Joe's Chicken Tikka Masala

This Chicken Tikka Masala is one of my favorite things to eat, ever. Just ask Joe, my old roommate. On one nondescript day at the lake house, he was probably practicing seven hours of classical guitar as per usual and I was likely home early after my part-time Archaeology contract job. I honestly can't remember anything about that day except that Joe made us the Tikka. As I worked on my work report on my laptop at the dining table, he proceeded to cook for about four hours straight.

Wonderful smells wafted over to me on my laptop and my curiosity grew. What was he doing in there? He must be making a feast, I thought to myself. At last he was ready to share the mysterious and alluring dish.

At first taste I was hooked. It tasted better than any Chicken Tikka I had ever ordered from an Indian restaurant. The wonderful balance of cumin and paprika with the richness of yogurt and cream, lifted slightly by hints of lemon and cilantro, it was perfection. To top it off, he served it with rice and naan, which was necessary to lap up every bit of delicious sauce from the plate.

After much doe-eyed pleading, he showed me how to make the recipe, the same one I am sharing with you today. But hold on, Chicken Tikka Masala wouldn't be complete without rice and homemade naan!

Here is my recipe for how to make "really sticky" sticky rice just like in a good Thai restaurant. It is the culmination of a year-long battle with rice cooking which I am finally over, thanks to my fool-proof stove-top method.

For the naan, I used Half Baked Harvest's recipe! I absolutely love the addition of milk and yogurt to the wet ingredients as well as the use of whole wheat flour in addition to white flour.

For the marinade:

1 cup plain yogurt (I use Greek Gods yogurt)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs


For the sauce:

1 sliced jalapeno
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced

4 teaspoons cumin
4 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt

16 oz. tomato puree
2 cups heavy cream

1/3 cup freshly chopped cilantro

Combine marinade ingredients in a large bowl, stir well with chicken which has been cut into bite sized pieces. Refrigerate for up to one day before making the dish. If you only have an hour or less, it will still taste great but not be as tender or flavorful.

Spread chicken on a broiling sheet and broil on high until the tops are browning, about 12 minutes. While you wait for the chicken, you can start on the sauce, but don't forget about the chicken under the broiler! I can't say how many times I have left something to broil, forgotten about it, and discovered a much crisped surprise. The best way for me to remember is just to leave the oven cracked.

Heat a medium to large pot over medium-high heat. Add the butter. Once butter is melted, sautee the sliced jalapeno rounds with the garlic for about one minute. At this point, you can remove the jalapenos and still have infused jalapeno flavor if you prefer the dish less hot, but I like to leave them in. The combination of the cayenne and jalapeno makes the finished sauce relatively mild to moderately hot.

Add the spices, and stir to prevent burning until aromatic.

Add tomato puree and cream. Bring up to high until just bubbling, add the broiled chicken, making sure to add in all of that yogurty goodness from the marinade. Turn down to low and simmer for about 20 minutes.  Just before service, add chopped cilantro.

Devour with sticky rice and naan!