Chicken tikka masala is usually made with heavy cream, but I like to use coconut milk instead; its subtle sweetness works beautifully with the spices in the dish. Serve with steamed rice.
Ingredients
- skinless, boneless chicken thighs: 1.5 pound
- vegetable oil: 1 Tbsp
- kosher salt: 2 tsp
- Garam Masala: 2 tsp
- ground cumin: 2 tsp
- ground coriander: 1 tsp
- smoked paprika: 1 tsp
- ground turmeric: 1 tsp
- ground black pepper: 0.5 tsp
- cayenne pepper: 0.25 tsp
- ground cardamom: 0.125 tsp
- clarified butter (ghee): 2 Tbsp (or more if needed)
- onion: 1 piece (chopped)
- tomato paste: 0.25 cup
- garlic, finely: 4 clove (grated)
- finely grated ginger: 1 Tbsp (to taste)
- tomatoes: 1 cup (crushed)
- coconut milk: 1 can (13 ounce can)
- chicken broth: 0.5 cup (or as needed)
- cilantro: 2 Tbsp (fresh; chopped)
- red pepper flakes: 0.5 tsp
- salt and ground black pepper: 0 piece (to taste)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Place chicken in a bowl. Drizzle vegetable oil over chicken; toss to coat.
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Whisk together salt, garam masala, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cardamom in a small bowl. Sprinkle over chicken and turn to coat evenly.
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Melt clarified butter in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Cook chicken thighs in hot butter until browned on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. When cool enough to handle, cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
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Make sauce: Place the skillet with chicken drippings over medium-high heat. Stir onion into the skillet; sautГ© until onion softens and turns translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook until paste caramelizes, about 5 minutes. Stir garlic and ginger into tomato-onion mixture; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
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Pour crushed tomatoes into the skillet. 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.
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Stir chicken and any accumulated juices into sauce. Add cilantro and red pepper flakes; 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.
