Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe Sanjeev Kapoor

Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe Sanjeev Kapoor

             I have posted Quick Paneer Butter Masala recipe – restaurant style and  Paneer Tikka Masala Sanjeev Kapoor which are few of my favourite paneer recipes. I would like to share another favourite dish, Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe Sanjeev Kapoor which I have been cherishing for years, but without using a grill, opting the stove top method, adapted ST method from vahchef Sanjay Thumma’s video.  I prefer this method since it keeps the chicken moist and feel this is easy and can be made faster when compared to the grilling method. No compromises in the taste. if you wish to go with the regular method of chicken tikka in oven, can go ahead with the same recipe.

Try this restaurant style chicken tikka masala at home, iam sure you will ditch your regular restaurants and prepare this at home from now on.

Ingredients

Marination

400 gms chicken fillets (boneless chicken)

1tsp Kashmiri red chili pow (I use byadgi)

Lemon juice from ½ lemon (how much to use depends on your yogurt, if your curd is sour you need not use lemon juice)

½ cup hung yogurt (I used 1 cup yogurt to get ½ a cup, this depends on your yogurt)

1/8 tsp turmeric

1 tsp coriander pow

½ tsp cumin pow

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

Salt to taste

1 tbsp oil for frying

Ingredients for gravy

3 tbsps oil

½ tsp cumin

1 bay leaf

2 black cardomom

3 green cardamom

3 cloves (I use 5)

1 inch cinnamon stick (I use 2)

3 medium onions finely chopped

3 medium tomatoes pureed * updated

2 tsps ginger garlic paste ( I used 1 tbsp)

1 ½ tsp coriander pow

1 tbsp red chili pow

¼ tsp turmeric

4 tbsps cashewnut and melon paste (you can just use cashew paste too)

½ tsp Kasuri methi * updated

¼ cup cream (optional, can even use smooth almond or cashew milk as I some times do, this too tastes great and is a better choice than cream)

Garam masala as required (I use 1/2 tsp Homemade Biryani Masala or 1 tsp Homemade garam masala, for spicier versions can increase )

Coriander leaves chopped

Vegetables (chop big cubes)

1 big onion  (separate the layers  of onion cubes)

½ green capsicum

½  red capsicum

1 tomato (remove the pulp) (optional)

Method

1.     Wash chicken pieces thoroughly, drain the water completely, pat dry with a disposable cloth or kitchen tissue or something of that sort. I use few kitchen tissues.

2.     Mix all the marination ingredients and marinate the chicken and refrigerate for atleast 2 hrs. I refrigerate overnight, to get the best out of it.

3.     Heat a non stick pan with 1 tbsp of oil, remove the excess marination from the chicken pieces and fry them on a high flame till they are almost cooked. Do not burn the pieces or the masala as they tend to leave a bitter taste. So continuously keep stirring the pieces, no problem if they brown. Doing this on a low flame or medium flame can entirely spoil your dish by releasing lot of moisture and can become like curry. So take care.
4.     While the chicken is still frying marinate the big chopped cubes of veggies with the left over marination. Once the chicken is almost cooked, remove the excess marination & add these pieces to the same  tawa and fry  for 2 mins on a high flame. set this tawa aside. You will be left with a moist chicken and crunchy veggies with no left over wet mix on them. You can even skip this step and use the veggies without marination at step 10 after adding water.

5.     Heat another pan or can use the same one by adding oil add cumin and sauté to get an aroma. add all the dry masala / spices now and fry them for a min

6.     Add chopped onions, fry evenly till they turn slightly brown

7.     Add ginger garlic paste and fry to get an aroma

8.     Add tomato puree,turmeric,red chili pow, coriander pow, salt and mix

9.  Add cashew & melon paste  

10. fry till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan

11.    Add chicken pieces and veggies, mix well and fry for a min

12.    Add enough water to adjust  the consistency, 

13. Add kasuri methi and , cook for 2 to 3 mins, do not over do else the veggies might lose their crunch
14. Pour in the cream, add garam masala and add coriander leaves, off the flame

Doesn't this look like a restaurant Chicken tikka masala. ?

This post has been updated on 28th march 2013 with new pictures and no changes in the recipe except marked *