November 3, 2007

Chicken Tikka Masala


Wanted something different for dinner, but not too complicated. This was in a recent edition of Cooks Illustrated, and seemed like a winner. Turned out delicious! Very good dinner for fall too. Since it's (finally!) been getting chillier outside, I've lusted for things that were warm and filling, and this really fit the bill. I served with jasmine rice and a nice piece of crusty ciabatta bread.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Cooks Illustrated - 9/2007

This dish is best when prepared with whole-milk yogurt, but low-fat yogurt can be substituted. For a spicier dish, do not remove the ribs and seeds from the chile. If you prefer, substitute 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper for the garam masala. The sauce can be made ahead, refrigerated for up to 4 days in an airtight container, and gently reheated before adding the hot chicken. Serve with basmati rice.

Serves 4 to 6

Chicken Tikka

1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp table salt
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed of fat
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (see note above)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

Masala Sauce

3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion , diced fine (about 1 1/4 cups)
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 fresh serrano chile , ribs and seeds removed, flesh minced (see note above)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp garam masala (see note above)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp table salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1. 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.

2. FOR THE SAUCE: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala; 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.

3. 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 wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or 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.

4. Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve.

16 comments:

Jaime said...

yum! i love this dish. if you ever decide to make this again, try the recipe in my blog :) you can sub evaporated milk for the heavy cream to make this healthier!

~Amber~ said...

This looks wonderful Laura! Thank you for sharing.

Anonymous said...

YUM! I LOVE tikka masala. I am going to have to try this recipe soon. :)

Finla said...

Who can resist chicken tikka masala.
It looks really delicious that i want to have them too.
I have also a chicken tikka masala post in my blog :-)

Jessica said...

This looks delicious. I looove Tikka Masala but I've never tried to make it on my own. Maybe I'll try out this recipe.

Dina said...

I've made this before & loved it...fabulous recipe. Definitely a keeper. :)

Unknown said...

I cant get enough of this dish, I've tried it with coconut milk and thats yummy too.
Thanks for sharing:-)
X M

Anonymous said...

This looks delicious - just let me know when you're making it again, the address and what time to show up :). Psychgrad at Equal Opportunity Kitchen just posted the same dish eatfordinner.blogspot.com and I know her's is yummy.

Maggie said...

There are lots of recipes around for chicken tikka masala - some I'm not sure about - but I love your list of ingredients and also it looks delicious.

Anonymous said...

I served this to my husband who really enjoyed it. I am a vegetarian, so I can't rate it.

Since no directions on how to cook it were listed, I had to follow another recipe found on the internet.

Mason Kincaid said...

Thanks for putting this up. It took me a little digging to find the recipe on their website. In case people need preparation instructions -> Chicken Tika Masala and the video podcast.

Mandy said...

I just found your blog and it's great! Thanks for the recipe, I have one that I like but will try tweaking it a little according to this post to see what happens.:)

Anonymous said...

Sounds a bit spicy but very good! Nice way to jazz up chicken, thanks

Natalie Que said...

This sounds delish! I found you on the foodie blogroll. Thanks for sharing your passion!

Deborah Dowd said...

This is one of the dishes listed as part of the Omnivore's Hundred. Now I can make my own!

Anonymous said...

Looks very good - I've never tried marsala but am getting more and more tempted the more I see and read these scrumptious sounding recipes!