Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe: Gluten-Free
Chicken Tikka Masala is one of my favorite dishes (even if it isn’t totally authentic). Because I don’t have an old family recipe for this treat, I adapted one by Aarti Sequeira from Food Network. For best results, marinate the chicken starting the night before. If you decide at 6pm that this is what you want for dinner, you can get away with only marinating the chicken for half an hour.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 323kcal
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 1 cup plain yogurt whisked until smooth
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger I use the pre-made paste
- 3 cloves garlic, put through a garlic press or finely minced 3T if you use the pre-minced kind
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs poked with a fork, and cut into 1-2″ cubes
Sauce:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 6 large cloves garlic 6T of the pre-minced garlic
- 2- inch fresh ginger, minced 2T ginger paste
- 1 jalapeno or 2 serrano peppers
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 to 2 cups water
- Oil for grilling
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves optional
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- Minced fresh cilantro for garnish
- Cooked rice for serving
Instructions
- Whisk together the marinade ingredients and toss the chicken thighs in the mixture to coat.
- Put the marinade and the thighs into a ziplock and let them sit for at least 30 minutes, although overnight is best.
- When you are ready to make the dish, measure out all of your ingredients and prepare a mise en place. It will help you stay organized as you go.
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. When the butter has melted, add the ginger, garlic and jalapeño.
- Sauté until the garlic and ginger mixture is starting to look lightly browned around the edges.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook until the red of the tomato paste deepens, about 3 minutes.
- Next, stir in the garam masala and the paprika. Sauté them for about a minute to draw the flavor out of the spices
- Add the tomatoes, salt, and ⅔ cup water.
- Bring the sauce to a boil, and then reduce the temperature so the sauce is just at a simmer. Cook the sauce until thickened, about 20 minutes. (You may need more water, but you don’t want it to be too soupy either)
- While your sauce is simmering, heat a grill pan or second skillet on high heat.
- When the pan is hot, lightly brush it with oil.
- Place the chicken on the grill, shaking off some of the excess marinade. Cook the chicken until it’s charred, about 2 minutes on each side. (The chicken will be a little undercooked, that is OK, it will finish cooking in the sauce).
- Blend the sauce until smooth with your preferred method (blender, food processor or immersion blender -if your skillet is deep enough). Return the sauce to the skillet and bring it back to a boil. Add the chicken and take the heat down to a simmer.
- Cook the chicken and sauce for about 10 more minutes.
- Stir in the milk and yogurt.
- Garnish with minced fresh cilantro, and serve over rice.
Notes
For best results, marinate the chicken starting the night before. If you decide at 6pm that this is what you want for dinner, you can get away with only marinating the chicken for half an hour.
Nutrition
Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 1910mg | Potassium: 919mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1170IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 173mg | Iron: 2mg