This hen tikka masala recipe delivers a burst of daring spices. The meat marinates in a spiced yogurt sauce, then sears and simmers in a creamy tomato curry. I like to serve this with basmati rice and naan for a whole meal.

Desk of Contents

1. Masala spices
2. Add some warmth
3. Rooster choice
4. Marinating the hen
5. Cooking the hen
6. To make the masala sauce
7. Simmer the hen
8. Cream enhances the sauce
9. Serve this with
10. Rooster Tikka Masala Recipe

Rooster tikka masala is all the time my go-to selection when ordering Indian meals. Fortunately, after some recipe testing, the dish is fairly straightforward to make at house. The bottom line is to marinate the hen for extremely tender items. I exploit varied strong spices, however cooking them in oil elevates their style additional.

Briefly searing the hen provides a evenly charred style and supplies depth to the dish. Because the meat simmers within the wealthy tomato sauce, the proteins soften, flavors meld collectively. The colourful curry sauce coats each bit, and there’s a lot left over to absorb with steamed rice and selfmade naan bread.

Masala spices

There’s a wide range of daring spices within the marinade and sauce for taste and coloration. Garam masala is the bottom. It’s a mix of cinnamon, coriander seeds, mace, peppercorns, cumin seeds, and cardamom pods which can be toasted to free their aromatics taste compounds. 

Most grocery shops promote the bottom mix as a handy choice, which I exploit within the recipe. Nevertheless, freshly floor spices all the time have one of the best style. For the marinade, I add turmeric, coriander, and cumin for earthy notes. I additionally add some additional cardamom to the sauce to boost the sweetness.

Add some warmth

So as to add lingering warmth to the curry that’s not overpowering, I exploit a mixture of cayenne pepper powder (about 35,000 Scoville warmth models) and chili powder that’s tamer, constituted of a mix of pink chili peppers and a few added seasonings like salt.

Historically Kashmiri chili powder is used for its delicate warmth and vivid pink coloration. It’s not all the time straightforward to seek out, so I add some further paprika for an intense reddish-orange hue.

Rooster choice

Boneless, skinless hen thighs comprise simply sufficient fats to maintain the meat moist and flavorful throughout the cooking course of. Be sure to trim off any extra fats in order that the dish doesn’t get too greasy. Minimize them into bigger items, about 1 ½-inches. This dimension makes it simpler to sear and elements in shrinkage throughout cooking. 

If desired, you may substitute hen breast, which is a leaner lower. Nevertheless, simmer within the sauce simply till the meat cooks via, or it can turn out to be very dry, about 5 minutes.

Marinating the hen

Typically entire items of meat are marinated, normally for a number of hours or in a single day, for correct tenderization. To hurry up the method, I lower them into massive chunks. This system permits extra publicity to the marinade on all sides for elevated taste. Marinating the hen in a barely acidic combination breaks down the robust muscle fibers at midnight meat, yielding extra tender bites. 

As a substitute of utilizing a harsh acid like lemon juice, plain entire milk yogurt gently softens the proteins. Any such yogurt may be very thick in order that the marinade higher clings to the meat. Add kosher salt to additional season, permit the items to take a seat for not less than half-hour, or cowl and refrigerate for twenty-four hours.

Cooking the hen

Sear the marinated hen items in a sizzling skillet earlier than simmering. This course of will evenly brown the floor for extra distinction in taste and texture. Be sure to order the cooked marinade and add it to the curry as there’s tons of taste left within the pan after searing.

To make the masala sauce

For layers of taste and dimension, first saute chopped onions, ginger, and garlic in butter and oil. These fragrant elements add a touch of sweetness and spice. To extract the fat-soluble flavors and compounds within the floor spices, dried fenugreek, and chilies, briefly prepare dinner them in sizzling oil. This course of known as blooming, and it helps to accentuate the style and warmth, making for a completely scrumptious curry.

Tomato paste helps to thicken the sauce, and for a clean consistency, I exploit tomato puree. It has a vivid fruit style, and the flesh has already been processed. Tomato sauce is an effective substitute. Nevertheless, know that some merchandise comprise additional seasoning. Rooster inventory thins the sauce to a pourable consistency whereas not diluting the flavour. Slightly little bit of sugar balances the savory and spicy notes.

Simmer the hen

Add the seared hen and marinade to the masala sauce to simmer. This course of will additional prepare dinner the meat and soften any robust connective tissues. The sauce additional reduces, concentrating the tomato taste and extracting the water-soluble flavors from the spices into the curry.

Cream enhances the sauce

Add heavy whipping cream on the very finish of cooking. It’s excessive in fats (not less than 36%) and is much less liable to curdling. Nevertheless, I nonetheless don’t warmth it for quite a lot of minutes. It provides richness and a velvety texture to the sauce. I additionally add in additional hen inventory, adjusting the quantity as wanted till it clings to the meat with out being too clumpy.

Serve this with