CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

SERVES 4 PREP 20 mins plus up to 24 hrs marinating COOK 3-4 hrs MORE EFFORT G

What The origins of this Anglo-indian curry are uncertain, but we can agree that – at its best – it’s an irresistible combination of smoky tandoor-charred chicken in a delicately spiced, mop-the-plate-clean tomato-based sauce. When eaten out, the quality and flavour of this dish can vary hugely, carrying with it a bad rep for luminous red sauces – all the reason to master it yourself at home.

How Often described as a dish that’s too complicated to make at home, we’ve simplified the tandoor method of cooking the chicken. In terms of flavour, we’ve taken inspiration from the Indian recipes that have culminated to become the British classic, and added the juices from the grilled chicken (as a tandoori street vendor would do), to deliver something as good as you would get in a restaurant, but easily made at home.

MARINATING

The chicken thigh meat will be more tender and have a more rounded flavour the longer you leave it to marinate. If you’re using breast meat, however, the prime time to marinate would be around 12 hrs. As the marinade contains lime juice, salt and yogurt (also an acid), any longer and the meat may become mushy.

MAKE IT BITE-SIZED

Did you know that tikka means pieces? If you would rather not tackle bone-in thighs, cut the meat off the bone into chunks after grilling.

SIMPLE SEASONING

Traditionally, garam masala is only added at the end of the dish to give a stronger hit of spice, so we’ve done the same, and added a little smoked salt to replicate that smoky flavour of the tandoor, too.

WHY USE THIGHS?

This dish is usually made with chunks of breast meat, but thigh stays juicier and more tender when cooked for longer. We’ve kept ours on the bone, which adds flavour when slow cooking and also gives neater pieces of chicken that are easier to char.

ADD COLOUR

If tikka masala to you means a bright red curry, then add a tiny drop of red colouring can be added. It isn’t essential – we achieved a red colour we were happy with by using passata and tomato purée.

ABOUT FRESH SPICES

Ground spices lose their aroma quickly and taste dull when they’re old, so try to use the freshest possible. We’ve used ground spices for convenience, but you can easily toast the whole seeds of the spices and grind them yourself to achieve the best flavour.

BUTTER IS BEST

The recipe for tikka masala is based on butter chicken, so don’t be shy when using butter or Indian clarified butter (ghee) to make this dish.

MAKE IT CREAMY

Double cream is often used, but we like adding some crème fraîche for its slightly sour flavour.

INDOOR TANDOOR

To replicate the intense heat of a tandoor oven, we’ve used a grill to char the chicken, but you could also use a very hot barbecue. Whichever method you go for, you’re aiming to cook the chicken until it’s medium charred.

USING PASSATA

We’ve taken the fuss out of skinning and chopping fresh tomatoes by using passata, and gave it a tomato flavour boost with a squeeze of tomato purée.