Chicken Tikka Masala Fried Rice

It’s hard to replace the love for my chicken tikka masala meatballs from the blog archives, but I felt like it was about time to give it a revamp. That’s where this Chicken Tikka Masala Fried Rice comes into the picture. It’s a mash-up of two of my favorite take-out dishes coming together in order to create the ultimate comforting weeknight meal. It’s spicy (in a good way), hearty and out of this world. I know I usually always tell you to make the recipes I post, but this one in particular is one that I can’t stress enough that you try it. You really won’t regret it. It’s unnecessary yes, but at the same time, it’s completely necessary.

In a medium bowl, toss together the chicken, 1 tablespoon yogurt, half of the garlic, half of the ginger, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, and 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander until evenly combined.

**Note: Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight. The longer the chicken marinates the better it’ll be!**

Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Once very hot, add in the ghee and cook until melted. Add the chicken and cook, stirring often, until browned and cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate or bowl and set aside.

Add the onion, remaining garlic, remaining ginger and serrano chiles to the skillet, adding more ghee if needed. Cook until softened and just beginning to brown. Move the veggies to one side of the skillet and then add in the eggs. Cook until the eggs have set before incorporating everything together.

Add the rice to the skillet along with the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, and 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander. Stir everything together and cook until warmed through.

**Note: These are the same spices from earlier when marinating the chicken, so if you need to buy them specifically for this recipe, at least you’ll be able to use it twice!**

Add the chicken back to the skillet along with the tomatoes, peas and cilantro. Cook the fried rice, stirring often over low heat, until everything has warmed through. Give it a taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

At this point it’s ready to go. It’s delicious as it, but I do like to serve it with a cooling cucumber yogurt sauce on top to really balance out all of the flavors.

To make the cucumber yogurt, in a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, lemon juice, cucumber, a pinch each of salt, pepper, garam masala, curry powder and coriander. Chill until ready to use.

**Tip: This can be made several days in advance and kept in the fridge, in an airtight container, until ready to use!**

Serve the fried rice hot with a dollop of the cucumber yogurt (or plain yogurt would be great too) and charred garlic naan on the side. It’s all delicious together!

Please don’t let the long ingredient list below deter you from making this recipe. If you really break it down, most of the ingredient list is comprised of spices and so it’s really not that complicated at all. If you make the basmati rice the day before (it’s best like this anyhow) and marinate the chicken the night before, then you’ll be ready to go the day of without much work. Let me know what you think below and as always thank you so much for reading and following along.