Chef John’s Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 0.25 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 0.125 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee), or more as needed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 0.25 cup tomato paste
• 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1 tablespoon finely grated ginger, or more to taste
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 1 (13 ounce) can coconut milk
• 0.5 cup chicken broth, or as needed
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 0.5 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Steps

1. Gather all ingredients. Place chicken in a bowl. Drizzle vegetable oil over chicken; toss to coat.
2. Whisk together salt, garam masala, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cardamom in a small bowl. Sprinkle over chicken and turn to coat evenly.
3. Melt clarified butter in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Cook chicken thighs in hot butter until browned on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. When cool enough to handle, cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
4. Make sauce: Place the skillet with chicken drippings over medium-high heat. Stir onion into the skillet; sauté until onion softens and turns translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook until paste caramelizes, about 5 minutes. Stir garlic and ginger into tomato-onion mixture; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Pour crushed tomatoes into the skillet. Bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon. Pour in coconut milk and chicken broth; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors blend and sauce is slightly reduced, about 15 minutes.
6. Stir chicken and any accumulated juices into sauce. Add cilantro and red pepper flakes; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until chicken is cooked through and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.