Set this aside for now.I used a Nutribullet to blend my onions but any sort of blender will work!
Glazing
- Once the chicken is up to temperature, take it out of the oven then turn the oven up to 220°c/428°f.
- Brush the chicken all over with the tikka masala paste then continue cooking until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 73°c/163°f & the skin & glaze are a deep golden brown.Chicken is fully cooked when it reaches 75°c/167°f but to avoid drying the meat out, we take it out of the oven a few degrees lower than this then let the chicken rest. The internal temperature will rise to 75°c/167°f as the chicken rests.
- Once cooked, loosely cover the chicken with foil & leave to rest for 30 minutes before carving.
- To carve, cut the legs off at the thigh joint, remove the wings & cut the breast meat off the bone (either in slices or as whole breasts). Then to serve, place the chicken onto a large plate then, drizzle over any resting juices then top with the toasted cashews & chopped coriander.
