Chicken Tikka Masala
From our Sur la Table cooking class!
Don't be intimidated by the list of ingredients; the recipe is actually quite quick and easy to make. Both the sauce and the marinated chicken can be prepared ahead of time and cooked at the last minute.
Chicken marinade:
0.25 c whole milk plain yogurt 1 tbsp minced ginger 1 tbsp minced garlic 0.25 tsp ground cumin 0.25 tsp ground mace 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg 0.25 tsp ground cardamom 0.25 tsp chili powder 0.25 tsp turmeric 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice 4 4 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs (1 lb total) Tikka Masala sauce: 4 tbsp coconut oil or ghee 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced 2 tsp minced garlic 2 tsp minced ginger 0.5 c tomato paste 12 green cardamom pods* 1 tsp crushed red chili flakes 4 tsp turmeric 2 tsp garam masala 2 tsp ground coriander 2 tsp ground cumin 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes 2 cups heavy whipping cream Sea salt 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, more to taste |
To marinate chicken:
Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl or ziploc bag. Stir in the chicken, making sure each piece is fully coated. Cover and chill at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. To prepare the tikka masala sauce: In a large skillet heat the coconut oil or ghee over medium high heat until hot and shimmering. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste, cardamom pods and chili flakes. Cook, stirring often, until the tomato paste darkens in color, about 2 minutes. Add in the remaining spices and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes to the sauce and bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to a simmer, scraping up browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the cream and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, 20 to 25 minutes. Taste and adjust with salt and lemon juice. Keep warm while cooking chicken. To cook the chicken: Preheat the oven to 450°F and position oven rack in the center rack. Line a rimes baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Arrange the chicken on the rack in a single layer. Cook until cooked through and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. To serve: Stir chicken into sauce and serve immediately over basmati rice. |
Notes:
- 12 cardamom pods seems like a lot.. .when we made the sauce we only used 2, and I believe we were doing a full recipe (or potentially just a half recipe). Based on other recipes online we used 6 pods. Fishing them out of the sauce proved... difficult, so I am tempted to experiment with using ground cardamom instead (approx. 1/4 tsp).
- Serve with steamed basmati rice