Chicken Tikka Masala
Tender chicken marinated in a blend of spices, simmered in a creamy tomato sauce. It's rich, flavorful, and super easy to whip up for any night.
Servings 4 -6 servings
Calories 450kcal
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs skinless boneless chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Marinade:
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
Sauce:
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 4 cloves garlic finely grated
- 1 tbsp finely grated ginger or more to taste
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 1 13 oz/398 ml can coconut milk
- 1/2 cup water or as needed
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place chicken in a bowl and drizzle 1 tbsp vegetable oil over chicken; toss to coat.
- Whisk kosher salt, garam masala, ground cumin, ground coriander, smoked paprika, ground turmeric, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cardamom together in a small bowl. Season chicken with spice mixture and turn to coat evenly.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Cook chicken thighs until browned on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. When cool enough to handle, cut chicken into bite-size pieces.
- Reduce heat under the skillet to medium-high. Stir onion into skillet; saute until onion softens and turns translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir. Saute until paste caramelizes, about 5 minutes. Stir garlic and ginger into tomato-onion mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Pour the diced tomatoes (with the juices) into the skillet and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon. Pour in coconut milk and chicken broth; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors blend and sauce is slightly reduced, about 15 minutes.
- Stir chicken, any accumulated juices from the chicken, cilantro, and red pepper flakes into tomato mixture; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until chicken is cooked through and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Serve with steamed rice or naan bread.
Notes
Recipe slightly adapted from: Chef John
Nutrition
Calories: 450kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 800mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g