This Chicken Tikka Masala was cooked by Mini aged ten from scratch and I can tell you it was absolutely delicious. I am delighted to have teamed up with Uncle Ben’s to highlight their fantastic Ben’s Beginners cooking hub on the lead up to International Cook With Your Kids Day on 15th October 2016.
I am passionate about cooking with my boys and providing them with skills that will last a lifetime. However, I do understand how hard it can be to find the time and enthusiasm to share the kitchen with them, especially after a busy day at work. It can be a challenge to find a suitable recipe and to let them be in control. This is where the Ben’s Beginners hub comes into its own, with step by step visual recipes that are easy to follow and cover specific skills.
Mini sat with the iPad and made a decision over which meal he wanted to try and decided upon the Chicken Tikka Masala and him being ten we decided to hand it all over to him, from the shopping to the preparation and then the cooking, whilst I was on hand to do his bidding and be his sous chef!
Ingredients for the Chicken Tikka Masala
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Coriander
- 1 Lemon, juiced
- 2 (about 350g total) Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 120mL Greek Yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Onion, sliced
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon Tomato Paste
- 1 400g Tinned Tomatoes, no salt added
- 125mL Single Cream 1 Handful Fresh Coriander 50mL Water
- 1 Handful Fresh Coriander 50mL Water
- 50ml Water
Ingredients For Rainbow Rice
- 2 packages Uncle Ben’s® Wholegrain Express Rice®
- 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
- Mug of (approx 175g) Frozen Peas
- 1 Red Pepper, chopped
- 1 Orange Pepper, chopped
- 1 Yellow Pepper, chopped
The brilliance of this recipe is it is simplified for families. Using the Uncle Ben’s® Wholegrain Express Rice® allowed Mini to concentrate on cooking the Chicken Tikka Masala rather than trying to balance making that and cooking the rice.
How to make Chicken Tikka Masala
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. In a large bowl mix together the spices, lemon juice, garlic, yogurt and a pinch of pepper to season until well combined.
Add the chopped chicken and coat with the spicy yogurt allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Put all the chicken pieces onto an oven tray lined with foil and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked through.
Heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan and add the onion and cook on a low heat for 5 to 10 minutes until it’s lovely and soft and brown. Add the garam masala and tomato paste and cook for a few minutes more. Then add the tinned tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the cooked chicken and single cream. Then season with pepper and sprinkle over the coriander leaves
For the Rainbow Rice
Stir Fry the chopped peppers until soft and add the peas and stir-fry for a few minutes, till cooked. (Add 2 tablespoons of water if you want to speed up the cooking time).
Cook the rice according to the packet instructions. Add the cooked rice to the vegetables and stir gently to combine.
Serve the tikka masala sauce on a bed of rainbow rice and garnish with coriander leaves
Just look at how proud Mini is with his finished dish and I have to say it was truly delicious and one that he will be making again.
Ingredients
- Ingredients for the Chicken Tikka Masala
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Coriander
- 1 Lemon, juiced
- 2 (about 350g total) Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 120mL Greek Yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Onion, sliced
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1 teaspoon Tomato Paste
- 1 400g Tinned Tomatoes, no salt added
- 125mL Single Cream 1 Handful Fresh Coriander 50mL Water
- 1 Handful Fresh Coriander 50mL Water
- 50ml Water
- Ingredients For Rainbow Rice
- 2 packages Uncle Ben’s® Wholegrain Express Rice®
- 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
- Mug of (approx 175g) Frozen Peas
- 1 Red Pepper, chopped
- 1 Orange Pepper, chopped
- 1 Yellow Pepper, chopped
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. In a large bowl mix together the spices,
- lemon juice, garlic, yogurt and let children add a pinch of pepper to season until
- well combined. Add the chicken and coat with the spicy yogurt. Kids can help here
- too. Put all the chicken pieces onto an oven tray lined with foil and cook for 15 to 20
- minutes or until cooked through. If the chicken is getting too brown, cover with foil.
- Heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan.
- Add the onion and cook on a low heat for 5 to 10 minutes until it’s lovely and
- soft and brown. Children can help stir them.
- Add the garam masala and tomato paste and cook for a few minutes more. Then add
- the tinned tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the cooked chicken and single cream. Then season with pepper and sprinkle
- Microwave the rice sachets according to instructions on the pack. Let children help
- by setting time on the microwave.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick wok or pan. Add the chopped
- peppers and peas and stir-fry for a few minutes, till cooked. (Add 2 tablespoons of
- water if you want to speed up the cooking time).
- Add the cooked rice to the vegetables and stir gently to combine. Serve the tikka
- masala sauce on a bed of rainbow rice and place the grilled chicken chunks on top.
- Garnish with coriander leaves (might be a fun task for the children!). Boom!

My favourite is tikka masala and my girls have just started to eat Korma. We told them for years that they would love it and they do and i would love to give them more variety of spicy food. I love the idea of them cooking it with you as they are more likely to eat and try it so i am going to do that with the girls. I am sure they would love this recipe!
Looks like he has done an amazing job – can you send him around to cook for me?
That does look delicioys Jen – I could just eat that right now x