Hey everyone!

I feel like it’s been a while since I last posted, but don’t worry I’m still here!!!! 😃😃😃😃

I’ve had a crazy couple of months. Since my last post, I got a job, had been accepted to grad school at the University of Sussex, worked like a maniac, and like any upstanding man in my family I made a ton of delicious food and hit up the gym. 

I’m now living in Brighton, UK 🇬🇧 and am attending Uni again. I spent the last week trying to decide what to share, and I finally reached a conclusion. If you live in Britain or have visited then you know that curry is a very popular dish. Now, I’m not going to give you the whole history of curry in the UK but suffice it to say that it’s considered a national treat. Today, you’ll be able to try one of my favourite curries. It’s called Chicken Tikka Masala. Mmmmm I already want to eat more!

But, wait still! I never, and I mean never, eat nor make Chicken Tikka Masala without freshly made naan. So, you get both of my recipes!

I don’t want to brag, but I do classify this as one of my best recipes and it beats any that I’ve tried at the supermarket and from many an Indian restaurant.

With that being said, since my move, I lost a lot of my cooking supplies 🙁 and so my sauce in the picture is a lot less smooth than it would typically be. I usually use an immersion blender to make a nice smooth sauce.

Let me know what you think below!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala uses an incredible spice mix called Garam Masala. I prefer to make it myself, and just for you 😉 I’ve posted instructions here on how to make Garam Masala from scratch.

Let’s quickly run through how to make this! I’ve a pumpkin pie coming out of the oven any minute now!

We’ll make this in three steps. But we’ll need all the ingredients anyway, so run to the cabinet, fridge, pantry, store, or wherever you have these and pull them out!

Chicken

• 2 grams (1 teaspoon) Cumin (ground)
• 2 grams (1 teaspoon) coriander (ground)
• ¼ gram (½ teaspoon) cayenne pepper
• 12 grams (2 teaspoons) salt
• 1.8 kilograms (4 pounds) chicken breasts, skinless and boneless and cut into pieces
• 500 millilitres (2 cups) of plain yoghurt
• 4 garlic cloves, medium
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated

Sauce

• 27 grams (6 teaspoons) coconut oil
• 2 onions, medium and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, medium and diced
• 4 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
• 2 serrano peppers, fresh and diced
• 50 grams (2 tablespoons) of tomato paste
• 15 grams (2 tablespoons) of Garam Masala
• 2 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes
• 15 grams (4 teaspoons sugar) (optional)
• 6 grams (1 teaspoon) salt
• 320 millilitres (1 + ⅓ cup) of heavy cream
• 25 grams (½ cup) fresh cilantro, chopped

Phase 1

Let’s start phase one, which I call (rather uncreatively if I do say so) The Chicken Preparation Phase.

It’s pretty simple. In essence, we spice the chicken and the yoghurt separately. The full explanation isn’t much longer. As I said, we begin by spicing the chicken. So, in a small bowl, combine the cumin, coriander, cayenne and salt. It’s easier for the chicken to absorb the flavours if the chicken is dry.  With a paper towel, pat the chicken dry. Then, gently, press the spices into the chicken. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap (preferably on a plate) then pop it into the fridge for 30-60 minutes.

We’re going to do the same thing with the yoghurt. In a large bowl, whisk together the yoghurt, oil, garlic, and ginger. Set aside – also in the fridge.

Phase 2

And with that, we’re at phase 2! In this phase, we prepare the sauce for our delicious Chicken Tikka Masala. So, let’s get to it!

I love sautéing onion in all my dishes. The more caramelized, the better I say! So, let’s do that! Heat up a nice large saucepan. Pour some oil into it and when the oil gets hot, add the onion. Saute the onion until golden brown. Next, we need to add our ‘vegetables’. And by that I mean the garlic, ginger, peppers, tomato paste and garam masala. Once everything is in the pan, stir until golden brown. If you’d like, you can let the garlic and other ‘veggies’ brown for a minute or two.

We’re almost done. We just need to mix in the crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt. After that crank up the heat and bring the sauce to a gentle boil / hard simmer. Leave it for a few minutes then reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the sauce to simmer. Then slowly stir in the cream. Now, if you can use an immersion blender to remove large chunks and to make the sauce smoother.

Phase 3

Here, we’re going to cook the chicken and add it to the sauce. Let’s start by heating up the broiler in the oven. Next, coat the chicken in the yoghurt sauce and place the chicken-yoghurt onto a baking sheet – be sure to use baking parchment or aluminium foil otherwise it’ll be a nightmare cleaning it later! Once the broiler is up and running and hot put the chicken under the broiler. I like to broil the chicken until it’s slightly charred. I think it gives it a very unique fresh flavour, but feel free to experiment! Once the chicken is done, remove it and toss it into the sauce! We’re almost ready to dive into our (now) Chicken Tikka Masala!

Phase 4

This is my favourite phrase. Here we serve the food! Yeah, that’s basically it! Serve over freshly cooked rice and top with fresh cilantro. Eat it with a bit of naan for authenticity!

I’d love to tell you more, but I’ve been making a LOT of pumpkin pie and one is about to come out of the oven!!