Chicken Tikka Masala makes me holla

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Although my roots are deeply southern, I’d say some of my most favorite cuisine is Thai and Indian. I have always loved spicy food so when I was introduced to both these cuisines in college, my taste buds were in quite the shock….in the most excellent of ways. Hands down, the best Indian food I’ve ever had was not in a restaurant. It was when I visited my friend Jessey in New Jersey. We went to her parent’s house for dinner and I was treated to the most wonderful Indian dishes I had ever had. I still think about that meal….even a decade later. I also think about how accommodating her family was when I noticed my table setting was the only one with silverware. What I also learned that night was that it is not uncommon in Indian culture to eat with your hands. Clearly, they took one look at this girl from Texas and was like….yeah, that’s not gonna end well, she needs a fork. They couldn’t have been more right, when I eat with my hands, it’s like when Cookie Monster eats a cookie.

ANYWAY, I never thought I’d be able to pull off Thai or Indian food but after watching countless videos, trying numerous recipes and honestly, just having a serious love for the dishes, I was ready to give it a go. AND….man, did I have to give it a go…like a lot of goes. In fact, I screwed up more chicken tikka masala dishes than anyone should ever really admit to, especially someone who calls herself an amateur chef. Although this isn’t a dish that was created in India (its origin likely came from Great Britain), it’s become a very popular dish at Indian restaurants, especially in the States. Below is my recipe tweaked from various other recipes I found and changed up slightly. Enjoy!

*Note: I have also included the crockpot version of this recipe below

Ingredients:

  • 2lbs chicken thighs
  • 1 cup plain yogurt (not Greek yogurt)
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
  • 1 large yellow onion finely chopped
  • 4 cloves fresh garlic (minced)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh peeled ginger finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 3 tablespoons garam masala
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder (teaspoon if you are sensitive to spicy)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:

  • Cut the chicken thighs into bite size pieces. Combine the chicken yogurt, squeeze about 1/2 the juice from the lemon, add a tablespoon of the ginger, 1 tablespoon of the garam masala and mix well. Marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours. You can marinate for 6-8 as marinating it for longer only gives it that much more flavor
  • Add the marinated chicken to a skillet in the heated olive oil, browning on both sides (you do not need to cook all the way through yet). My friend Jessey accurately pointed out that the yogurt marinade can make the chicken char a bit so keep an eye on it and don’t brown too long!
  • Set the chicken aside
  • In the same skillet, add the onion until nicely browned, proceed to add the garlic and ginger and cook for about 1 minute
  • Add the coriander powder, cumin, turmeric, cumin, paprika & the remaining garam masala. Cook until fragrant (about 30-45 seconds)
  • Add tomato paste and red chili powder and cook until the paste is nice and reddish/brown. Add salt to taste
  • Add back the chicken and add the heavy cream, cooking for an additional 15-20 minutes on low to medium heat until mixture is thickened.
  • Serve over rice garnishing with the cilantro
  • I also serve with garlic naan

I have made this in a slow cooker as well, changing up the recipe slightly. Both are excellent. For the slow cooker version, don’t brown the chicken in the skillet. You’ll just add the chicken mixture straight to the crockpot. Cook the onions, garlic, ginger, spices and tomato paste as the recipe calls for above. Add it to the chicken in the crockpot when done and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4. Remember, if you cook on high, you’ll need to stir much more frequently. Add the heavy cream 30-40 minutes before you’re ready to serve. Cook for the remaining time uncovered if you want it a little more thick. I’m always a fan of cooking dishes that have a lot of bold flavors over time to really let all the ingredients simmer together. However, I know there are many benefits to a recipe that takes all of 30-45 minutes!