Chicken Tikka Masala
Recipes Chicken Main Dish Meal ideas Other ethnic food
Description
Although there are a lot of ingredients, this Indian inspired chicken dish is simple to make. Chicken thighs are first marinated in the refrigerator and then cooked in a mildly spiced tomato cream curry sauce. Serve it over your favorite rice, if desired.
Ingredients
Chicken Tikka Marinade:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2 inch chunks*
1/2 c. plain, full fat yogurt, (Greek is fine)
6 cloves garlic , minced ( about 1 1/2 T.)
1 T. freshly grated ginger
1 t. MCCORMICK garam masala**
1 t. each salt, cumin, coriander and paprika
1 T. vegetable oil
1/8 t. cayenne pepper, optional
pinch black pepper
2 t. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Chicken:
1 - 2 T. oil (canola, coconut, grapeseed or other neutral flavoured oil with a high smoke point. NOT olive oil.)
Curry Sauce Spices:
2 t. turmeric
1 T. garam masala
2 t. coriander
1 t. cumin
1/8 t. cardamom powder
1/8 t. cayenne pepper
Curry Sauce:
3 T. vegetable oil
2 T. unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 t. salt
2 T. freshly grated ginger
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. paprika (not smoked)
1 2/3 c. tomato purée
1 2/3 c. water
1/3 c. plus 1 T. cream
1 t. sugar
3 T. unsalted butter
Directions
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Chicken Tikka:
Combine all ingredients except for chicken in a bowl; mix. Add chicken; turn to coat; cover with plastic wrap; marinate in refrigerator overnight or 3 hours minimum.
Heat 1 T. oil in a non-stick skillet over high heat until smoking. Add half of the chicken; spread out; leave for 2 minutes or until charred. Turn each piece; cook second side until charred. Don't worry if not cooked inside. (Note 4) Place into bowl.
Scrape out charred bits left in skillet; discard. Add more oil if needed; cook remaining chicken.
Sauce:
Wipe out skillet with paper towels. Turn heat down to medium-high. Add oil and butter; when butter is melted, add onions, ginger and salt; cook, stirring constantly to ensure it doesn't burn, until ginger is starting to turn golden and onions smell sweet, about 5 - 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; add garlic and paprika; cook for 2 minutes. Add Curry Sauce Spices; cook 2 minutes, stirring. Add tomato purée and water; mix; bring to a simmer; cover; reduce heat to low; simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour curry into a bowl; blend to puree until smooth.
Return sauce to skillet; add cream, sugar and butter; stir to melt butter. Add chicken; stir; simmer a few minutes until chicken is cooked through.
Optional: Sprinkle with a pinch of extra garam masala at the end.
Serve over rice, sprinkled with coriander/cilantro, if desired.
4-5 servings.
*Don't try this with chicken breasts. The high temperature cooking required to achieve the char grilled crust on the chicken will overcook it and dry it out.
**Garam Masala is a spice mix that is commonly used in Indian cooking. It smells like curry powder.
*** Try to keep the charred coating on the chicken, but don't worry if most gets stuck to the pan, you still get the flavor.
**** Don't skip the blending. When the caramelized onions are cooked with the garlic and ginger and gets whizzed up with everything else, it's magic. It's one of the steps that make the difference. It's all about the silky smooth curry sauce.
*****Indian cooking uses a lot of oil. Don't be tempted to skimp on the butter and oil for this recipe, it really affects the resulting richness of the dish at the end.