Indian food has a special place in my heart.
I lived in Minneapolis for quite a few years and the Indian food there was amazing. I stumbled into a restaurant there (Nala Pak) when I was 22 and had a life changing experience. This nice server saw me lost and confused wanting to figure out why this restaurant was so packed. He took the time to educate a young man who wanted to try something delicious but didn’t know what! He walked me through the menu and explained the difference in all the tastes of the different varieties of his cuisine. He said his favorite dish was Tikka Masala and from that day on, I’ve fallen in love with that dish.
The recipe was originally from Wine and Food magazine and was considered their most popular recipe at foodandwine.com for years! This recipe, though seemingly simple, layers flavors and textures in a genius way. There are almonds in here, finely chopped onions and garlic, tomatoes and heavy cream. I can’t do a lot of coconut milk, so when I saw the heavy cream I got excited. This dish has the creaminess that you are looking for with the flavor pack that you are accustomed to.
This does take a bit of time to do because of the chicken thighs and the yogurt marinade. The chicken thighs wind up being very juicy and tender due to the marinade, and when you finish baking them on the broiler and put them in the pot to cook, you can see how tender they are then become ridiculously juicy. If you are not used to cooking Indian food this a great one to start with and the spice mix is standard so you will have everything you need to explore more dishes. I did make my own Naan bread with this and served it over Basmati rice, both I highly recommend.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp ginger root (freshly grated)
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 ½ tsp ground coriander
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
Chicken
- 2 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ¼ cup raw whole almonds
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp fresh ginger (grated)
- 1 ½ tbsp Garam masala
- 1 ½ tsp chile powder
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 28 oz roma tomatoes (finely diced)
- ¼ tsp sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Mix together: yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cayenne and turmeric in a large bowl (use glass or metal because it will stain).1 cup plain low-fat yogurt, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp ginger root, 1 ½ tsp ground cumin, 1 ½ tsp ground coriander, ¼ tsp ground cardamom, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- Wash chicken thighs and put in a large Ziploc bag, add marinade, massage and refrigerate for 8+ hours (long the better; max of a day).2 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
- In a small saucepan, heat a teaspoon of vegetable oil on medium. Add almonds, and cook for about 5 minutes until browned. Put on a plate and set aside to cool. When cool, pulse in food blender until finely ground.¼ cup raw whole almonds
- Pre-heat broiler to high and move rack 8 inches from broiler.
- Lightly oil a baking sheet, scrape marinade off chicken and put on baking sheet in single layer.
- Broil chicken until done, about 6 minutes on each side. It is okay for them to get some brown color, it will help the Tikka Masala. When done, put on cutting board to rest and set aside.
- Heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large enameled cast iron pot (I used a 5 quart).2 tbsp vegetable oil
- Add onions and cook for 4 minutes, until translucent1 large onion
- Add garlic and ginger to cook for another 4, onions should brown a bit and ginger/garlic get fragrant.1 tsp fresh ginger, 3 cloves garlic
- Add: garam marsala, chile powder and cayenne pepper and stir in for 1 minute. Do not let it burn, you are making flavor here!1 ½ tbsp Garam masala, 1 ½ tsp chile powder, ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- Add the 28oz can of tomatoes and their sauce as well as the sugar and stir. Partially cover and cook for 20 minutes or until thickened.28 oz roma tomatoes, ¼ tsp sugar
- Add the cream and ground almonds, and cook while occasionally stirring for 5 minutes.1 cup heavy cream
- Use a hand blender and blend tomatoes and onions until fine. It’s okay to have some chunks but a nice blend will help the chicken stand out.
- While cream is thickening, cut cooked chicken thighs into 2 inch pieces.
- Add chicken and cook for an additional 15 minutes, stir occasionally. The sauce should thicken around the chicken.
- Enjoy!salt and pepper
Notes
