A moist, tender not-so-classic
Chefs tinkered with recipe to avoid dry meat and an unbearably rich sauce
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
CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA
Serves: 4-6
6 tbsp (90 mL) vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped fine
1 tbsp (15 mL) garam masala 1 tbsp (15 mL) grated fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced 28-oz (795-mL) can crushed tomatoes
2/3 cup (160 mL) heavy cream 1 cup (250 mL) plain Greek yogurt
Salt
1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin
1 tsp (5 mL) ground coriander 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) cayenne pepper 2 lbs (907 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
1/4 cup (60 mL) minced fresh cilantro
1. Combine oil and onion in Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garam masala, ginger and garlic, and cook for about 30 seconds.
2. Stir in tomatoes, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Stir in cream, cover, and keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack 6 inches (15 cm) from broiler element and heat broiler. Line broiler-pan bottom with aluminum foil and lay slotted broiler pan on top.
4. Combine yogurt, 1 tsp
(5 mL) salt, cumin, coriander and cayenne in medium bowl. Pound thicker ends of breasts as needed, then pat dry with paper towels.
5. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should 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. be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on prepared broiler-pan top.
6. Broil chicken until lightly charred in spots and meat registers 160 F (70 C), 10 to 18 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.
7. Transfer chicken to cutting board, let rest for 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks. Stir chicken into warm sauce, about 2 minutes. Stir in cilantro and season with salt to taste. Serve.