Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients

• Chicken thighs · bite-size500 g
• Marinade
• Plain yogurt0.5 cup
• Lemon juice1 tbsp
• Minced garlic & ginger1 tbsp
• Garam masala1 tsp
• Turmeric, paprika, cumin · each1 tsp
• Salt1 tsp
• Masala sauce
• Onion · chopped1
• Minced garlic & ginger1 tbsp
• Tomato puree · or chopped tomatoes1 cup
• Heavy cream0.5 cup
• Garam masala1 tsp
• Chili powder · to taste0.5 tsp
• Butter2 tbsp
• Cilantro · garnish

Steps

1. Toss the chicken in the marinade and chill at least 30 minutes (overnight if you can).

   ⏲ 30 min

2. Sear the marinated chicken in a hot pan until charred outside; it needn't be fully cooked through. Set aside.

   ⏲ 7 min

3. Melt the butter in the same pan, cook the onion, then add the garlic and ginger until fragrant.

   ⏲ 5 min

4. Add the tomato puree, garam masala, and chili powder and cook 5-7 minutes until the oil separates.

   ⏲ 7 min

5. Stir in the cream to smooth the sauce, return the chicken, and simmer 5 more minutes until cooked through.

   ⏲ 5 min

6. Season with salt and top with cilantro. Serve with rice or naan.

   ⏲ 1 min

Tips & Variations

The basics behind this dish

• Browning and the Maillard ReactionMeat fails to brown for one of three reasons: it is wet, the pan is cool, or you put too much in at once. Plus how the brown film stuck to the pan becomes your sauce.
• Cooking Meat: Temperature, Resting, and Cutting Against the GrainDoneness is a core temperature, not a number of minutes. What resting actually does, how to handle a thick cut, and why the direction you slice changes the texture.
• Knife Skills: Grip, Cuts, and Why Size MattersHow you hold the knife matters more than how fast you cut. The pinch grip, the claw hand, and why uniform size is a cooking decision rather than a cosmetic one.