Chicken Tikka Masala
from my dear Sarah
Ingredients
Marinade
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken cut into strips or large cubes
Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno chile, minced
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Method
Combine everything on the marinade list, including the chicken. Marinate in a plastic Ziploc gallon bag in the fridge for at least 2 hours (overnight is better.)
If you have a gas grill or grill pan, grill the chicken until slightly undercooked. If you have a charcoal grill, thread the chicken onto skewers first.
Set the lightly grilled chicken aside on a plate. Melt the butter and flour in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and jalapeño, and stir for a minute. Stir in the seasonings, and salt. Add the tomato sauce, and stir for one minute. Add the half-and-half, and simmer until the sauce thickens.
Add the chicken to the sauce (remove it from the skewers if you did this) and let simmer for a couple of minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve over basmati rice.
NOTES
I had never tried tikka masala before I made it with this recipe, so I have nothing to say regarding its authenticity or resemblance to anyone's traditional Indian (or, rather, British) version of this dish. All I can say is I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. Oh my god so much. Every time I made it, I spent the following morning at work anxious and fidgety waiting for lunchtime to draw near so I could inhale the leftovers. So good. I could use all the adjectives in my arsenal, but instead, I'll simply suggest you try it for yourself. PLEASE.
Also? I've taken easily to pan frying the chicken without worrying about skewers or even indoor grill pans and it works juuust fine.
UPDATE: I no longer make this version, but have left it here for others' use, as it seems to be a very popular post. For my updated and, in my opinion, perfected version, please see my new post Chicken Tikka Masala
28 comments:
oh, don't get me started on food photography... mine stinks!! If all I had to worry about was a little too much cilantro, I"d be in good shape. I just can't seem to get a crisp photo. Everything looks a little blurry...
I love chicken tikka masala and will definitely try it. I'll just close my eyes when I add the half -n- half so I don't know that it's in there. And if you loved this, you should try the tandoori lamb on my blog which is phenomenal. It's traditionally made with chicken.
see, it's all about perspective.
i'll admit indian food makes me nervous. i love to eat it, but don't have a good enough perspective on it to actually cook it. what is tikka masala supposed to taste like anyway? restaurants around here are even inconsistent with flavoring. is it supposed to have a kinda sour taste to it or spicy?
Yum!! That looks so gorgeous. I made this last spring and I thought mine was kinda tomatoey, I like that yours has more cream and less tomato sauce. I love love Indian food all of a sudden and I mourn the many years I spent thinking I didn't like it.
Ok, I LOVE tikka masala and have been looking for a go-to recipe for ages. This is perfect. THANK YOU!
i think the photos are fine... but what in the heck do i know.
you know how i feel about how you are branching out... soon we'll be seeing everything from you. no fear!
Huh? I think the photos are good. They're clear, bright, and make me want to eat this.
Love Indian food. My sister and I used to frequent this dive restaurant in Sacramento and I miss it. Paul doesn't care for Indian cuisine, so I don't cook it at home. BUT...I see there's another reason to use my grill! Like this won't be put on the to-do list.
Don't you just love when you make something so good that you can't wait for lunch? Sauces like this are even better the next day too!
This looks like something I would like to try, more of a Saturday evening dish when I'm not rushed and can enjoy a glass of wine while I'm cooking!
It's not always easy to cook , write and shoot photography all at once and ALL after work! Love anything tikka masala! YUM!
I didn't expect to find Indian food on this blog, I came here looking for Mexcian recipe.
But this Indian dish looks delicious!
That looks so delicious, Melissa! Once I get over turkey saturation, I will definitely give this a shot.
(minus the ginger, which would be ugly)
Looks damn good to me. Anything with cilantro -- yum. I might have to try this recipe. Seems simple enough, even for me.
Thanks, M.
That's funny about Steve critiquing your photos...sometimes Larry gets a little too involved in that part of the process too...I have to shoo him away, lol.
I have never had this, it looks delicious. I love love love cilantro...and that creamy yogurt sauce. I'm starring this one, for a night I want to go out of the "comfort zone"!
And btw...your photos look great girl!! :)
To all, a note about my photos - I appreciate the photo love and I'm actually fine with many of them. But I am a perfectionist so I'm always looking for improvement. As it is, I have to process my photos with Google Picasa (sharpen, take the yellow out) every single time. And I love that Steve is even more detailed. His shots of my food have always been not just clear or nice, but somewhat artistic, like he has a food stylist's eye. And I appreciate that! It makes for a nice balance between us two.
Julia - I'll go look at your tandoori recipe right now (actually, I just did, it's printing), though you know me and lamb... I may just make it with chicken. :)
Cali - Right? Perspective. As for the dish, I have no idea what it's supposed to taste like haha, I just made it because my Sarah kept making it look so good. I don't even eat Indian food really and it's a cuisine I am entirely unfamiliar with. But it tastes... a bit spicy, tangy, savory, earthy... a lot of stuff rolled into one. God, I love it.
katie - I thought I didn't like it either, but I'm finding out otherwise. Yay for both of us. Funny you say that about the creamy vs. tomato-ey because Steve wanted it with less cream. I *adored* it as it was.
Blythe - Try it try it!!
K - No fear!
Amy - I so wish I had a grill for this. My cast iron skillet or large everyday ss pan work well, but it would be awesome to have the charred flavor on the chicken. Let me know if you do it.
Katherine - I think you're right, about the sauce, sitting for a day. Mmmm. And This dish is eeeasy to do, but you really should do it two-day and do the marinade overnight. Makes it incredible.
Rose - Thank you!! And ain't that the truth?
Rate This Recipe! - Um, hehe, I suppose I make a bit of Mexican stuff these days, but I like to make everything. Thanks for reading!
Paula - What's hilarious is that the three days before Thanksgiving (well, Sun/Mon/Tue), I made three chicken dishes. Crazy, eh?
Cary - Very simple. Mostly just measuring spices from jars. You mince garlic and jalapeno and cube the chicken, but that's nothin'.
Aggie - Thanks hon. You should try this. Knowing your palate, I bet you would really appreciate the complexity.
Your photos look way better than mine! The problem is I don't pay much attention to details. I just shoot - then wonder why my food doesn't always look appetizing. If I let my husband take the photos, it always looks much better because he has a big, nifty, expensive digital SLR that he's not afraid to play with. I stopped playing with my camera when I traded in my old school, film-loaded, 35mm, SLR with totally manual settings for a digital.
We love Indian food in our house, so this is right up our alley. I don't know why I never thought to try this. One time I did something semi-tandoori-ish by marinating chicken in yogurt and cooking it in my clay pot. However, I used totally non-Indian spices. I just felt the clay pot and yogurt marinade were tandoori-like.
Well Rachel, I suppose that IS tandoori-like. This was the first Indian type dish I've ever cooked at home. I definitely have to try more. Tandoori first.
It's in the frig marinating for tomorrow's dinner. I can't wait!!
YAY!!
Just finished dinner. Fantastic!!! Paul and I both loved it...the kids, not so much, but I pretty much knew I'd need a back up for them. I cook with cumin a lot and they just haven't warmed up to it yet.
I cut the chicken in large cubes and put them on skewers, as suggested. Then grilled them for about 5 minutes per side.
I can totally see what you mean about looking forward to the leftovers. I swear, I would be happy with just the sauce and rice.
There's barely enough for both of us to have lunch tomorrow - we might have to fight it out.
Really great, easy dish!
I'm so glad you liked it!! It wouldn't be on here if I didn't think it was worth passing on, but you know it's always kind of nerve-wracking to do that. I know just what you mean about the sauce and rice. That's the really heavenly part for SURE. Enjoy your lunch. :D
yum...looks delightful!
I love tikka masala. It's a regular part of the repetoire -- though we haven't made it for a while. We pan fry ours too.
This looks awesome, Melissa! I have never made chicken tikka masala - but it is one dish I would love to try - thanks for showing us the way! :)
Thanks Jenn, PG and OM. Much appreciated!
Chicken tikka masala is testy and can become healthy if used Patan ghee in a large quantity.... In India we do eat spicy food but use Patan ghee which protects us affecting from stomach problems... Cheers....
More power to you, your photos came out far better than mine usually do, most times I have to resort to having my wife take pictures - hers are always centered and in focus.
Thank you for the recipe! We made it for the second time tonight, and it's delicious. My three-year-old calls it "the spicy chicken I love so much"!
Thank you, Laura. To have you make the recipe more than once, and to have your family enjoy it so much, is a huge compliment and is much appreciated.
I also can't help but be amused at your timing - I am also making this tonight! I marinated the chicken last night and I can't wait.
UPDATE: I no longer make this version, but have left it here for others' use, as it seems to be a very popular post.
For my updated and, in my opinion, perfected version, please see my new post Chicken Tikka Masala
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