The Best Chicken Tikka Masala (Recipe 40 of 125)

Photo from The Food Network

When you put the words "the best" in the title of a recipe, you'd better bring it. This recipe done brung
it!

Tikka Masala is one of my favorite Indian dishes. I don't LOVE Indian food, but there are a couple items I do love and this is one. It's a bit spice, super flavorful from the garam masala, and oh so delicious. 

I can't figure out how Indian restaurants can get the sauce cream and smooth. Maybe then blend it for a thousand years. Either way, mine had a bit texture to the sauce. It was fan-freaking-tastic so it didn't matter. I will figure out the secret though. 

Did I mention this was spicy? See what happened was, one of the ingredients I couldn't find anywhere; Kashmiri red chili powder. I googled what you can use as a substitution and Sweet Paprika and cayenne works in a pinch. I think I might have miscalculated how much cayenne should be used. No matter...it was so good. 

It'll be a repeat in this house for sure. Don't be scared away from the ingredient list or the instructions. I promise you it's easy. You do need to plan though so you can marinade the chicken (I marinated it for 3 hours.)

The Best Chicken Tikka Masala
Recipe from The Food Network

Serves 6

Chicken Marinade:

1 1/4 c whole milk yogurt

1 T finely grated ginger

4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder (or Combine sweet smoked paprika with a little cayenne for heat)

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

2 cloves garlic, finely grated

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds)

Sauce:

4 T ghee (I used regular butter here.)

1 large onion, sliced

2 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded and chopped

Kosher salt

1 T finely grated ginger

4 cloves garlic, finely grated

2 tsp dried whole fenugreek leaves (Another ingredient I couldn't find and so ignored entirely)

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder

1 tsp Hungarian paprika

One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes

1/4 c heavy cream

Chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems, for serving

Basmati rice, for serving

Naan, for serving

For the chicken marinade: Whisk together the yogurt, ginger, salt, chili powder, garam masala, pepper, turmeric and garlic in a large bowl until combined. Toss the chicken in the spiced yogurt marinade until evenly coated. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours and up to 24. (Overnight works best.)

For the sauce: Melt the ghee in a large Dutch oven or wide heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions and serrano, season with 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden and beginning to caramelize, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, until very fragrant and the ginger starts to turn golden and sticks to the bottom of the pot, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the fenugreek leaves, garam masala, chili powder and paprika and cook, stirring occasionally, until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up into pieces with a spoon, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced by half and the tomatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Let the hot sauce cool for about 5 minutes or so, then transfer it to a blender filling no more than halfway. (If your blender is small, you may need to work in batches.) Remove the center cap from the lid and place it on the blender. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel to catch splatters, and pulse until smooth. Add 1/4 cup heavy cream and puree until creamy. Pour into a clean pot and bring to a simmer. Season with salt.

Meanwhile, position a rack directly under the broiler and preheat to high. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack inside.

Arrange the chicken in a single layer on the rack. Broil until the chicken starts to brown in spots, 3 to 6 minutes per side (it will not be cooked through). Remove from the broiler. When cool enough to handle, cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces. Add the chicken to the simmering sauce, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

Top the chicken and sauce with cilantro. Serve with rice and naan.