Chicken tikka masala is meant to be rich and buttery. Chef Saran begins by marinating chicken in yogurt with ginger, garlic, cayenne, and garam masala before simmering it in cream with cinnamon and other spices.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 small onion
- 1 2-inch piece of ginger
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into thirds
- 2 medium red onions
- 1 2.5-inch piece of ginger
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 1/2 lbs s tomatoes, puréed in a food processor, may substitute plain canned tomato purée
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons cilantro stems, optional
Instructions
- Peel and chop onion, garlic, and ginger. Place in a food processor along with the yogurt, cayenne and garam masala. Process until smooth. Combine the marinade with the chicken and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Once chicken has marinated, place in a single layer on a drip tray set over rimmed baking sheet (or a foil-lined baking sheet). Bake 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the sauce: Peel and cut the onion into large chunks, peel and chop the ginger, and smash the garlic with a knife to remove the skin. Place the onion, ginger, and garlic in a food processor and puree, then set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add oil, followed by the cinnamon stick. Add onion mixture and stir. Add a teaspoon of salt and continue stirring.
- Continue cooking for 20 minutes until the mixture turns a light golden brown. Keep a cup of water beside the stove while the onion cooks. When the onion begins to stick, add water, about 1 teaspoon at a time, and scrape the bottom of the pan to pull up the brown bits and keep the onion from burning. Add turmeric, coriander, cumin, and cayenne; mix and cook for a minute or two. Add a bit more water and continue stirring. Stir in tomato puree and season to taste with salt. Stir in the cream, turn off the heat and set aside.
- Place cooked chicken into the sauce and gently mix in the pan over low heat. Mince cilantro stems, sprinkle on top, and serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 272 |
| Total Fat | 15 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 13 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 23 g |
| Cholesterol | 83 mg |
| Sodium | 532 mg |
Reviews
Love Suvir Saran’s recipes, but did not like this one. I love the richness and butteriness of tikka masala (as this recipe is described), but it was a bit washed out. In fact, no butter or ghee in the recipe at all, and raw tomato purée added at the end (vs earlier in other recipes) left this attempt tasting more like a curried gazpacho.
I’ve always wanted to try this. I haven’t yet made it. I have a question. I have some Activia vanilla yogurt and wondered if it would be okay to substitute that for plain yogurt. I don’t buy plain yogurt and I’m not a fan of it. I buy the Activia 3 pack where you get vanilla strawberry and Peach. I also will not be using Cayenne because I can’t have anything spicy. Stay alive so if it’s okay for me to use the vanilla yogurt then I will be making this very soon. Plus I also already have some chicken thighs in my freezer and would like to use them so I don’t have to go out and buy more chicken. So anybody with answers that could help me I’d appreciate it. This dish sounds so good I can’t wait to make it.
Fantastic. Never heard of adding and caramelizing onions. Don’t listen to the guy who said it’s bitter, probably burnt the onion. Was great over rice with some naan. Add fenugreek for an even better experience.
I don’t know what happened but this was too bitter to eat. It was a total flop. I think too much ginger?
I like the recipe and will be making it again, next time I’m gonna add broccoli and coconut milk and less tomatoes.
I loved the marinate recipe. Made the chicken breast tender.
Also recipe sauce was easy to make. Will be making again.
Plus my husband liked it!
Also recipe sauce was easy to make. Will be making again.
Plus my husband liked it!