America's Test Kitchen Chicken Tikka Masala

I have so many favorites, but this is the most recent. Don't be scared if you don't have any experience with Indian food. This is not hard, and it's not so foreign that it wouldn't be appealing to your palate. I promise.

As far as stealing this one, I did get it off some stranger's blog after sort of going looking for it. I always try America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Illustrated recipes if I am making something I don't have prior experience (or success) with, and you have to pay to have full access to their website. So, I happened upon this one while looking up random Test Kitchen recipes, and it was a no-brainer. I was sure I would love it, and I do!

I'll post the link at the bottom of the page to the blog where I lifted it, but first I'll give you the recipe and my notes and tips. I hope you'll make it, love it, and share it!

This might look a little involved, but once you've pulled it off once, it won't seem so bad! I'd caution you not to use fat free yogurt. Low fat is okay, and full fat is better. Also, for the sauce, you can use yogurt or heavy cream interchangeably. Or half of one and half of the other, if that makes you feel better. I've done it both ways, and they were each delicious.
You are going to need just one specialty ingredient, garam masala, and Walmart does sell it. You can buy it powdered in a spice jar or in paste form. I have both, and they are both fine. I prefer the paste because it allows me to skip a step. I'll explain that in the recipe. Anyway, If you shop at Pleasant Crossing WalMart, go to the mexican food isle. When you first turn onto it, look immediately to the right, and there will be a bunch of Thai and Indian stuff. Last time, it was toward the bottom. It looks like this and costs about $3-$4. It says HOT on the label, but that's what I use, and the recipe comes out with just the amount of heat I want, so don't be scared.

One last thing: this recipe is adjusted to feed 4, technically, but it find that it's very generous.
The only thing I have a problem with sometimes is the yogurt mix. I run out (maybe I coat my chicken too heavily), so I usually make one and a half times the recipe for that part. You could probably just thin it out a bit with some milk or cream, and it would stretch a bit.
Ok, on with the show....

For the Chicken:

1 teaspoon garam masala blend plus 1 tsp salt plus 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional - I usually skip!!) OR 2 tsp (more or less if you want) garam masala paste
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup plain yogurt
2 T vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1T plus 1t fresh grated or minced ginger

For the sauce:

2-3 T vegetable oil
1 cup minced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2t grated or minced ginger
1T tomato paste plus 1T garam masasla blend OR 2T (more or less to taste) garam masala paste
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2t sugar
salt to taste
2/3 cup plain yogurt or cream
4 T chopped cilantro


Chicken:
Combine the garam masala, cayenne (if you want), and salt in a bowl, or just use garam masala paste. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then coat the chicken thoroughly with the spices, pressing to help them adhere. If using dry spices, you'll sprinkle and then pat. If using paste, you'll spread it on. Up to you. Place the chicken on a plate, cover, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. Whisk the yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger together in a medium bowl, cover, and refrigerate until needed.



Sauce:
Heat the oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, tomato paste, and garam masala and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Stir in the tomatoes and sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the yogurt or cream and cover to keep warm.
**I like my sauce pretty smooth, so I stick an immersion blender in there and work that out. You could leave it as is, or use a regular blender, too

Back to the Chicken:
Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to be 6 inches from the broiler element, and heat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil (for easy cleanup) and top with a wire rack. Using tongs, dip the chicken into the yogurt mixture so that it is thickly coated and arrange on the prepared wire rack; discard any excess yogurt mixture. Broil the chicken until the exterior is lightly charred in spots and the thickest part of the breasts registers 160 to 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through cooking. If you're into the grill this summer, you can just grill this and avoid heating your oven and kitchen up.

Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes, then cut into chunks or slices. Stir the chicken pieces into the warm sauce (do not simmer the chicken in the sauce).

Stir in the cilantro, season with salt to taste, and serve.

Eat over rice or with warm naan. Yum!

The blog from which I lifted this recipe is a really good one for great recipes. You may notice I've made a few changes to make this work a little better in my kitchen and to keep the spice level realistic for my family: http://leitesculinaria.com/17266/recipes-chicken-tikka-masala.html