The History of Chicken Tikka Masala: From Punjab's Tandoors to Glasgow

Chicken Tikka Masala is our best-selling dish and one of the most popular curries in the world. But ask where it comes from and you'll start an argument. Is it an Indian classic? A British invention? The real story is a bit of both, and it's a great example of how food travels, changes and comes home again.

Part 1: Tikka and the tandoor (Punjab)

The word tikka simply means "pieces" or "bits." Chicken tikka is boneless chicken marinated in yogurt and spices, then roasted on skewers in a tandoor, the blazing-hot clay oven of Punjab in north India and Pakistan.

Tandoori cooking was popularized in restaurants by Moti Mahal in Delhi. Its founders were Punjabi cooks who moved to Delhi from Peshawar after the 1947 Partition of India. Moti Mahal is famous for tandoori chicken and is widely credited with creating butter chicken (murgh makhani), a creamy tomato-and-butter gravy made to keep tandoori chicken moist (Wikipedia).

That's the key idea behind tikka masala too: grilled chicken plus a rich tomato sauce.

Even butter chicken's origin is disputed. Two families connected to Moti Mahal have taken their claims about who invented it to court in Delhi (CBS News).

Part 2: The Glasgow story (1970s)

The most famous origin story takes place in Glasgow, Scotland. As it's usually told, in the early 1970s a diner at the Shish Mahal restaurant sent back his chicken tikka, complaining it was too dry. Chef Ali Ahmed Aslam improvised a sauce, reportedly with a tin of tomato soup, yogurt and spices, and a new dish was born (CNN).

It's a great story, but it's hard to prove, and other restaurants in the UK have made their own claims. In 2009, a Glasgow MP backed a campaign to get the dish protected status recognizing its Glasgow origins. The bid didn't succeed (UK Parliament).

Part 3: "Britain's national dish"

By the 1990s, chicken tikka masala had become a fixture on British curry-house menus. In 2001, UK Foreign Secretary Robin Cook famously called it "a true British national dish." He used it as a symbol of how Britain absorbs and adapts influences from around the world (Wikipedia).

So is it Indian or British?

Our answer is both. The techniques (tandoor-roasted tikka, spiced tomato gravies, cream and butter) are rooted in Punjabi cooking. The specific dish called "chicken tikka masala," as it appears on menus worldwide, took shape in South Asian restaurants in Britain. Today you'll find it in India, the UK, the US and everywhere in between, with no single "authentic" recipe.

That's what we love about it. It's a dish built on the instinct to taste something and make it your own. That's exactly how Channi cooks: she tastes a flavor she loves and her heart tells her how to give it an Indian twist.

How we make ours

Our Chicken Tikka Masala keeps to the heart of the classic: tender chicken in a smooth, creamy tomato masala with aromatic spices. It's mild, gluten-free and nut-free, made with no added sugar and no seed oils, and served with cumin basmati rice. Since March 2025 we've served more than 3,700 of them, and you can add it to any box in our meal builder.

Frequently asked questions

Who invented chicken tikka masala?
No one knows for sure. The most famous claim belongs to chef Ali Ahmed Aslam of Glasgow's Shish Mahal in the 1970s. The dish builds on Punjabi chicken tikka and the tomato-butter gravies popularized by Moti Mahal in Delhi.

Is chicken tikka masala Indian or British?
Both. Its techniques are Punjabi, while the dish as most people know it took shape in British curry houses.

What's the difference between chicken tikka and chicken tikka masala?
Chicken tikka is dry: marinated, grilled pieces of chicken. Chicken tikka masala adds a creamy, spiced tomato sauce.

Is chicken tikka masala the same as butter chicken?
They're close relatives. Butter chicken is usually richer and more buttery. Tikka masala is typically more tomato-forward and spiced.

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