Chicken Tikka Masala

I adore Indian food--ADORE!!!  You think it would, therefore, be easy to find a recipe that matches the flavors I adore so.  Well, not as easy as you might think.  Turns out, I didn't know which region of India the dishes I liked came from until I started asking.  The Northern and Southern regions are vastly different.  Turns out that I prefer North Indian cuisine.  Here is Chicken Tikka Masala recipe I modified from http://www.grouprecipes.com/.  I did alter the recipe by marinading the chicken in the yogurt mixture, and I also added lite coconut milk instead of heavy cream.  I prefer my tikka masala to be a bit sweeter, not a lot, just not tart which can tend to happen with all the tomatoes; add more sugar if you are like me.  Also, it tastes better the next dayafter the spices had time to meld all together.  I got another recipe to make my own garam masala in case I couldn't find any, but luckily Whole Foods had it. 


Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients

---

• chicken Tikka: 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed of fat
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (see note above)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil shopping list
• 2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 
• masala Sauce: 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 
• 1 medium onion , diced fine (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons) *You could alternatively use the bottled variety; I recommend Christopher Ranch garlic
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger 
• 1 fresh serrano chile , ribs and seeds removed, flesh minced, or canned green chilies. 
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste 
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2-3 teaspoons sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2/3 cup lite coconut milk
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves 

How to make it 

---

• The Problem: Chicken tikka masala is not an authentic Indian dish—it was invented in a London curry house. Without historical roots, there is no definitive recipe. The variations we found had mushy or dry chicken and sauces that were unbearably rich and/or overspiced.
• The Goal: The promise of a new way to cook chicken with exotic flavors holds plenty of appeal—especially if the recipe can be kept simple and made with readily available ingredients.
• The Solution: To season the bird, we rubbed it with salt, coriander, cumin, and cayenne and refrigerated it for 30 to 60 minutes. Then we dipped it in yogurt mixed with oil, garlic, and ginger. To cook the chicken, we chose to keep this a year-round recipe by using the broiler instead of the grill. And since large pieces don't dry out as quickly as smaller ones under the broiler, we cooked the chicken breasts whole, only cutting them into pieces after cooking. While the chicken was cooking, we made the masala sauce. Masala means "hot spice," and the ingredients in a masala sauce depend on the whim of the cook, although tomatoes and cream are always present. We added onions, ginger, garlic, chile, and a readily available commercial garam masala spice mixture (McCormick won a recent taste test). A little tomato paste and sugar gave our sauce color and sweetness.
• 1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside. (Note that restaurant Tikka Masala will sit in the mixture ideally overnight, per another group recipes user who commented on this recipe)
• 2. FOR THE SAUCE: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.
• 3. While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil chicken until thickest parts register 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.
• 4. Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve.