Chicken Tikka Masala

Kathan: Megan

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 28 oz (800g) boneless and skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces OR marinade Paneer to make it vegetarian!
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon ginger
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili (or 1/2 teaspoon ground red chili powder)
  • 1 teaspoon of salt

Gravy

  • 2 tablespoons of vegetable/canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 small onions (or 1 large onion) finely diced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic finely grated
  • 1 tablespoon ginger finely grated
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 14 oz (400g) tomato puree (tomato sauce/Passata)
  • 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili
  • 1 teaspoon ground red chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups of heavy or thickened cream
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup water 
  • Cilantro for garnish

Pairs well with naan, rice, broccoli (lol – sorry Mariah).

Recipe

1

Marinate Chicken

In a bowl, combine chicken with all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade; let marinate for 10 minutes to an hour (or overnight if time allows).

2

Cook Chicken or Paneer

Two options.

  1. Add chicken to air fryer whole, air fry at 400 until done. (Megan’s preferred method)
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add chicken pieces in batches of two or three, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry until browned for only 3 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm. (You will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce

3

Cook Onions

Melt the butter in the same pan. Fry the onions until soft (about 3 minutes) while scraping up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan.

Recipe

4

Add Spices

Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant, then add garam masala, cumin, turmeric and coriander. Fry for about 20 seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.

5

Add Tomato

Pour in the tomato puree, chili powders and salt. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and becomes a deep brown red colour.

6

Finish with Cream

Stir the cream and sugar through the sauce. Add the chicken and its juices back into the pan and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling. Pour in the water to thin out the sauce, if needed.

Garnish with cilantro, serve on top of rice and/or broccoli and enjoy!

Megan

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