Name: Chef John's Chicken Tikka Masala
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: English
Ingredients: 1.5 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 2 teaspoons garam masala; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper; 0.25 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 0.125 teaspoon ground cardamom; 2 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee), or more as needed; 1 onion, chopped; 0.25 cup tomato paste; 4 cloves garlic, finely grated; 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger, or more to taste; 1 cup crushed tomatoes; 1 (13 ounce) can coconut milk; 0.5 cup chicken broth, or as needed; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro; 0.5 teaspoon red pepper flakes; salt and ground black pepper to taste

Chef John's Chicken Tikka Masala

This chicken tikka masala recipe is Chef John's version of the popular British-Indian dish of spicy chicken cooked in a creamy coconut-tomato sauce.

1 hr 10 min total 25 min prep 45 min cook 4 625 cal

Instructions

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1 Gather all ingredients. Place chicken in a bowl. Drizzle vegetable oil over chicken; toss to coat.
2 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.
3 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.
4 Make sauce: Place the skillet with chicken drippings over medium-high heat. Stir onion into the skillet; sauté 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.
5 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.
6 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.