Chicken Tikka Masala

This recipe is from The Best of America's Test Kitchen Best Recipes and Reviews 2009. It's pretty good. See my comments below in blue.

Chicken Tikka

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed (I used drumsticks and thighs)
• 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt (I thought this was a waste of yogurt - try 3/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (ginger is difficult to grate since it gets stuck in the grater, try a mini-food processor)

Masala Sauce

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 serrano chile, minced (I used thinly sliced)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes (I used 1/5 less tomatoes and it was fine)
• 2 tsp sugar
• salt to taste
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. For the Chicken: Combine the cumin, coriander, cayenne and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly on chicken. Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

2. For the sauce: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently until light golden (8-10 minutes). Add the garlic, giner, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cream and return to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat and cover to keep warm.

3. While the sauce simmers, adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position (about 6 inhces from the heating element and heat the broiler). (No wonder my chicken took twice as long. My rack was in the dead middle of the oven.) Using tongs, dip the chicken into the yogurt mixture (the chicken should be coated with a thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on a wire rack set in the foil lined, rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. (You don't need a wire rack, you can lay your chicken directly on the foil lined sheet.) Broil for 10-18 minutes flipping the chicken halfway through cooking. The exterior should lightly charred in parts. (It took 18 minutes to char on each side if you put the rack in the dead center of the oven.) The chicken should read 160 degrees at its thickest parts.

4. Let the chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1 inch chunks and stir into the warm sauce. Stir in the cilantro, season to taste with salt, and serve.