Chicken Tikka Masala

I will have to say that it is slightly strange that this happens to be my first post. Left to my own devices I will gladly stay in the culinary world of Italy with a dash of garlic and basil in everything. Because I have been stuck in that rut for a while, I decided it was time to broaden my horizons and move east.

This is an amazing, simple and relatively healthy recipe that will nicely shake up any boring routine. I warn you, if you do not already own most of the spices this recipe can be become quite expensive, but just think of it as an investment in your culinary future. Also, make sure you have enough time to make this recipe. It is delicious and worth the time but it took me about 2.5 hours. To be fair I was watching TV while cooking, but still.

Because I live alone, I try to spread out my cooking as much as possible.  I set aside two servings to freeze for a quick future home cooked meal. I highly recommend doing that whenever you can so you can spread out your culinary creations and ensure you don’t get burned out on one type of food. Not to mention it is a quick meal when you don’t have a lot of time later down the road. Always make sure to freeze only the amount you will need when you reheat it. For example, if you will be feeding two with the frozen meal only freeze two servings so you don’t have to try to cut frozen food.

A better camera is on the way and next time I promise to take pictures as I go so you can see step by step.

Serves 4 to 6


Recipe slightly adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken tikka:


1/2 tsp. ground cumin


1/2 tsp. ground coriander


1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper


1 tsp. table salt


2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat


1 cup Fage total yogurt 


2 Tbsp. vegetable oil


3-4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press


1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger

For the masala sauce:


3 Tbsp. vegetable oil


1 medium onion, diced fine


3-4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed


2 tsp. grated fresh ginger


1 serrano chile, ribs and seeds removed, minced (I promise it does not make it too spicy)


2 Tbsp. tomato paste


1 Tbsp. garam masala (to make your own: combine 3 tsp. ground coriander, 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, and 1 tsp. ground black pepper)


1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper


1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes


2 tsp. sugar


1 tsp. table salt


2/3 cup heavy cream


1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Basmati rice for serving

PREPARATION

For the chicken:


1. Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 45 minutes. In large bowl, stir together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside.

For the sauce:


2. Make sure everything is chopped and ready to go before you start cooking. It will save you time. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. If your onions start to brown and look like they might burn, turn the heat down. Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, cayenne and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. If the mixture starts to burn a little on the bottom that is ok; brown is fine but if it turns black then turn the heat down. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.

3. While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat to 350. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet on broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Bake chicken until thickest parts register 130 degrees on instant-read thermometer, around 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler to finish cooking and char the outside of the chicken. The outside of the chicken should be evenly dark brown in color, make sure to flip it once.  The chicken should be at an internal temp of 160 for safety.

4. Cook the rice according to the package directions. Boil water, add the rice stir once cover and let it do its thing. If you stir the rice too much it will break up the starch on the rice and create overly sticky and mushy mess. Make sure the heat is medium low so the rice wont burn on the bottom.

5. Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce; it may get overcooked). Stir in cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve with cooked basmati rice.

This is especially good the next day when the flavors get to meld and intensify with time.