Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken tikka masala is Indian in spirit and British in birth — it came out of curry-house kitchens in the UK, built on Punjabi tandoori chicken and finished with a tomato cream sauce. It is now one of the most ordered dishes in the English-speaking world, and for good reason.

The method is two-part: marinate and char the chicken first, then build the sauce separately and bring them together at the end. Cooking the chicken in the sauce from raw gives you a stew, not a tikka masala. The char is the whole point.

Serves 4
Marinating time: 4 to 6 hours

Ingredients

For the chicken

1 lb boneless chicken thighs, cut into large chunks
Juice of 1 lemon
3/4 cup Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder
1 teaspoon ground green cardamom
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon salt

For the sauce

3 tablespoons butter or ghee
3 onions, finely sliced
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon cumin seed
2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup heavy cream or 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt

To finish

Fresh cilantro

Method

Marinate the chicken

Toss the chicken with the lemon juice and half the salt. Leave for 20 minutes — this first step firms the surface and helps the yogurt cling.

Mix the yogurt with the chili powder, cardamom, garam masala, cumin, ginger-garlic paste and remaining salt.

Coat the chicken thoroughly and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours. Overnight is fine.

Thigh meat, not breast. Breast dries out under high heat and this dish depends on high heat.

Cook the chicken

Preheat the oven to 475°F, or heat a grill.

Thread the chicken onto skewers or spread it on a rack over a sheet pan, spaced apart. Space matters — crowded chicken steams instead of charring.

Roast for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges are blackened in places and the chicken is just cooked through. Those charred edges carry the flavor of the finished dish.

Set aside. It will finish cooking in the sauce.

Make the sauce

Melt the butter in a heavy pan. Add the cumin seed and let it sizzle for 20 seconds.

Add the onions and cook slowly until deep golden — 15 minutes at least. Browned onions give the sauce its sweetness and body.

Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for another minute.

Add the chili powder, garam masala and ground coriander and stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant.

Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook for 10 minutes, until the tomatoes break down and the oil starts to separate at the edges. That separation is the signal the base is ready.

For a smooth sauce, blend at this point and return it to the pan. For a rustic one, leave it as is.

Lower the heat and stir in the cream. Add the sugar and season with salt.

Bring it together

Add the charred chicken and any juices to the sauce. Simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes.

Taste. It should be balanced — a little sweet, a little sharp, warm rather than hot.

Scatter with cilantro and serve with basmati rice or naan.

Chef’s notes

Kashmiri chili is what gives tikka masala its red color, not food coloring. It is mild, so you can use enough to get the color without making the dish punishing.

If the sauce splits when you add the cream, take it off the heat and whisk in a spoonful of cold cream. Boiling dairy is what breaks it.

Better the next day, like most things built on onions and tomato.