This insanely delicious tikka masala will have your guests coming back for more. Not only does this fragrant dish look gorgeous but the robust flavor is addicting. Good thing it’s a health-ified version of the original.
Just about as close to recipe perfection as you can get…
This tikka masala comes from Cheryl over at 40Aprons, a wildly successful and inventive blog. Please check out her original recipe here. Usually, I fiddle with recipes but this was a “winner, winner, chicken dinner” kind of recipe so I just tweaked it a little bit to suit my tastes. I also added some spinach in mine to increase the nutritional value.
One major thing I want to point out is that you should never marinade chicken in an acid for more than 2 hours. After 2 hours, the acid breaks down the meat and makes it mushy and dry . This marinade has lemon juice and yogurt, both considered acids. That is double trouble in my book. The original recipe calls for marinading “at least 1 hour to overnight”. I changed that instruction in my version because it will destroy your chicken. When marinading the chicken in this recipe, please don’t go over 2 hours.
A few questionable ingredients…
Garam masala is one of those spices that can go wrong when it comes to my tastebuds. Not in this recipe; it was absolute aromatic perfection! I must admit that I was a bit concerned when I read that tomato sauce is a major ingredient in this dish; I was unsure how it would work with the ginger and spices. Boy was I wrong! The tomato sauce added just the right amount of acidity to balance the creaminess of the coconut milk (the original recipe calls for coconut cream) and accented the spices beautifully.
Don’t make this mistake…
I am new to cooking with fenugreek, an exotic spice for my kitchen. Luckily for me, I found it at my local Whole Foods. Unfortunately for me, it was the wrong one. This recipe calls for dried fenugreek leaf but I bought its much more bitter relation, dried fenugreek seed. Thankfully, I caught the mistake before I added it to the sauce. Long story short, this meal is still amazing without the addition of the dried fenugreek leaf, so don’t fret if you cannot find it in your local grocery.
How to serve…
This is fabulous over jasmine or basmati rice but if you are living a grain-free life, feel free to substitute cauliflower rice. You could also serve this over a bed of greens or a soft flatbread. You definitely want to stick with a base that will compliment the tikka masala’s flavor, not compete with it.
I cannot wait for you to fall in love with this dish, just as I did!
Combine yogurt, turmeric, garam masala, lemon juice, black pepper, and dried ginger. Mix well and combine with chicken, coating each piece completely- I use a gallon sized ziplock bag for this. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour but no more than 2 hours. Heat the ghee or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion to skillet and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add serranos, garlic, and ginger. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add turmeric and garam masala and stir well. Cook until fragrant, a few minutes. Can add a small amount of water if it is sticking. Add tomato sauce to pan and stir well until incorporated. Transfer sauce to blender and blend until smooth. Return sauce to skillet and add bell pepper slices, fenugreek, salt to taste, and spinach. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the sauce turns to a thick paste, stirring often. Preheat oven to BROIL. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet. Place chicken pieces on rack. Broil for about 8 minutes, turning often. Once sauce has reduced to a paste, add coconut milk and stir until completely incorporated. Add chicken to sauce and serve over rice or cauliflower rice. top with cilantro.Tikka Masala
Print Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
2 Comments
khandakar shadid
February 1, 2019 at 5:23 pmThis looks amazing. Definitely going to be trying this.
egrant.salvi
February 1, 2019 at 8:51 pmThanks, Khan! I was so glad to find a Whole30/paleo version of this. I could eat this everyday! So glad that you’ll be trying it!