Chicken Tikka Masala

This was soooo good, much better than I expected. It's from the Sept/Oct 2007 Issue of Cook's Illustrated (Which I highly highly recommend - everything I have made has been great).

The sauce had a nice warm spicy taste from the garam masala, and the chicken was incredibly tender and flavorful because of the yogurt marinade.

For the chicken tikka:

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 tsp salt

2 lbs chicken breasts (I used 1 lb and it was fine)

1C plain whole milk yogurt

2 Tbs vegetable oil

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbs. grated fresh ginger

Mix together the spices and salt and sprinkle chicken on both sides. Refrigerate for 30-60 min.

In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, oil, garlic and ginger and set aside.

For the sauce:

3 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 onion, diced fine

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 serrano chile, ribs and seeds removed, minced (I didn't add this)

1 Tbs. tomato paste

1 Tbs. garam masala (or - 2 tsp ground coriander, 1/4 tsp ground cardamom, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp black pepper)

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes ( I used whole and chopped them up while they were in the pan).

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 C heavy cream (I only used 1/3 C, and I think you could get away with less)

1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro leaves (I didn't add this).

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook for 8-10 minutes, until lightly golden.

Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste and garam masala. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add crushed tomatoes, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in cream, return to simmer, and remove from heat. Cover to keep warm.

While sauce simmers, position oven rack about 6 inches from heating element and turn on broiler. Dip chicken in yogurt mixture, shake off excess, and place on foil-lined broiler rack. Broil 10-18 minutes, turning once during cooking. And don't eat any pink chicken, because you might end up with Campylobacter jejuni.

Let the chicken sit for 5 minutes, cut into small chunks, and add to sauce. Stir in cilantro.