Chicken Tikka Masala
My dad turned us onto this Chicken Tikka Masala recipe from America’s Test Kitchen. Someone posted it on the site, Group Recipes, which is where I found the text. The recipe is solid, but had to make some minor tweaks to make it taste less like Penne a la Vodka.
Time: 110 minutes
Serves: 4
Chicken Tikka:
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground
coriander
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon table salt
2 pounds boneless, skinless
chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
1 cup plain whole-milk
yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium garlic cloves
minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon grated fresh
ginger
Masala Sauce:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ medium onion, diced fine
2 medium garlic cloves,
minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
2 teaspoons grated fresh
ginger
1 teaspoon ground
coriander
1 fresh serrano chile, ribs
and seeds removed, flesh minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 (28-ounce) can crushed
tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon table salt
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
For the chicken:
1) Combine cumin, coriander,
cayenne, and salt in small bowl.
2) Sprinkle both sides of
chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres.
3) Place chicken on plate,
cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
4) In large bowl, whisk
together yogurt, lemon, oil,
garlic, and ginger; set aside.
(Note that restaurant Tikka
Masala will sit in the mixture ideally overnight.)
For the sauce:
5) Heat oil in large Dutch
oven over medium heat until shimmering.
6) Add onion and cook,
stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
7) Add garlic, ginger, coriander,
chile, tomato paste, and garam masala;
cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
8) Add crushed tomatoes,
sugar, and salt; bring to boil.
9) Reduce heat to
medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
10) Stir in cream and return
to simmer.
11) Remove pan from heat and
cover to keep warm.
12) While sauce simmers,
adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element)
and heat broiler.
13) Using tongs, dip chicken
into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and
arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan.
14) Discard excess yogurt
mixture.
15) Broil chicken until
thickest parts register 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer and exterior is
lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through
cooking.
16) Let chicken rest 5
minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer
chicken in sauce).
17) Stir in cilantro, adjust
seasoning with salt, and serve.