Tikka Masala - Chicken in Indian Tomato-Cream Sauce

👨‍🍳 Method

To assemble

1. 1
   Mix the chicken with the yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, paprika, cumin, ginger and salt and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

   BowlRefrigerator

   💡The yogurt in the marinade tenderizes the chicken, and the spices in it cling to the chicken and brown with it when seared.
2. 2
   Heat Grill pan and sear the chicken in it 4–5 minutes per side, until browned. Remove to a plate.

   StoveFrying pan
3. 3
   Heat the butter in a pot over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStovePot
4. 4
   Add the onion and fry for 10 minutes, stirring, until the onion browns deeply.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
5. 5
   Add the garlic and ginger and fry 2 minutes, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.
6. 6
   Add the garam masala, paprika and cumin and fry 30 seconds, until fragrant.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove
7. 7
   Add the tomatoes and salt and bring to a boil.

   Stove
8. 8
   Turn down the heat and simmer 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.

   ⚙ SimmeringStove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
9. 9
   Return the chicken to the pot together with the cream.
10. 10
    Turn down to low, cover and simmer 5 minutes.

    ⚙ SimmeringStoveLid
11. 11
    Serve with the cilantro and with basmati rice.