Chicken Tikka Masala Casserole
Published 10/8/2018 • Updated 6/18/2024
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This Chicken Tikka Masala Casserole is marinated in Greek yogurt until ultra-tender, making it one of the best chicken casserole recipes around!
Accessible for beginners, this comforting meal has all of the traditional flavors of chicken tikka masala but in yummy casserole form.
You guys have been asking for a Chicken Tikka Masala recipe ever since we came out with our Meal Prep Cauliflower Tikka Masala. We totally understand why! We love tikka masala recipes because they are jam-packed with flavor.
When testing this recipe, we knew that we wanted to do it CASSEROLE style. What’s easier than throwing all of your favorite ingredients into a casserole dish and then having it ready in an hour? Nothing! We even provide a step-by-step breakdown just for you. 🩷
Chicken Tikka Masala Casserole – Star Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast: Our cut of choice for this dish, chicken breast is lean, protein-packed and perfect for absorbing all of those delicious tikka masala flavors.
- Lemon: We used a combination of lemon zest of one lemon and juice in the marinade which helps tenderize the chicken and provides a nice citrusy flavor.
- Nonfat Greek yogurt: A key ingredient for the marinade, Greek yogurt not only adds tanginess and creaminess, but also helps keep the chicken super moist.
- Red potatoes: We roast red potatoes before adding them to the casserole, giving them a nice crispy exterior and soft interior.
- Serrano pepper: Kicks up the heat for this chicken tikka masala bake.
- Tomato sauce: A staple in traditional tikka masala recipes, tomato sauce is the base for the creamy and flavorful sauce in this casserole.
- Full-fat coconut milk: Provides a rich and creamy consistency for the sauce.
- Garam masala: A classic chicken tikka masala spice blend, garam masala adds depth and warmth to the dish.
- Minute rice: We kept it convenient with instant rice, but feel free to use any type of rice you prefer.
Can I switch up the veggies?
Absolutely! We went with red peppers, tomatoes, onions, and a spicy pepper. Feel free to change up the vegetables based on your favorites or what you have in your fridge.
Can I make this baked chicken tikka masala dairy-free?
If you are dairy-free go ahead and skip the yogurt marinade. You can also substitute Greek yogurt for a dairy-free alternative such as coconut or almond milk yogurt.
Our Favorite Delicious Additions to this Chicken Tikka Masala Casserole
Fenugreek: Fenugreek has a nutty and sweet flavor that is in some traditional tikka masala recipes. It can be hard to find, so do a little research before you grocery shop (we found ours at Fresh Thyme’s spice section). It really elevates the flavor of this dish!
Spicy green chili: Swap this with the serrano, or if you really like things hot, add it in addition! We tested it once with a serrano and once with a spicy green chili and both tasted fantastic. Go with your gut and go with whatever spice level you’re most comfortable with.
here are our top tips!
- Mixing all the spices and liquids together before putting them in the casserole helps to combine all the ingredients of the sauce before baking. So don’t skip that part!
- Remember to stir your tikka masala at the 30-minute mark. It’ll be a bit soupy, but don’t worry — you still have 15 minutes to go!
How to Make Chicken Tikka Masala Casserole
We had a lot of fun developing this homemade chicken tikka masala recipe and wanted to bring you along, step-by-step, in the process!
Step 1: Preheat Oven
Preheat the oven to 400ºF and spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.
Step 2: Roast Potatoes
Net, place the red potatoes in the casserole dish with 1/4 cup chicken broth, place in the oven, and roast for 25 minutes.
Step 3: Marinate the Chicken
Next, cut the chicken into 1-inch squares and place it in a medium bowl. Add the marinade ingredients to the bowl and mix well. Let the chicken sit in the marinade for 10 minutes.
Step 4: Prepare the Sauce
While the potatoes are roasting, add tomato sauce, 1 cup chicken broth, coconut milk, ginger, chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until well combined. Set aside.
When potatoes are done roasting, remove the casserole from the oven and turn the oven temperature to 375ºF.
Step 5: Assemble Tikka Masala Casserole
Now add the red pepper, serrano pepper, onion, garlic, minute rice, and marinated chicken to the casserole dish with the roasted red potatoes.
Pour the sauce mixture over the vegetables and chicken. Mix well and cover with aluminum foil.
Step 6: Bake
Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes at 375ºF, stirring after 30 minutes, then place back into the oven.
When done baking, let cool for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!
How to Store and Reheat
If you have any leftovers, this casserole can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat, simply place in a microwave-safe dish and heat until warmed through. You can also reheat it in the oven at 325ºF for about 15 minutes.
Chicken Tikka Masala Casserole
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
- zest of one lemon
- juice of one lemon
- 2 tablespoons nonfat Greek yogurt
Casserole
- 2 cups red potatoes, chopped into 1.5-inch cubes
- 1 serrano pepper, mined
- 1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 1/4 cup chicken broth, separate
- 1 15-oz. can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup white onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, mashed and minced
- 1.5 cups minute rice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF and spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.
- Place red potatoes in the casserole dish with 1/4 cup chicken broth and place in the oven and roast for 25 minutes.
- Next, cut the chicken into 1-inch squares and place it in a medium bowl. Add ingredients for the marinade to the bowl and mix well. Let chicken sit in the marinade for ten minutes.
- While the potatoes are roasting prepare the sauce. Add tomato sauce, 1 cup chicken broth, coconut milk, ginger, chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until well combined. Set aside.
- When potatoes are done roasting remove the casserole from the oven and turn the oven temperature to 375ºF.
- Add the red pepper, serrano pepper, onion, garlic, minute rice, and marinated chicken to the casserole dish with the potatoes.
- Pour the sauce mixture over the vegetables and chicken. Mix well and cover with aluminum foil.
- Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes at 375ºF, stirring at 30 minutes and placing back into the oven.
Tips & Notes
- This recipe was modified and updated on January 28th 2021.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe has a lot of faults. And quite frankly its inedible, I wish I did my homework before making it. I suspect that this is a copy and paste and the op has not even tasted this, if they did they would have adjusted it immediately.
I have loved Tika but it’s been a long time, I had to look up other recipe’s to be sure. This is NOT a Tika Masala by any stretch.
1. There is no way the potatoes or rice will cook in that time, they need to be microwaved for 8 min at 1000w before adding.
2. A Tika has a base flavour of tomato and garam masala, complimented with cumin, corriander ginger and garlic. Your missing ingredients.
3. What gave you the idea that 3 tablespoons (should be teaspoons) of garam masala would taste balanced or even palatable. It overpowers all other flavours except for the chicken and potatoes. Once again it’s not a Tika, is a mush tasting like garam masala.
4. If your going to give advice to multiply people that are saying the food is undercooked don’t tell them to make the portions smaller, provide real advice like pre cook etc… Your lack of knowledge in response is the nail on the coffin that this is a cut and paste, you haven’t eaten this yourself.
Dang I wish have read this before I made it, definitely would have helped. Thank you!
We have also had problems with the rice and potatoes in this recipe. Yes we used Jasmine rice and yes we used red potatoes (cut smaller than you advised); it has still not cooked. 60 minutes was not long enough. We have swapped it now into the slow cooker because we banked on your timeframe but we had to go out. So hopefully it will sort itself whilst we are out
Rice was still hard after an hour. Yes, I stirred half way through and brought the rice from the bottom to the top. I also did my potatoes in 1″ cubes and they were barely done (used red potatoes). Takes way too long to bake during the week. Prep time also took a while. Flavor was pretty good but won’t be making this again.
The flavor of this recipe is great but as with the other readers who left comments my potatoes were not cooked through, nor was the rice cooked evenly. I added extra baking time to accommodate and will be sure to stir super well half way next time. Also – just an FYI – chicken marinaTes in marinaDe. Thanks for the recipe!
Hello Carla! I am sorry you had an issue with the bake time! What kind of potatoes did you use? Next time, try chopping your potatoes into smaller cubes (1.5-inch cubes). As for the rice, what kind of rice did you use? Different rice brands and types all have a slightly different cook time (gosh dangit). Make sure you are stirring your casserole thoroughly halfway through bake time, making sure you are bringing rice from the bottom of the casserole to the top and vice versa. If that still doesn’t do the trick, you may want to add a little bit more broth to your casserole. Thank you for the grammar reminder. 😉
Hi. I made this tonight, and after an hour the potatoes were still hard. Would this suggest that I had the oven too hot or that I cut the potato too large? Or simply need more cooking? Flavors are yummy, it’s just the potatoes!
I had the same issue with the potatoes – I sliced them pretty thin too.
Hello SaRah! So sorry you had issues with the potatoes. What kind of potatoes did you use? Try cutting them into smaller chunks next time and make sure they are submerged into the broth and tomato sauce!
Hi Jen! So sorry you had an issue with the potatoes. Next time, try cutting them into smaller chunks (1.5-inch cubes). Ours were pretty large, but all ovens are different so give the potato size a try and let me know if it works!
You marinATE chicken w a marinADE! duh…
LOL. Thank you for the grammar check-in. All fixed. 😉
This looks so delicious! I see you specified full fat coconut milk, but can light be used? Will that affect the recipe?
Thank you!
Hi Keri! Light coconut milk should be fine!