Indian Kitchen: Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

 It is time to put away the frozen food and pizza and get to cooking. Cooking isn’t the easiest task, but when the result is a delicious Indian meal, it doesn’t seem so bad after all. The wonderful aroma of the Indian spices throughout the kitchen will lure in your dinner guests and make them crave your exotic dish. With the help of the owner of Saffron Indian Cuisine and professional chef, Sunil Handa, we got the recipe of a popular Indian dish: Chicken Tikka Masala.

Sunil Handa has 30 years of experience in hospitality. He started his career in five star HOTELS IN India, working at Ashoka Hotel, Hyatt Regency, and Kanishka. Him and his wife, Renu, have owned restaurants for the last ten years starting in California. He currently pursues his passion in the food industry as the owner of Saffron Indian Cuisine located in Charlotte, North Carolina.

What You Need

• 3-4 pounds of chicken breast meat cut in small pieces
• 1 Greek Yogurt
• salt, ginger, garlic paste 1 spoon
• 1 spoon cumin powder
• 1 spoon coriander powder
• 1 spoon tandoori or garam masala
• 2 teaspoons of oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of Chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of Turmeric powder

For sauce:

• 1 onion & 4 tomatoes cut into 4 pieces to make a paste in blender

 Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe – How to Make It

1. Take 3-4 pounds of chicken breast meat cut into small pieces
2. Mix together 1 spoon of salt, ginger, garlic paste, 1 spoon of cumin powder, 1 spoon of coriander powder, 1 spoon of tandoori or garam masala, 2 teaspoons of oil, and a teaspoon of chili pepper and turmeric powder to make the paste.
3. Marinate chicken in 3 cups of plain yogurt and spices that you just made. Leave it in refrigerator for one hour.
4.  Barbeque the chicken on a grill or oven, cook 80% of it and then cook the rest in the sauce.
5. For the sauce, cut one onion and 3-4 tomatoes in small pieces or grind it to make a paste
6. In a sauce pan add oil, the onions, and whole masala (cloaves, bayleaf, cuminseeds, small green cardamom) and cook until it turns golden brown. Then add turmeric powder, chili powder, garam masala, cumin, coriander powder, salt, and a little water so the sauce does not burn.
7.  Once the sauce is done, add in the barbeque chicken until the chicken is cooked enough and the sauce is thick enough.
8. Add some cream and Kasturi Methi powder to the dish
9.  Sprinkle some cilantro on the dish before serving. The dish can be served with rice or Naan bread.