Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe – A Spicy Treat For Your Family!

Directions

• Preparation
• You may start by preparing the ginger garlic paste for your chicken tikka.
• Add the garlic cloves and ginger to your mortar and pestle or blender.
• Grind everything together until you get a smooth paste.
• You may add some water to facilitate the grinding process using the blender.
• Leave your ginger-garlic paste aside until you need it.
  
  
• Marinating The Chicken
• Pat dry your chicken pieces with clean paper tissues to remove excess moisture. Set them aside until you need them.
• Heat one tablespoon of mustard oil in a frying pan until smoking hot. Let it cool down until lukewarm.
• Then transfer the warm oil to a large mixing bowl. Add in one and a half teaspoons of red chile powder, Garam Masala, turmeric powder, one teaspoon of coriander powder, half a teaspoon of cumin powder, one tablespoon of dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi), lemon juice, and half a teaspoon of salt, along with one tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste, and Greek yogurt/ hung curd.
• Give everything a good mix and add the cleaned chicken pieces into this marinade. Apply the marinade to the chicken until well coated, cover the bowl with a cling wrap, and put it in the refrigerator to season for about 8-12 hours. You may go up to 48 hours if you have enough time.
  
  
• Grilling The Chicken
• Preheat your oven to 460 Fahrenheit.
• In the meantime, thread your chicken pieces to the wooden or metal skewers.
• Place them on the prepared tray and bake them for 10 minutes at 460 F.
• After 10 minutes, turn the skewers to the other side using a pair of tongs and grill them for another 10 minutes.
• To char the chicken slightly, you may broil them for about 3 more minutes.
• Take the chicken out of the oven and set them aside until needed.
• You may cook the chicken on a skillet or in the air-fryer. Check notes for instructions.
  
  
• Making The Tikka Sauce/ Gravy
• Add ghee (clarified butter) into a pan and heat it over medium-high flame.
• Add the onions with one teaspoon of salt and saute until the onions turn deep golden brown.
• Follow up with the leftover ginger-garlic paste, chopped green chilies and saute until everything becomes aromatic. This might take about one minute.
• Then, reduce the heat to low, and add the remaining red chile powder, coriander powder, tikka masala powder, and cumin powder. Mix well quickly to combine.
• Into this spice mixture, add the tomato puree,  turn back the heat to medium-high, and cook until the onion-tomato mixture becomes thick. When the mixture thickens, you may see the liquids leave the sides of the pan while turning aromatic.
• Once the mixture reaches this consistency, add the two cups of hot water and simmer until the sauce/gravy becomes thick.
• Add the sugar and heavy cream when the gravy comes to a thick, yet pouring consistency. Stir well and cook the sauce until aromatic and thick.
• Throw in the grilled chicken pieces along with the remaining dried fenugreek leaves.
• Stir and cook until the chicken pieces are soft and tender. This might take about 2-3 minutes.
• Do your taste check and add more seasonings if needed. You may add some salt, sugar, or even red chile powder if required.
• Turn off the flame, remove the pan from the stove, and let it rest for about five minutes.
• Then, you may garnish it with the extra three tablespoons of heavy cream and chopped cilantro.
• Transfer to serving bowls as desired and enjoy with rice, roti, flatbread- you name it!