Charred yogurt-marinated chicken simmered in a creamy tomato-cardamom sauce. Better than takeout, on the table in under an hour, and the marinade does most of the work.
Ingredients
Chicken marinade
- 1½ lbboneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1.5-inch pieces
- 1 cupplain whole-milk yogurt
- 2 tbsplemon juice
- 1 tbspfresh ginger, grated
- 4garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tspground cumin
- 2 tspsweet paprika
- 1 tspground turmeric
- 1 tspkosher salt
Sauce
- 3 tbspunsalted butter
- 1yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 tbspfresh ginger, grated
- 4garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tspground coriander
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tspsmoked paprika
- ½ tspground cardamom
- 28 ozcanned crushed tomatoes
- ¾ cupheavy cream
- 1 tspgaram masala
- 1 tspdried fenugreek leaves, kasuri methi, optional
- 1 tspkosher salt, or to taste
To serve
- basmati rice
- naan
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- lime wedges
- 1
In a large bowl, whisk together all the marinade ingredients except the chicken. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, ideally 2 hours, or up to overnight.
- 2
Heat your broiler to high. Line a sheet pan with foil and arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer, leaving a little space between each. Broil 6 inches from the heat for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are charred and the chicken is just cooked through. Set aside.
- 3
While the chicken broils, make the sauce. Melt the butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden.
- 4
Stir in the garlic and ginger. Cook for 1 minute. Add the coriander, cumin, smoked paprika, and cardamom; cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- 5
Pour in the crushed tomatoes and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly.
- 6
Stir in the heavy cream, garam masala, and fenugreek (if using). Add the broiled chicken and any juices from the pan. Simmer for 5 more minutes until the sauce has fully come together. Taste and adjust salt.
- 7
Serve over basmati rice with warm naan, topped with a swirl of cream and chopped cilantro. Lime wedges on the side.
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- Protein36 g29%
- Carbs22 g18%
- Fat30 g53%
More detail
- Fiber4 g
- Sugar9 g
- Saturated fat14 g
- Cholesterol165 mg
- Sodium920 mg
Nutrition values are estimates based on standard ingredient databases. Actual values may vary depending on brands, substitutions, and serving sizes.
Chicken tikka masala is, depending on who you ask, the national dish of Britain, an invention of Glasgow, or a North Indian classic that someone tweaked. The history is murky. The dish is universally loved.
What it actually is: chicken pieces marinated in spiced yogurt, charred at high heat, then finished in a creamy tomato-based sauce. Two distinct cooking steps, both important. The char on the chicken — bits of black, slightly crisp — is what separates this from a generic chicken curry. It cannot be skipped.
The marinade is the recipe
Most of the flavor in the chicken happens before it ever touches the heat. The yogurt tenderizes; the spices coat every fiber. Marinate at minimum 30 minutes, ideally 2 hours, up to overnight. Longer is better up to about 12 hours, after which the yogurt starts breaking down the meat too far.
Don't substitute the yogurt for sour cream or anything else. Plain whole-milk yogurt — Greek if you have it — is the right thing. It needs to be tangy and thick enough to cling to the chicken.
Getting the char
You need real high heat. A broiler set to high, the rack 6 inches from the element. Cast iron skillet on the stovetop over the highest heat your range will produce. A grill if it is summer. The chicken should come out with bits of charred edges and slightly underdone interiors — they finish in the sauce.
If you flip too early or move it around in the pan, you will not get the char. Place the pieces, leave them, walk away for 4 minutes, then flip. Patience is the technique.
The sauce
The sauce is built on butter, onion, garlic, ginger, and spices, then thickened with crushed tomatoes and finished with cream. Garam masala goes in at the end, not the beginning, so the flavors stay bright. A pinch of dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) is the secret that takes it from "good" to "tastes like a Punjabi grandmother made it." If you cannot find it, do not fret — the dish is still excellent without.
Serve it right
Basmati rice. Naan if you can find it (or make it — flour, yogurt, baking powder, twenty minutes). Chopped cilantro and a slick of cream over the top of each bowl. A wedge of lime on the side.