Tikka Masala Recipe!

I have been wanting to make this recipe for months and months. It took some time for me to gather the ingredients, but I finally got to try it a few weeks ago. This is the first time I have made a dish that is so heavily inspired by Indian cuisine. The recipe I used was from Chef John. You can access the recipe on allrecipes.com. (Chef John's Tikka Masala Link) I am a big fan of Chef John. Being so confident that I would like his recipe I made a double batch. Mr. In The Mid-west and I really enjoyed Tikka Masala. We ate it 3 or 4 days in a row! It was too spicy for the children, though. 

I made two changes to the original recipe:

#1. I had no chicken broth pre-made so I used water and added some chicken bones to the sauce while it simmered.

#2. I added cooked chick peas to the recipe.

Tikka Masala Recipe

1 1/2 lbs.  Boneless, Skinless, Chicken Thighs

1 TBS. Oil

2 tsp. Kosher Salt

2 tsp. Garam Masala

2 tsp. Cumin

1 tsp. Coriander

1 tsp. Smoked Paprika

1 tsp. Tumeric

1/2 tsp. Black Pepper

1/4 tsp.  Cayenne Pepper

1/8 tsp. Cardamom

2 TBS. Clarified Butter

1 Onion, Chopped

1/4 c. Tomato Paste

4 Cloves Garlic, Finely Grated

1 TBS. Fresh Ginger, Finely Grated

1 c. Crushed Tomatoes

1/2 c. Chicken Broth

1 (13.5oz.) can Coconut Milk

2 TBS. Cilantro, Chopped

1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

1 cup cooked Chick Peas

Drizzle the oil over the chicken thighs. Stir to coat. Combine salt, garam Masala, cumin, coriander, paprika, tumeric, black pepper, cayenne, and cardamom. Sprinkle on chicken a stir to distribute evenly. 

Melt clarified butter in large skillet. Cook thighs in hot butter until browned on all sides, about 5-10 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate to cool. When cool enough to handle cut into bite size pieces.

Cook the onion in the hot butter remaining in the skillet until soft and translucent, 5-6 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir. Saute until paste caramelizes, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Pour crushed tomatoes into the skillet and bring to boil while scraping browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Pour in coconut milk and chicken broth, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium low, and cook until sauce is slightly reduced, about 15 minutes.

Stir chicken, cilantro, red pepper flakes, and chick peas into sauce. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and tender, about 25 minutes.

• Serve with rice, garnish with chopped cilantro.