Show Your Chicken Tikka Masala Some Love: How to Store this Beloved Dish

Chicken tikka masala (CTM, for the uninitiated) is a magical treat. Originating in the United Kingdom (Scotland, to be exact) a Bangladeshi chef named Ali Ahmed Aslam developed CTM to appeal to western palates.

And let’s be honest, he really knocked it out of the park, according to our American taste buds. The creamy, tomato-y, spice-packed sauce of CTM is the perfect combination of flavors for newcomers to Indian food, or even its longtime fans. Chicken tikka masala has permeated the globe and become one of the most popular Indian dishes around. Even if its origins owe a little something to Great Britain, its spice base, or masala, is all Indian.

But where this beloved dish goes wrong is in its preservation. Hundreds of people are mispackaging this delectable meal every day. Most people, naturally, store their leftover chicken and sauce in the same container. Sadly, this leads to chicken that is noticeably drier by the next day. You’ve worked hard to acquire this meal. Treat it with the respect it deserves. Take that extra time to separate your chicken and your masala sauce and store them in separate containers. Your efforts will pay off enormously.