Chicken Tikka Masala

When I first made this chicken tikka masala from the Hairy Bikers Great Curries cook book, my wife said it’s the best curry she has ever tasted! Over the months I’ve tweaked the recipe, partly to further align with my nutrition philosophy and partly to get it closer to my personal taste.

Ideally take the time to marinade the chicken overnight or a little longer and enjoy the process of preparing this real treat, which I believe nourishes the body and mind!

This recipe should serve 4 people.

Ingredients

Chicken and Marinate

2 tablespoons of cumin seeds

2 tablespoons of coriander seeds

2 whole cloves

1 teaspoon of black peppercorns

1 medium cinnamon stick

1/2 teaspoon of fenugreek

1 1/2 teaspoons of ground turmeric

2 teaspoons of paprika

1 teaspoon of hot chili powder

1 teaspoon of sea salt

1/2 small bulb of garlic

40g of fresh root ginger

4 large tablespoons of natural yogurt

5 organic, free range chicken breasts, cut into cubes

Masala Sauce

4 tablespoons of ghee

3 medium sized onions, chopped

5 cloves of garlic

40g of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

3 tablespoons of tomato puree

2 large vine tomatoes, chopped

2 teaspoons of caster sugar

1 teaspoon of sea salt

400ml of cold water

4 tablespoons of double cream

Method

The first step is to fry those spices and release the flavor! Add the cumin and coriander seeds, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon stick to a dry frying pan over a low to medium heat. Fry for a couple of minutes and enjoy the aroma. Tip the fried spices into a pestle and mortar, add the fenugreek, turmeric, paprika, chili powder and salt and grind it all into a fine powder.

Next it’s time to prepare the marinade. Add roughly 3 tablespoons of the spices (leaving some for the masala sauce later) to a mixing bowl with the garlic, ginger and yogurt. Mix it all together and add the chicken pieces, then stir and mix the chicken into the sauce. Cover the mixing bowl and leave to marinade for a minimum of 2 hours, but ideally overnight.

Now it’s time to make the masala sauce. Heat the ghee in a large pan and add the onion, garlic and ginger. Continue to fry on a low heat for around 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. Then add the rest of the spice mix to the frying pan with an extra half teaspoon of turmeric. Stir in the tomato puree, vine tomatoes, sugar and salt and fry for another 3 mins. Add the water and let the sauce simmer for around 5-10 mins. Finally add the double cream and stir it in. Then use a stick blender or food processor to blend the sauce so it’s smooth and creamy.

Now we want to grill the chicken. First place some tin foil onto a grill pan. Then thread the chicken pieces (keeping them covered in the marinade) onto some metal skewers leaving a centimetre or two between each piece and lay the skewers on the foil. Pre heat the grill to it’s hottest setting and put the chicken under the grill. cook for around 5 minutes on each side.

Finally it’s time to put it all together. While the chicken is grilling heat the masala sauce in a large pan. Once the chicken is cooked take it off the skewers and add it to the sauce. Stir it all together for a few mins so it’s pipping hot and serve on a bed of hot rice with a garnish of lemon.

If you’re lucky you’ll have some left over for the next day. Curry always tastes better reheated!

If you made this recipe I would love to see your picture of it. Please share to instagram with #nourishingfood you can also tag me @nourishingmoves