Printable Area
Chicken Tikka Masala
Recipe courtesy Young Sun for Cooking Channel
- Total Time:
- 3 hr 5 min
- Prep:
- 25 min |
- Inactive Prep:
- 2 hr |
- Cook:
- 40 min
- Level:
- Easy
- Yield:
- 4 servings
Ingredients
- 5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- One 1 1/2-inch coin ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds1 cup Greek yogurt
- 3 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, halved into large chunks
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 serrano pepper, with or without seeds, thinly sliced into half moons
- One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, quartered
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- Steamed white rice, for serving
Directions
Puree the garlic and ginger in a food processor or blender with 1/4 cup water. Toast the coriander and cumin seeds in a small skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes, and then pulse until finely ground in a spice grinder.
Whisk together 2 tablespoons of the ginger-garlic puree, 2 teaspoons of the cumin-coriander mixture, the yogurt, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the paprika, the lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of the turmeric, the cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Toss in the chicken to coat and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours.
Heat the butter in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed wide pot over medium heat. Add the onions and serrano peppers and cook until the onions are soft and tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the ginger-garlic puree and the remaining cumin-coriander mixture, paprika and turmeric constantly for about 3 minutes to cook the spices, and then add the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar, the tomatoes with all their juice and 1 1/2 cups water. Gently simmer partially covered for 25 minutes over medium-low heat.
Preheat the broiler. Scrape off the excess marinade from the chicken thighs and lay them spaced apart on a rack placed over a baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle the chicken with salt and place 5 inches from the broiler. Broil for about 5 minutes, and then flip the chicken pieces and broil until the chicken is just cooked through and registers 165 degrees F on a meat thermometer, 3 minutes longer. Transfer to a large bowl.
Stir the cream and garam masala into the sauce and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Pour over the chicken and stir in the cilantro, combining