Chicken Tikka Masala
Serves 8
This dish was called Chicken Makhanwalla (Butter Chicken) until the British adopted it as their favorite Indian dish and its name morphed into this one. Chicken Tikka means “bite-size boneless chicken.”
12 cooked tandoori chicken thighs 12
(see recipe, page 71), divided
3 green chilies, preferably serranos 3
1 piece (1 inch/2.5 cm) peeled gingerroot 1
1 can (28 oz/796 mL) whole or 1
diced tomatoes, including juice
1⁄2 cup butter, divided 125 mL
2 tbsp freshly ground toasted cumin seeds, 25 mL
divided (see Tips, left)
2 tsp paprika 10 mL
1 cup whipping (35%) cream 250 mL
11⁄2 tsp salt or to taste 7 mL
2 tsp garam masala 10 mL
3⁄4 cup cilantro, chopped 175 mL
1. Carefully debone cooked chicken, taking care not to shred it.
2. In a food processor, process chilies and ginger. Add tomatoes with juice and purée until smooth.
3. In a large saucepan, melt 1⁄4 cup (50 mL) of the butter over medium heat. Add one-third of the chicken and sauté until edges begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Brown remaining 2 batches of chicken in the same manner, adding 2 tbsp (25 mL) of the remaining butter as needed to prevent sticking.
4. Melt remaining 2 tbsp (25 mL) of butter in saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring and scraping up all browned bits. Stir in 4 tsp (20 mL) of the cumin seeds and paprika. Stir rapidly for 1 minute.
5. Pour in tomato mixture and return to a gentle boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently to allow flavors to blend, about 10 minutes. Add cream, salt, chicken and accumulated juices. Simmer, uncovered, stirring gently a few times and scraping bottom to prevent burning, until chicken is heated through, 10 to 12 minutes.
6. Stir in garam masala and remaining cumin. Remove from heat and cover. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve garnished with cilantro.
Tips:
This dish is better prepared ahead. Let cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat on very low heat or in microwave. (If made ahead, add fresh cilantro and a little additional garam masala and cumin before serving.)
To toast cumin seeds: Spread seeds in a layer in a heavy dry skillet. Cook over medium heat, shaking skillet occasionally to toast evenly, until seeds are a little darker and aromatic, 3 to 4 minutes. Let cool. Grind to a powder in a spice grinder.
Recipes reprinted with permission from Easy Indian Cooking, by Suneeta Vaswani, Robert Rose Inc., 2004. Photos by Mark T. Shapiro.
