Two nights ago Tice said "I really want Chicken Tikka Masala for dinner tomorrow. Can you make it for me?" To which I said "sure!" Evidently I did a pretty good job at making it because he posted on Facebook how delicious it was and lots of people asked for the recipe so here it is. I took inspiration from a Cooks Illustrated cookbook he found the recipe in but I change it up quite a bit so I will consider this my own recipe.
(We drove right in and couldn't shovel this stuff in fast enough- that's why I don't have a picture of my own to share but this looks a lot like mine)
Chicken Tikka Masala
Serves 4 to 6
Marinate Ingredients
1 to 1 1/4 pounds of skinless/boneless chicken breast
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain yogurt
2 garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon of freshly grated ginger
Combine all ingredients minus the chicken into a bowl and combine well. Once combined add in whole chicken breasts and marinate for 4 hours. DO not marinate them for longer then that because the chicken could become spongy (aka NOT good)!
Sauce Ingredients
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion finely diced
2 garlic cloves minced
2 teaspoons of freshly grated ginger
1 serrano chili, sliced into thin rounds
1 Tablespoon of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of garam masala (speciality Indian spice- find it on any spice aisle)
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup of half and half
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Toss the oil and onion into a pot over medium high heat and cook until the onion is light golden, about 8 minutes. Then toss in the tomato paste and cook for about a minute or until it turns a deeper red tone. Next, add in the garlic, ginger, chili, and garam masala and cook for about 1-2 minutes, giving the spices a chance to toast and develop their flavors a bit. Finally add in the tomatoes, sugar, and salt. Stir and let simmer with the lid on for 15 to 30 minutes depending on how long you have. After simmering remove the pot from the heat and stir in the half and half.
About 10 minutes before your sauce is finished, place the chicken breasts on a wire rack placed on a cookie sheet and place under your highest broiler setting. Discard the remaining marinate.
Cook chicken for about 5 to 8 minutes per side depending on thickness. Once finished cooking place the chicken on a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Finally slice the chicken on the diagonal and lay over stemmed jasmine rice. Top with the sauce and some chopped cilantro.
We also served garlic naan that I picked up at the store along side it and that really put the dish over the top! So good!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
XO,
Bailey
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