Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients

Spice Mix/Marinade:

- 6 garlic cloves, finely grated

- 4 tsp finely grated peeled ginger

- 4 tsp ground turmeric

- 4 tsp garam masala

- 2 tsp ground coriander

- 2 tsp ground cumin

- 2 tsp Fenugreek Seeds Whole

- 2 tbsp Fenugreek Leaves

- 1 tbsp kashmiri chili powder

- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you want it hotter)

- 1 Tbsp. kosher salt

- 1 to 1 1/2 cups whole-milk yogurt (not Greek)

- 2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs

Sauce:

- 3 Tbsp butter

- 1 small onion, thinly sliced

- 1/4 cup tomato paste

- 1 28-oz. can tomatoes

- 2 cups heavy cream

- Crushed cardamom (about 1/84 tsp)

- 3/4 cup chopped cilantro (for topping/garnish)

- 1 lemon cut into wedges (for serving)

Directions

- Mix half spices with 1 cup yogurt to make the marinade. Reserve the other half. Add another 1/2 cup of yogurt if needed to fully coat chicken.

- Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Marinade at least 6 hours, preferably overnight

- Grill chicken on skewers until chicken starts to blacken in spots (it may not be cooked through)

- Heat ghee in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add reserved spice mix and cook til fragrant.

- Add onion and serrano, cook til onion is softened and translucent

- Add tomato paste and chiles and cook, stirring often, until tomato paste has darkened

- Add tomatoes (if using whole, canned tomatoes, cushing them as you add them). Bring to a boil, add the grilled chicken and any remaining marinade, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often and scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot until chicken has fully cooked and the sauce has begun to thicken (20-30 min).

- Add at least 1 cup of cream (enough cream to turn the sauce a light orange color and give it the desired consistency). Simmer, stirring occasionally another 10 min or so.

-Serve with chopped cilantro, lemon wedges and basmati rice.