Chicken Tikka Masala has to be one of my favorite savory foods of all time. When done right, it has beautiful chunks of spiced, roasted chicken and a wonderfully aromatic, richly flavored creamy tomato sauce. Served atop basmati rice with a side of naan bread, it is a heavenly, comforting, crave-worthy meal. And crave it I do.
Where I went to college, there was this little hole-in-the-wall Indian restaurant that started out serving in styrofoam takeout containers and eventually graduated to real plates and silverware. Well, this place has the BEST Chicken Tikka Masala I have ever had in my life. My roommate and I used to order from there almost every Sunday night. Sometimes I crave their food so badly that the 4 hour drive seems totally worth it and doable just to get Indian food and then drive 4 hours back home. Yeah. It is that good.
Ever since moving away from the best Indian ever, I have been on a quest to find a Chicken Tikka Masala that I like even half as much. A fanatical quest. I have found one place that is decent but ridiculously expensive and still not on par. And I have found many, many places that are just terribly disappointing.
At some point, I decided to try making Chicken Tikka Masala at home. It is still not quite as good as the delicious concoction from my college days, but it is better than all the other restaurant efforts I have tried, by a lot, and I have now made this more times than I can count. In fact, we like this so much that I served it for Christmas a year ago, and when my cousins begged for it to make a return appearance this year, I was more than happy to oblige. The nice thing is that you can customize the spice level and flavor profile to suit your needs. For Christmas when there are younger kids around, I keep the cayenne to a minimum and dial down the Garam Masala slightly, which isn't hot but has a more intense flavor. When it's me, I up the spicy and up the Indian flavor punch from the Garam Masala. Seriously good eats, either way.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Serves 8
Ingredients
Chicken Tikka
3 tsp. ground cumin
3 tsp. ground coriander
3 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts split in half (best quality)
3-4 cups plain whole-milk or Greek yogurt
6 Tbsp. vegetable oil
10 cloves garlic, minced
5 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
Sauce
4 Tbsp. butter
2 large onions, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1/3 c. Garam Masala (more if desired)
Cayenne pepper to taste
2 tsp. sweet paprika
1 Jalapeño, seeded and diced
2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 c. heavy cream
Instructions
To season the chicken, combine the cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt. Sprinkle liberally on both sides of the chicken breasts. Set on a platter, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour (or more), if time allows. Meanwhile, combine the yogurt, oil, minced garlic, and ginger in a large bowl. Dip each chicken breast into the yogurt mixture to coat. Place the coated chicken back on a platter and refrigerate for another hour, if time allows.
To cook the chicken, wrap a baking sheet in aluminum foil. (Be careful here as you don’t want the sauce to leak through and burn onto the pan). Set a metal cooling rack on the foil-lined baking sheet and spray the cooling rack with cooking spray or brush lightly with oil. Set the chicken on the cooling rack. Place 10-12 inches below a broiler and broil for 5-7 minutes per side. (Watch to make sure all the chicken pieces are cooking evenly). Use a thermometer to check for doneness. It should register at least 165º F. Set the cooked chicken aside, allowing it to get cool enough to handle.
For the sauce, melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and sauté until golden brown. When onions are golden brown, add the garlic and ginger along with 1 tablespoon of salt. Stir. Add the Garam Masala, paprika, and cayenne pepper along with the diced Jalapeño. Let cook for 1 minute, then add the diced tomatoes and the sugar. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pan. (The acidity of the tomatoes will deglaze the pan, releasing the burnt bits). Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Check seasoning and adjust accordingly. Often I will add more Garam Masala and heat at this point.
Using an immersion blender, purée the sauce until smooth. (A blender can be used if you do not have an immersion blender). Once puréed, add the heavy cream, stir well, and allow to simmer for another 5 minutes. While simmering, shred the chicken breasts. I like to do this using two forks. Throw the shredded chicken into the sauce.
Serve with basmati rice and naan. (I’ve made my own naan, but find that the naan available in the freezer section of Trader Joe’s very tasty and very easy). This makes great leftovers.
Heavily adapted from Cook's Illustrated and The Pioneer Woman
Where I went to college, there was this little hole-in-the-wall Indian restaurant that started out serving in styrofoam takeout containers and eventually graduated to real plates and silverware. Well, this place has the BEST Chicken Tikka Masala I have ever had in my life. My roommate and I used to order from there almost every Sunday night. Sometimes I crave their food so badly that the 4 hour drive seems totally worth it and doable just to get Indian food and then drive 4 hours back home. Yeah. It is that good.
Ever since moving away from the best Indian ever, I have been on a quest to find a Chicken Tikka Masala that I like even half as much. A fanatical quest. I have found one place that is decent but ridiculously expensive and still not on par. And I have found many, many places that are just terribly disappointing.
At some point, I decided to try making Chicken Tikka Masala at home. It is still not quite as good as the delicious concoction from my college days, but it is better than all the other restaurant efforts I have tried, by a lot, and I have now made this more times than I can count. In fact, we like this so much that I served it for Christmas a year ago, and when my cousins begged for it to make a return appearance this year, I was more than happy to oblige. The nice thing is that you can customize the spice level and flavor profile to suit your needs. For Christmas when there are younger kids around, I keep the cayenne to a minimum and dial down the Garam Masala slightly, which isn't hot but has a more intense flavor. When it's me, I up the spicy and up the Indian flavor punch from the Garam Masala. Seriously good eats, either way.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Serves 8
Ingredients
Chicken Tikka
3 tsp. ground cumin
3 tsp. ground coriander
3 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts split in half (best quality)
3-4 cups plain whole-milk or Greek yogurt
6 Tbsp. vegetable oil
10 cloves garlic, minced
5 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
Sauce
4 Tbsp. butter
2 large onions, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
1/3 c. Garam Masala (more if desired)
Cayenne pepper to taste
2 tsp. sweet paprika
1 Jalapeño, seeded and diced
2 (28 oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 c. heavy cream
Instructions
To season the chicken, combine the cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt. Sprinkle liberally on both sides of the chicken breasts. Set on a platter, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour (or more), if time allows. Meanwhile, combine the yogurt, oil, minced garlic, and ginger in a large bowl. Dip each chicken breast into the yogurt mixture to coat. Place the coated chicken back on a platter and refrigerate for another hour, if time allows.
To cook the chicken, wrap a baking sheet in aluminum foil. (Be careful here as you don’t want the sauce to leak through and burn onto the pan). Set a metal cooling rack on the foil-lined baking sheet and spray the cooling rack with cooking spray or brush lightly with oil. Set the chicken on the cooling rack. Place 10-12 inches below a broiler and broil for 5-7 minutes per side. (Watch to make sure all the chicken pieces are cooking evenly). Use a thermometer to check for doneness. It should register at least 165º F. Set the cooked chicken aside, allowing it to get cool enough to handle.
For the sauce, melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and sauté until golden brown. When onions are golden brown, add the garlic and ginger along with 1 tablespoon of salt. Stir. Add the Garam Masala, paprika, and cayenne pepper along with the diced Jalapeño. Let cook for 1 minute, then add the diced tomatoes and the sugar. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pan. (The acidity of the tomatoes will deglaze the pan, releasing the burnt bits). Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Check seasoning and adjust accordingly. Often I will add more Garam Masala and heat at this point.
Using an immersion blender, purée the sauce until smooth. (A blender can be used if you do not have an immersion blender). Once puréed, add the heavy cream, stir well, and allow to simmer for another 5 minutes. While simmering, shred the chicken breasts. I like to do this using two forks. Throw the shredded chicken into the sauce.
Serve with basmati rice and naan. (I’ve made my own naan, but find that the naan available in the freezer section of Trader Joe’s very tasty and very easy). This makes great leftovers.
Heavily adapted from Cook's Illustrated and The Pioneer Woman