This is a great recipe.
After reading the recipe, I felt it had too much tomato paste and crushed tomatoes. So I reduced the tomato paste to one tablespoon and the crushed tomatoes to 3/4 cup.
I blended the spices and checked the aroma. I felt something was missing so I added between 1/4 and 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves a bit at a time. That improved the aroma and ultimately the taste.
Everyone loved the chicken tikka masala. We often visit a local Indian restaurant and they almost always include chicken tikka masala in the buffet. My husband says the chicken masala I prepared is as good, if not better than, the restaurant version.
I have always thought that mushrooms should be included and the next time I make chicken tikka masala, I'll use mushrooms in addition to the chicken.
Thank you Chef John.
Have made twice and fabulous both times... however I made changes and also simplified the technique. used all spices as stated except cut salt in half and added a dashes of allspice and cloves. used chicken breast instead of thighs. cubed the meat, added the spices, sauteed in coconut oil (used no butter in the recipe). simultaneously I sauteed the onion, garlic, and ginger in coconut oil. once the onions were caramelized added to the chicken. the added a can of tomato paste and a can of coconut milk. no chicken stock was needed, nor was the can of tomatoes. that's it. let it simmer for 20 minutes.
This is better than the popular tikka masala recipe that I've made a few times from this site! I didn't have any ginger or cardamom, so I didn't use it, and I used regular butter, but besides that, I followed everything else correctly. The tomatoes and coconut milk have a great flavor together. The boneless skinless chicken thighs work so well with this. It was quick and not complicated. Also, I somehow made way more sauce than Chef John does in the video, but I'm not complaining about that! One of best meals I've made in a long time. Thanks Chef John.
EDIT: This was MUCH better as leftovers a day later with (a LOT of) steamed parsnips added to the bowl. Maybe the sweetness of the parsnips complemented/counteracted the salty of the spice... and the coconut no longer seems too coconut-y. Everything married nicely with nothing overpowering anything else. Very yummy. I've only had Tikka Masala at an Indian restaurant once in my life so I'm no connoisseur. That said my reaction to Chef John's interpretation as prepared in my kitchen is "I don't love it. I don't hate it." What's keeping me from loving it I think is the salt. Whoo! Much too much salt for my palate. Other than that the flavor is pretty good... though it doesn't have that I-don't-know-what I experienced at the Indian restaurant that sense of "this isn't knocking my socks off but I really REALLY would enjoy another bite." Perhaps someone with more experience with Indian (or British?) cooking could identify what might be 'off' with this recipe or maybe there's nothing 'off' and it's just me... I don't know. I probably will give this recipe another try either eliminating or significantly reducing the salt. For me that'll be a step in the right direction.
Taste is good, but not quite up to restaurant-standard tikka masala (if you want a closer approximation of a good restaurant-style tikka masala, try the Curry Stand Chicken Tikka Masala recipe, elsewhere on this site). I was mainly interested in this recipe because it's essentially paleo and whole30 compliant, if you don't serve it over rice. It really is good, but it's a really high-maintenance dish that essentially ties you to the stove for an hour. I'm wondering if I can get this to work in a slow-cooker... Possible I'll revisit this and bump it up to a full five stars if it really is significantly better the next day (I'm kinda thinking it will be). Lot of work to put this together, though...
The recipe is delicious! I made it exactly as written. It s going to be added to my regular rotation. It takes a bit of time but the end product is worth it! As a note the spices are a little bit milder than what you would get in a restaurant. I think that the flavors are good as a stand alone dish without trying to compare it to what I could get in a restaurant. If you are looking for more of the restaurant-style punch of flavor you might want to adjust the spices accordingly.
So good. I have ate it for 3 meals in a row now.
This is a great recipe! Chef John is the best. I never made Indian food before so I was a little nervous but this is a keeper. I made my own garam masala spices since I couldn't find any and will have it for the next time I need it. The only change I made was that I used Greek vanilla yogurt in place of coconut milk. I didn't want to pay 4 for a small can of it. The yogurt gave it a great consistency and that sweet taste that is needed. Lovely!
Loved it. Will make again. I found it easiest to gather and put together all my ingredients before the cooking process.
