Chef John's Chicken Tikka Masala
I probably get more requests for Indian food than any other ethnic cuisine, so I was very excited to be posting this recipe for chicken tikka masala; until I found out it's actually a British recipe. This is usually done with heavy cream, but I like to use coconut milk instead; the subtle sweetness it provides works beautifully with the spices in the dish. Serve with steamed rice.
Servings per recipe: 4
Calories per serving: 625
Preparation time: 25m
Total cooking time: 1h 10m
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee), or more as needed
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger, or more to taste
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1 (13 ounce) can coconut milk
- 1/2 cup chicken broth, or as needed
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
- 1 Place chicken in a bowl and drizzle vegetable oil over chicken; toss to coat.
- 2 Whisk kosher salt, garam masala, ground cumin, ground coriander, smoked paprika, ground turmeric, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cardamom together in a small bowl. Season chicken with spice mixture and turn to coat evenly.
- 3 Melt clarified butter in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Cook chicken thighs in hot butter until browned on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. When cool enough to handle, cut chicken into bite-size pieces.
- 4 Reduce heat under the skillet to medium-high. Stir onion into skillet; saute until onion softens and turns translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir. Saute until paste caramelizes, about 5 minutes. Stir garlic and ginger into tomato-onion mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- 5 Pour the crushed tomatoes into the skillet and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon. Pour in coconut milk and chicken broth; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors blend and sauce is slightly reduced, about 15 minutes.
- 6 Stir chicken, any accumulated juices from the chicken, cilantro, and red pepper flakes into tomato mixture; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until chicken is cooked through and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.
Nutrion facts:
| Total Fat | 48.2g | 74% |
| Saturated Fat | 27.0g | |
| Cholesterol | 122mg | 41% |
| Sodium | 1325mg | 53% |
| Potassium | 985mg | 28% |
| Total Carbohydrates | 19.2g | 6% |
| Dietary Fiber | 5g | 20% |
| Protein | 33.5g | 67% |
| Sugars | 5g | |
| Vitamin A | 1700IU | |
| Vitamin C | 18mg | |
| Calcium | 100mg | |
| Iron | 7mg | |
| Thiamin | 0mg | |
| Niacin | 15mg | |
| Vitamin B6 | 1mg | |
| Magnesium | 105mg | |
| Folate | 45mcg |
