Simple chicken tikka masala neither mushy nor dry
Chicken tikka masala is arguably the single most popular Indian restaurant dish in the world. Turns out, it’s not an authentic Indian dish—it was invented in a London curry house.
Without historical roots, there is no definitive recipe. The variations we found had mushy or dry chicken and sauces that were unbearably rich and/or overspiced. We wanted an approachable method for producing moist, tender chunks of chicken in a rich, lightly spiced tomato sauce.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Serves: 4-6 Start to finish: 30 minutes
6 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 Tbsp garam masala
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
Combine oil and onion in Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat until softened, about five minutes. Stir in garam masala, ginger, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, cover, and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until flavours meld, about 15 minutes. Stir in cream, cover and keep warm.
Meanwhile, adjust oven rack six inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Line broiler-pan bottom with aluminum foil and lay slotted broiler pan on top. Combine yogurt, 1 tsp salt, cumin, coriander, and cayenne in medium bowl. Pound thicker ends of breasts as needed, then pat dry with paper towels.
Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on prepared broiler-pan top. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil chicken until lightly charred in spots and chicken registers 160 F, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.
Transfer chicken to cutting board, let rest for five minutes, then cut into one-inch chunks. Stir chicken into warm sauce and let heat through, about two minutes. Stir in cilantro and season with salt to taste. Serve. From Cooking At Home With Bridget And Julia by America’s Test Kitchen. For more recipes, cooking tips and ingredient and product reviews, visit americastestkitchen.com