Chicken Tikka Masala

To prepare the chicken tikka masala, start by preparing the chicken breast: cut the breast in half lengthwise 1, remove the fattier parts with a knife and eliminate the central bone, if present, then cut the two halves first into slices 2 and then into cubes 3.

Temporarily set the chicken bites aside and prepare the marinade: in a large bowl, add the yogurt, freshly grated ginger, garam masala 4, paprika 5, the juice of half a lime 6

and a pinch of salt 7; add the chicken bites you had set aside 8 and finally crush 3 garlic cloves directly into the bowl 9.

Mix well so that the meat is evenly coated with the marinade 10, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 6 hours. After the marinating time, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature, then transfer it to a baking dish 11 and bake in a preheated fan oven at 430°F for 20 minutes, or until a nice golden crust forms. Meanwhile, you can prepare the sauce: slice the garlic 12

and the onion into thin slices 13, then cut the chili pepper in half lengthwise, remove the seeds with the knife blade 14 and chop it into pieces. In a large pan, add the oil and sauté the garlic, onion, and chili pepper for 3 minutes, then add the cumin 15, turmeric, and paprika and toast the spices for a minute over medium-high heat.

After toasting the spices, pour the tomato puree into the pan 16, add the brown sugar 17 and a pinch of salt, cover with a lid 18 and let it cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

When there are about 2 minutes left, add the cream to the sauce 19 and mix well 20. At this point, the chicken will have formed a nice golden crust, so remove it from the oven 21

and add it to the sauce in the pan 22. Mix well to blend the chicken with the sauce 23 and add fresh coriander or parsley to taste. Your chicken tikka masala is ready to be served 34!