Chicken

Chicken Tikka Masala

29 Oct

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Chicken Tikka Masala

Serves 4  | Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus marinating time) | Cook Time: 30 minutes

Super tender, full of spices, this is an essential dish to learn and spend time on.

Ingredients

  • 6 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 4 tsp. finely grated peeled ginger
  • 4 tsp. ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp. garam masala
  • 2 tsp. ground coriander
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1½ cups whole-milk yogurt (not Greek)
  • 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
  • 2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts (or thighs), halved lengthwise
  • 3 Tbsp. ghee (clarified butter) or whole butter if you don’t want to make ghee
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 6 cardamom pods, crushed
  • 2 dried chiles de árbol or ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes, like San Marzano
  • 2 cups heavy cream (or coconut milk)
  • 1 cup chopped cilantro, plus sprigs for garnish
  • Steamed basmati rice (for serving)

Chef Tips

Marinate the chicken the night before.

Preparation

Step 1

Combine garlic, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, and cumin in a small bowl. Whisk yogurt, salt, and half of spice mixture in a medium bowl; add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and chill 4-6 hours. Cover and chill remaining spice mixture.

Step 2

Heat ghee in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, tomato paste, cardamom, and chiles and cook, stirring often, until tomato paste has darkened and onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add remaining half of spice mixture and cook, stirring often, until bottom of pot begins to brown, about 4 minutes.

Step 3

Add tomatoes; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often and scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, until sauce thickens, 8-10 minutes.

Step 4

Add cream and chopped cilantro. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, 30-40 minutes.

Step 5

Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack inside sheet. Arrange chicken on rack in a single layer. Broil until chicken starts to blacken in spots (it will not be cooked through), about 10 minutes.

Step 6

Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces, add to sauce, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken takes on the flavor of the sauce, 8-10 minutes. Serve with rice.