chef john's chicken tikka masala

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 1/2 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
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee), or more as needed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 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
• 1/2 cup chicken broth, or as needed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Recipe

Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 45 mins Ready Time: 1 hr 10 mins


• place chicken in a bowl and drizzle vegetable oil over chicken; toss to coat.
• whisk kosher salt, garam masala, ground cumin, ground coriander, smoked paprika, ground turmeric, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cardamom together in a small bowl. season chicken with spice mixture and turn to coat evenly.
• 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-size pieces.
• reduce heat under the skillet to medium-high. stir onion into skillet; saute until onion softens and turns translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. add tomato paste and stir. saute until paste caramelizes, about 5 minutes. stir garlic and ginger into tomato-onion mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• pour the crushed tomatoes into the skillet and 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.
• stir chicken, any accumulated juices from the chicken, cilantro, and red pepper flakes into tomato mixture; 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.