Taste Buds: Chicken Tikka Masala

This was a spur of the moment thing. Last Sunday, Chef and I were at the grocery store buying chicken. And we both said, CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA! We had to Google the recipe right there and then because, come on, this is Indian food, and we knew there are spices in this dish that we didn’t have in our pantry, particularly the garam masala. And, I just found out that chicken tikka masala basically means chicken chunks (tikka) in a mixture of spices (masala). I knew that this dish is creamy and all but I had no idea that this called for yogurt, or the fact that this may have originated in London. Interesting. Here we go.

What you need for the Masala Marinade:

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

Salt and freshly ground pepper

What you need for the Chicken:

2 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken (the recipe used thighs but I used breasts)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/4 cup blanched whole almonds

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1 1/2 tablespoons garam masala

1 1/2 teaspoons pure chile powder (or less, really. I used exactly 1 1/2 teaspoons and man, this dish is soooo spicy.)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

One 35-ounce can peeled tomatoes, finely chopped, juices reserved

Pinch of sugar

1 cup heavy cream

How you do it:

In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cayenne and turmeric. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the chicken into 2-inch pieces. Add the chicken to the marinade, turn to coat and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the broiler and position a rack about 8 inches from the heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade; scrape off as much of the marinade as possible. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and spread the pieces on a baking sheet. Broil the chicken, turning once or twice, until just cooked through and browned in spots, about 12 minutes.

Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a small skillet. Add the almonds and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the almonds to a plate and let cool completely. In a food processor, pulse the almonds until finely ground.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until shimmering in a large enameled cast-iron casserole. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garam masala, chile powder and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes with their juices and the sugar and season with salt and pepper. Cover partially and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Add the cream and ground almonds and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes longer. Stir in the chicken; simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, and serve.

I needed lots of rice with how spicy this is. I was truly sweating while eating! Now that I know, I would tone down the chili powder. Nonetheless, this was awesome! Looks like I did Chef proud again!