Chicken Tikka Masala recipe
I made chicken tikka masala from scratch for the first time last night. It's based off a Cook's Illustrated recipe, but modified for my & my partner's particular tastes. (I eliminated the chili peppers, as we're not fans of spicy food. I also used onion powder as real onions seem to cause him intestinal distress.) It was amazingly delicious, but it was hard to get a good picture, as it's fairly monochrome...
Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients:
Chicken Tikka
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon table salt
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed of fat
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (you can use lowfat yogurt, but whole milk works better)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
Masala Sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
FOR THE CHICKEN: Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside.
FOR THE SAUCE: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. [If using real onions, sautee one large white onion, diced, in 2 tablespoons of oil.] Add garlic [one clove minced or garlic powder], spices and tomato paste; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm
While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. 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. [I suggest not walking out of the kitchen & watching TV during this process, as I did, as I set off the smoke detector!]
Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in parsley, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve over rice. [I served it over basmati rice which I had cooked in a rice cooker with seasalt & saffron. I then dotted the rice with butter after it was done.]
This seriously may be the most delicious main course that I've ever cooked.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients:
Chicken Tikka
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon table salt
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed of fat
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (you can use lowfat yogurt, but whole milk works better)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
Masala Sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
FOR THE CHICKEN: Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside.
FOR THE SAUCE: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. [If using real onions, sautee one large white onion, diced, in 2 tablespoons of oil.] Add garlic [one clove minced or garlic powder], spices and tomato paste; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm
While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. 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. [I suggest not walking out of the kitchen & watching TV during this process, as I did, as I set off the smoke detector!]
Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in parsley, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve over rice. [I served it over basmati rice which I had cooked in a rice cooker with seasalt & saffron. I then dotted the rice with butter after it was done.]
This seriously may be the most delicious main course that I've ever cooked.