Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

Instructions

1. 1

   In a bowl, combine chicken with all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade; let marinate for 10 minutes to an hour (or overnight if time allows).

2. 2

   Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add chicken pieces in batches of two or three, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry until browned for only 3 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm. (You will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce.)

3. 3

   Melt the butter in the same pan. Fry the onions until soft (about 3 minutes) while scraping up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. 

4. 4

   Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant, then add garam masala, cumin, turmeric and coriander. Fry for about 20 seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.

5. 5

   Pour in the tomato puree, chili powders and salt. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and becomes a deep brown red colour.

6. 6

   Stir the cream and sugar through the sauce. Add the chicken and its juices back into the pan and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling. Pour in the water to thin out the sauce, if needed.

7. 7

   Garnish with cilantro (coriander) and serve with hot garlic butter rice and fresh homemade Naan bread!

Tips

• •

  Char the marinated chicken hard and fast over medium-high heat—only 3 minutes per side to get browning without cooking through. Don't crowd the pan; work in batches so the chicken sears instead of steaming in its own juices. It finishes cooking later in the sauce, so leaving the center slightly underdone here is correct.

• •

  Use full-fat plain yogurt for the marinade and give it at least 30 minutes (overnight is best)—the acidity and enzymes tenderize the thighs and let the spices penetrate. Chicken thighs are strongly preferred over breast here because they stay juicy through the double cooking (sear + simmer).

• •

  Don't skip blooming the spices: fry the garam masala, cumin, turmeric and coriander in the butter for about 20 seconds before adding tomato, but watch closely—they burn in seconds and turn bitter. Kashmiri chili is key for the deep red color without excess heat; if unavailable, use half the amount of regular red chili powder plus a pinch of paprika for color.

• •

  Let the tomato puree simmer the full 10-15 minutes until it darkens to a deep brick red and the oil starts to separate—this cooks out the raw acidic taste. The brown sugar at the end balances that acidity, so taste before adding more.

• •

  For make-ahead, the sauce keeps 3-4 days refrigerated or freezes up to 3 months—but freeze it before adding the cream to prevent splitting, then stir in fresh cream when reheating gently. For lower calories, substitute evaporated milk for the heavy cream, adding it off high heat to avoid curdling.