Grilled Chicken Tikka Masala

A plate of Chicken Tikka Masala served over rice with naan. Surrounding this plate is the pot filled with chicken, a pot full of rice, wine glasses and chopped cilantro.

Grilled Chicken Tikka Masala.

I marinated the chicken thighs in yogurt, spices, ginger & garlic for 20 hours before grilling them. Made the sauce of onions, garlic, ginger, long chilies, garam masala, Kashmiri red chili powder, hot paprika, fresh Methi leaves, tomatoes & cream, then added the chicken in to finish cooking.
Served over basmati rice, topped with fresh cilantro, alongside naan. It was so good!

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

2 cups whole milk yogurt
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 boneless skinless chicken thighs

Sauce

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium cooking onion, diced
1 medium red onion, diced
3-4 long chilis, red &/or green, seeded and chopped
Kosher salt
1 ½ tablespoons finely grated ginger
8 cloves garlic, finely grated
⅓ cup fresh methi leaves, picked from stems & washed *(see note)
4 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
2 teaspoon hot paprika
1 x 28 oz can, whole peeled tomatoes
2 cups tomato passata
½ cup 15% cooking cream

For Serving

Chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
Basmati rice
Naan (my easy and delicious naan recipe is linked here)

Note: If fresh methi leaves are not available, substitute 4 teaspoons dried whole fenugreek leaves (Kasoori methi)

Preparation

Chicken marinade

Whisk together all the ingredients (except the chicken) in a large bowl until combined. Toss the chicken in the marinade until well coated. Pour chicken and marinade into a resealable bag and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours.

Sauce

Heat the oil in a 5 quart covered pan over medium heat. Add the onions and chilies, season with 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to caramelize, 8-10 minutes. Next add the ginger & garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until very fragrant, 2-3 minutes (lower heat if garlic browns to quickly, don’t let it burn). Add the methi leaves, garam masala, chili powder and paprika. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes & passata, breaking the tomatoes into pieces with a spoon, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and let the sauce cool slightly (5 minutes). Transfer it to a blender filling no more than halfway. (Work in batches if required or alternatively use an immersion blender.)  Place lid on blender and remove the center cap. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel, and blend starting low and work speed up slowly, until smooth.  Add cream and blend to incorporate. Pour into the cleaned pan and bring to a simmer. Season with salt.  

Meanwhile, preheat the grill or grill pan on med-high. Cook the chicken (without overcrowding) until the chicken gets some charred spots, 4-5 minutes per side (raise heat slightly if needed to char) Note: chicken will not be fully cooked at this point. Remove from the grill and cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces. Add the chicken to the simmering sauce, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, 10-12 minutes.