Chicken Tikka Masala
★ Issue CMSC·21–027 · Published 04 Jul 2021
IndianMain

Chicken Tikka Masala.

Yogurt and bold spices overnight, then a hard sear locks everything into rich tomato sauce

PREP 25 min
COOK 30 min
TOTAL 8:55 hours
SERVES 6 people
HEAT hot
BLEND RATING 4.9 140 reviews · Chain Reaction®
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You'll need
Mixing bowlDutch ovenGrillChef knife

Yogurt and bold spices overnight, then a hard sear locks everything into rich tomato sauce

Ingredients

for the chicken tikka

  • 2-1/2 pounds chicken meat
  • 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Casa M Spice Co® Uncontrolled Casa M Spice Co® Chain Reaction® Add
  • 1 teaspoon Casa M Spice Co® Uncontrolled Casa M Spice Co® Pecking Order® Add
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup plain yoghurt

for the masala sauce

  • 2 Tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 large sweet onion, diced
  • 2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 6 ounces tomato paste, mixed well into the tomatoes below
  • 28 ounces peeled whole tomatoes with all juices, crushed by hand
  • 3 Tablespoons garam masala
  • 4 Tablespoons Casa M Spice Co® Pecking Order® Add
  • 2 Tablespoons Casa M Spice Co® Chain Reaction® Add
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, plucked

pulling it all together

  • 1-1/2 cup of cooked long grain white rice per serving
  • 1 piece of naan flatbread per serving

Method

  1. 01

    Mix dry spices and ginger-garlic paste

    5 min

    Bloom those spices in the ginger-garlic paste so they wake up and marry together—you're building the flavor foundation here, so don't rush it.

  2. 02

    Coat chicken with oil, spices, and ginger-garlic

    8 min

    Make sure every piece of chicken gets an even coat, working the marinade into all the nooks and crevices; you want color and crust later, not bare spots.

  3. 03

    Marinate chicken in refrigerator overnight

    720 min

    Can marinate 12-72 hours; longer is better.

  4. 04

    Add yoghurt to chicken and marinate 2 hours

    120 min

    Do this 2 hours before cooking starts.

  5. 05

    Preheat grill to medium heat

    10 min

    Let the grill stabilize at medium heat and oil your grates well—you're after a golden sear on the chicken, not char marks from a flare-up.

  6. 06

    Sauté onions, garlic, and jalapeños until browning

    8 min

    Use thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.

  7. 07

    Oil grill grates and grill chicken 10 minutes

    10 min

    First side; set timer.

  8. 08

    Add spices to vegetables and cook 2 minutes

    2 min

    Reduce heat to medium.

  9. 09

    Add tomatoes and cook until chicken flip time

    8 min

    About 8 minutes remaining on first grill side.

  10. 10

    Flip chicken and grill until 155°F internal

    10 min

    Second side; check internal temp.

  11. 11

    Add cream to sauce, reduce heat, and cover

    10 min

    Simmer on low while chicken finishes.

  12. 12

    Rest chicken off grill for 5 minutes

    5 min

    Let the chicken rest so the carryover heat finishes the cook and the juices redistribute; you'll see the meat relax and firm up slightly when it's ready for the sauce.

  13. 13

    Cut chicken and fold into sauce with cilantro

    5 min

    Do not cook chicken in sauce; just mix.

From Mike's Notebook

01

The yogurt goes in last, two hours before cooking—it keeps the chicken tender instead of drying it out on the grill.

02

Grill marks matter less than internal temp at 155°F; pull it early and it'll keep cooking in the sauce.

03

That hard sear on the chicken happens fast; don't walk away during those first ten minutes.

Nutrition

890 Calories / serving
49 gProtein
52 gTotal Fat
23 gSat. Fat
52 gCarbs
5 gFiber
9 gSugars
1150 mgSodium

Estimated · 1 serving · calculated from the ingredient list, not lab-tested.

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