Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Chicken Tikka Masala is to Indian food what General Tso's Chicken is to Chinese food, and the story of how it ended up on every menu on earth is wilder than you'd expect.
It starts in a curry house in 1970s Glasgow, where a Pakistani restaurateur allegedly grabbed a can of Campbell's tomato soup in a panic and ladled it over some chicken tikka to satisfy a grumpy British bus driver. That story went global, ended up in documentaries and the New York Times, and turned out to be completely made up by a guy who needed publicity for a trade magazine.
The real story is actually more interesting. Chicken tikka masala isn't Indian food. It isn't even Pakistani food. It's British Indian Restaurant cooking, a completely separate cuisine invented almost entirely by Bangladeshi immigrants from a small region called Sylhet, who built the entire British curry house industry from scratch and created dishes that people in India and Bangladesh had never heard of. CTM was so successful it eventually got reimported back to South Asia as a foreign menu item because Western tourists kept asking for it.
We make it from scratch in this episode. Marinated chicken tikka on the grill, a proper masala sauce with whole spices, fenugreek leaves, and no shortcuts.
RECIPE: adamwitt.co/allrecipes/chickentikkamasala
How Curry Conquered The World (History & Recipes): youtu.be/iUI303vkBHs?si=Oku2IdncZpvdfFWX
đź‘•SUPPORT THE CHAN, COP SOME MERCH!: https://adamwitt.store/
🫶CONTRIBUTE TO THE GROCERY FUND! (Patreon): patreon.com/adamwitt
đź‘ľDISCORD: discord.com/invite/aFQ4h4BXg4
đź“ťMORE RECIPES: adamwitt.co/allrecipes
đź”—FOLLOW ALONG ON SOCIAL: adamwitt.co/social-links
________________________________________________________
STUFF I USE…
My Cookware Set: amzn.to/3vaWhbG
My Dutch Oven: amzn.to/48MKuhq
Portable Single-burner Stove: amzn.to/3IytyjV
Butane Torch: amzn.to/48TkQra
Deli Containers: amzn.to/49QO635
Large Mason Jars (32oz, wide mouth): amzn.to/49QO635
Rust-proof Mason Jar Lids: amzn.to/49QWlfy
Butane Canisters: amzn.to/3wLUtpM
Coarse Reinforced Strainer: amzn.to/3PePLHK
Fine Mesh Reinforced Strainer: amzn.to/3TxvkYP
Sheet Trays: amzn.to/3IG3zXL
The BEST Smash Burger Spatula: amzn.to/3UdSHab
Cutting Board Scraper: amzn.to/3Jy64fx
Ice Cream Maker: amzn.to/3wd2vIu
My Induction Burner: amzn.to/4dfhJNE
________________________________________________________
TIMESTAMPS…
00:00 Chicken Tikka Masala Isn't Actually Indian
00:51 What Tikka Masala Actually Means
01:55 Why Britain Puts Gravy on Everything
02:49 The Glasgow Origin Story (And Why It's a Lie)
05:37 Where Chicken Tikka Masala Actually Came From
06:56 How CTM Traveled Back to India
07:35 Marinating and Grilling the Chicken Tikka
10:42 Building the Masala Sauce
11:21 Finishing and Serving
________________________________________________________
#chickentikkamasala #foodhistory #britishfood
Disclaimer: I earn commission income with qualifying purchases made through Amazon’s Affiliate program and other affiliate links in this description.
Chicken Tikka Masala is to Indian food what General Tso's Chicken is to Chinese food, and the story of how it ended up on every menu on earth is wilder than you'd expect.
It starts in a curry house in 1970s Glasgow, where a Pakistani restaurateur allegedly grabbed a can of Campbell's tomato soup in a panic and ladled it over some chicken tikka to satisfy a grumpy British bus driver. That story went global, ended up in documentaries and the New York Times, and turned out to be completely made up by a guy who needed publicity for a trade magazine.
The real story is actually more interesting. Chicken tikka masala isn't Indian food. It isn't even Pakistani food. It's British Indian Restaurant cooking, a completely separate cuisine invented almost entirely by Bangladeshi immigrants from a small region called Sylhet, who built the entire British curry house industry from scratch and created dishes that people in India and Bangladesh had never heard of. CTM was so successful it eventually got reimported back to South Asia as a foreign menu item because Western tourists kept asking for it.
We make it from scratch in this episode. Marinated chicken tikka on the grill, a proper masala sauce with whole spices, fenugreek leaves, and no shortcuts.
RECIPE: adamwitt.co/allrecipes/chickentikkamasala
How Curry Conquered The World (History & Recipes): youtu.be/iUI303vkBHs?si=Oku2IdncZpvdfFWX
đź‘•SUPPORT THE CHAN, COP SOME MERCH!: https://adamwitt.store/
🫶CONTRIBUTE TO THE GROCERY FUND! (Patreon): patreon.com/adamwitt
đź‘ľDISCORD: discord.com/invite/aFQ4h4BXg4
đź“ťMORE RECIPES: adamwitt.co/allrecipes
đź”—FOLLOW ALONG ON SOCIAL: adamwitt.co/social-links
________________________________________________________
STUFF I USE…
My Cookware Set: amzn.to/3vaWhbG
My Dutch Oven: amzn.to/48MKuhq
Portable Single-burner Stove: amzn.to/3IytyjV
Butane Torch: amzn.to/48TkQra
Deli Containers: amzn.to/49QO635
Large Mason Jars (32oz, wide mouth): amzn.to/49QO635
Rust-proof Mason Jar Lids: amzn.to/49QWlfy
Butane Canisters: amzn.to/3wLUtpM
Coarse Reinforced Strainer: amzn.to/3PePLHK
Fine Mesh Reinforced Strainer: amzn.to/3TxvkYP
Sheet Trays: amzn.to/3IG3zXL
The BEST Smash Burger Spatula: amzn.to/3UdSHab
Cutting Board Scraper: amzn.to/3Jy64fx
Ice Cream Maker: amzn.to/3wd2vIu
My Induction Burner: amzn.to/4dfhJNE
________________________________________________________
TIMESTAMPS…
00:00 Chicken Tikka Masala Isn't Actually Indian
00:51 What Tikka Masala Actually Means
01:55 Why Britain Puts Gravy on Everything
02:49 The Glasgow Origin Story (And Why It's a Lie)
05:37 Where Chicken Tikka Masala Actually Came From
06:56 How CTM Traveled Back to India
07:35 Marinating and Grilling the Chicken Tikka
10:42 Building the Masala Sauce
11:21 Finishing and Serving
________________________________________________________
#chickentikkamasala #foodhistory #britishfood
Disclaimer: I earn commission income with qualifying purchases made through Amazon’s Affiliate program and other affiliate links in this description.
