Hickory Smoked Chicken Tikka Masala

David Bouska
Apr 9, 2021
2 min read

Are you looking for a change of pace in the bbq department? If variety is the spice of life, let's smoke a meal that's chock full of spices. This Smoked Chicken Tikka Masala recipe utilizes pitmaster barbecuing skills and enough seasonings to awaken a bland palette.

Chicken tikka masala consists of roasted marinated chicken chunks (chicken tikka) in spiced orange curry sauce. For our recipe, we will inject part of the marinade in the chicken and then smoke the meat on our grille, amping up the flavor to 11. Butcher BBQ's seasoning and grilling tools make this recipe even better, so stock up before trying this Indian-inspired U.K. entree.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 90-120 minutes

Smoker Temp: 225°F

Wood: Hickory

Chicken Marinade Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 cup plain yogurt

1 clove minced garlic

1 tablespoon ginger

1 teaspoon turmeric

Salt to taste

Bird Booster Rotisserie Flavor Injection Marinade from Butcher BBQ

Masala Sauce Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion finely diced

1 garlic clove finely grated

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon Campground Wild Game Seasoning from Butcher BBQ

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

14 oz canned tomato sauce

1 1/4 cups of heavy cream

1 cup chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Gather all of the marinade ingredients—Mix 1/8 cup of Bird Booster with 1 cup of water. Use an injector like the Butcher BBQ's Gourmet Pistol Grip Injector and inject throughout the breasts. Move the needle around the meat to send flavor in all directions.

When finished injecting, place the remaining marination ingredients in a ziplock bag and cover the chicken thoroughly. Refrigerate and let marinate for 30 minutes. Assemble the rest of your ingredients, then Set your smoker to 225°F add the hickory wood chips.

Now let's get started on our masala sauce.

Heat oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat.

Stir in garlic, ginger, garam masala, Campground Wild Game Seasoning, and turmeric until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken stock and remaining ingredients, then season with salt and pepper to taste preference. Bring the sauce to a boil; reduce heat to a calm simmer, occasionally stirring, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 25 minutes. Stir in heavy cream until heated through, about 1 minute.

Take a whiff of that lovely orange sauce, place the lid back on your pot, and check on the smoked chicken. I used my Butcher BBQ Instant Read Digital Meat Thermometer.

When your chicken hits 165°F, take it off the grill and add it to our wonderful sauce. Stir to mix and serve immediately.

Serve on a bed of rice or greens and garnish with more fresh cilantro.

Feel free to kick up the heat and add chili peppers or additional Butcher BBQ seasonings to stoke the fire. Medium, Hot, or Inferno this Hickory Smoked Chicken Tikka Masala recipe is next-level delicious.

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