Chicken Tikka Masala
Garam Masala, The Magic Spice. There is no right way or wrong way to make Garam masala. There are as many recipes as there are people in India. You can buy it ready made from the spice section in your store or make it yourself by mixing already ground spices, or roast whole seeds and grind your own. Chicken Tikka masala is a great dish to introduce one to the wonderful spicy dishes of India. To serve I put over a bed of rice and garnished with rough chopped cilantro and sliced almonds.
Garam Masala, The Magic Spice. There is no right way or wrong way to make Garam masala. There are as many recipes as there are people in India. You can buy it ready made from the spice section in your store or make it yourself by mixing already ground spices, or roast whole seeds and grind your own. Chicken Tikka masala is a great dish to introduce one to the wonderful spicy dishes of India. To serve I put over a bed of rice and garnished with rough chopped cilantro and sliced almonds.
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon black mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon ground
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter
- for the garam masala:
- 1 tablespoon black pepper corns
- 1 tablespoon white pepper corns
- 6 whole green cardamon pods
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 3 whole star anise
- for the chicken tikka masala:
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper diced
- 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon ginger minced
- 1 handfull cilantro chopped
- 1/2 cup almonds sliced
- cilantro and almonds for garnish
- Carbohydrate 12.9476508337524 g
- Cholesterol 423.123333333333 mg
- Fat 35.7182282981391 g
- Fiber 4.67653547825373 g
- Protein 151.831189646659 g
- Saturated Fat 14.7492902628792 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (724g)
- Sodium 465.761242105465 mg
- Sugar 8.27111535549871 g
- Trans Fat 3.86964840666849 g
- Calories 1005 calories
Step-by-step
- Turn you oven on to 350?
- Put all the Garam Masala ingredients, except the nutmeg and cinnamon, on a cookie sheet and place in the oven to roast. When you start to smell all the wonderful aromas of the spices, remove and let cool.
- After the spices have cooled you need to grind them to a medium to fine grind. I do this with a coffee grinder that I use only to grind spices. I have used my motar and pestle for this also. If you use this it's best to add some olive oil and make a paste. After they have been ground, add the cinnamon and nutmeg stiring them in. Put the Garam Masala in an air tight container to store. When you are ready to make your Chicken Tikka Masala, or any other dish requiring Garam Masala you have it ready.
- It's best if you marinade your chicken. Put the chicken in a large zip-lock bag, add the yogurt and one and one-half tablespoon of the garam masala. Zip closed, and mix well. Put in your fridg. overnight if possible. If not let it set for at least four hours. After it has set as long as possible, remove and put on a cooling rack that has been set on an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet. (This will help with the clean up later.) salt and pepper to taste, and place in the oven under the broiler. Have the shelve about ten inches from the burner. This will let the chicken cook before it gets too brown. When the up side of the chicken browns, turn it over and let the other side brown. After both sides have browned and the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 170?, remove from oven and set aside
- After you have put the chicken under the broiler, You can start with the chopping, mincing, and the dicing.
- Chop the onion and put in a pan with two tablespoons butter. Cook the onion over medium high heat untill the onion starts to brown. Add the minced garlic and ginger and turn the burner to medium low. Now add the jalapeno pepper and three tablespoons of the garam masala. Stir all this in and add the can of diced tomatoes. Let this simmer for a while to get everything blended together. Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary. When satisfied with the salt and pepper, pour in one cup heavy cream and add the four tablespoons of the remaining butter. Let this simmer while you cut the chicken breast into one-half inch cubes. Add the chicken, stir into the sauce and let simmer a couple of minutes and serve over rice.
Swapping heavy cream for whole milk in this sauce changes the final viscosity dramatically, resulting in a thin gravy that fails to cling to the cubed chicken. Because dairy fat carries fat-soluble flavor compounds from the freshly toasted garam masala and aromatics, reducing that fat content alters both texture and depth.
- Grinding whole spices in a dedicated coffee grinder yields a significantly more pungent powder than pre-ground supermarket alternatives, though whole seeds retain their volatile oils for up to six months when stored in a sealed jar.
- Marinating the poultry in yogurt for at least four hours tenderizes the meat through mild acidification, breaking down surface proteins before the pieces hit the broiler pan.
- When checking doneness without a digital probe, pierce the thickest portion of the breast and watch for juices that run entirely clear rather than pink.
- Simmering the canned tomatoes prior to adding dairy prevents curdling caused by high acidity reacting directly with fresh cream.
Adjusting these foundational elements ensures the sauce maintains proper body while delivering authentic warmth. Thoughtful component swaps protect the integrity of the dish.
