Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients

• 700 g chicken breast, in large chunks
• 150 g natural yoghurt
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp chilli powder, or to taste
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 25 g ginger, grated
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 400 g tinned tomatoes
• 150 ml double cream
• 40 g butter
• 300 g basmati rice, to serve
• fresh coriander, to finish
• salt

Method

1. Marinate

   Mix the yoghurt with the garam masala, cumin, turmeric, garlic and ginger, then coat the chicken. Leave at least 30 minutes; overnight is better.

   30 min

2. Char the chicken

   Grill or sear the chicken in a very hot pan until charred at the edges and just cooked. It does not need to be cooked through — it finishes in the sauce.

   10 min

3. Build the masala

   Melt the butter in a wide pan and cook the onions until deep golden, then add the ground coriander and chilli powder and fry for a minute until fragrant.

   12 min

4. Simmer

   Add the tomatoes and simmer until the sauce darkens and the oil starts to separate at the edges — that is how you know it is done.

   15 min

5. Finish

   Stir in the cream, return the chicken with any resting juices and simmer gently until cooked through. Season with salt.

   10 min

6. Serve

   Serve over basmati rice with plenty of fresh coriander.