A nod to Indian cooking, yogurt and fragrant spices penetrate juicy cuts of chicken that get broiled then simmered in a tangy tomato sauce. Cauliflower tossed with cilantro makes for a simple yet impressive accompaniment.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 40 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Cook: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
- 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (1 3/4 to 2 pounds), trimmed
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 15-ounce can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Pulse the ginger, garlic, garam masala and 1/4 teaspoon each cayenne and salt in a food processor to make a paste. Toss the cauliflower, 1 tablespoon of the spice paste, 1 tablespoon water and a pinch of salt in a microwave-safe bowl; set aside. Add the tomato paste to the remaining spice paste; pulse, then transfer 1 tablespoon to a bowl. Add 1/2 cup yogurt, a pinch of salt and the chicken; toss to coat.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining tomato-spice mixture and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, 1 1/4 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Put the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil until almost cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Microwave the cauliflower, 10 to 12 minutes. Toss with the cilantro.
- Whisk the remaining 1/4 cup yogurt into the skillet. Add the chicken; simmer until cooked through, 4 minutes. Serve with the cauliflower.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 408 calorie |
| Total Fat | 16 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 3 grams |
| Cholesterol | 168 milligrams |
| Sodium | 701 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 19 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 grams |
| Protein | 47 grams |
| Calories | 408 calorie |
| Total Fat | 16 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 3 grams |
| Cholesterol | 168 milligrams |
| Sodium | 701 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 19 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 grams |
| Protein | 47 grams |
Reviews
Looks bland
Not bad.
My partner made this for me & it was delicious! I agree with the other reviewer about the tomato paste. My partner added additional seasoning & spice to balance out the amount of tomato paste. Just to be clear, after reading other reviews, correct me if I’m wrong, but chicken tikka masala is considered a fusion food from United Kingdom & India, not just India.
very tasty!
I was excited to make this – hubby and I love Indian food! and there are no restaurants near where we live. I don’t remember a time when I just stopped cooking mid-recipe, but I did with this. Maybe it is my blender, but how are you supposed to make a paste when you only have dry ingredients? It was chunky – the ginger was not blended at all. Would not have made a good marinade or topping for the cauliflower. Other recipes have oil and butter – some kind of liquid – that would make a better paste. I will try another recipe next time, hopefully with better results.
This was pretty easy to prepare, and it smelled delicious. But it had NO taste. The chicken was bland, the sauce was bland, it was just boring and almost unedible. I love Tikka Masala at the restaurants and was really excited to try this, but it was a major disappointment.
This is a really tasty dish. The flavors are great and the spiciness just right. I served it over rice with the cauliflower as the side. I used chicken breast because it was what I had on hand and I roasted the cauliflower instead of microwaving it because I just love roasted cauliflower.
I grew up in India, though I’m Euro-American by ethnicity, and this recipe is a winner in our house. I enjoyed it immensely, so did my husband [whose fave at restaurants is — now was — chicken tikka], the two older kids really liked it too [11 and 8 y.o.], but our 3 y.o. wouldn’t taste it. He will next time.
Not the fastest but definitely tasty–I just used a couple tablespoons of the crushed tomatoes instead of the tomato paste because the photo looks too tomatoey. It is not as buttery as restaurant tikka, but that was okay in our house. I did marinate it a couple of hours in advance and probably ideally would marinate it longer than that, but it was fantastic with just a couple of hours marinating. We also liked the cauliflower accompaniment and skipped the rice, which was nice. I don’t cook food in the microwave for health reasons, so we just roasted the cauliflower instead. My husband isn’t sure he’s going to order it at the restaurant anymore, he likes this so much.