Chicken Tikka Masala with Kachumber Salad

Chicken Tikka Masala with Kachumber Salad

⏱ Prep: 20 min🔥 Cook: 30 min⏰ Total: 50 min🍽 Serves 2 adults + toddler (+ leftovers)
Toddler tip: Keep it mild (no extra chili). Serve over plenty of basmati with soft naan torn into strips — easy for little hands.
Low-carb fork: Swap basmati for cauliflower rice and skip the naan; go light on the cream and load up the kachumber salad.

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 1.25 lbsboneless skinless chicken breast, cut in 1-inch cubes
  • ¾ cupplain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsplemon juice
  • 1 tspgaram masala
  • ½ tspturmeric
  • 1 tspground cumin
  • 1 tbspfresh ginger, grated
  • 3 clovesgarlic, grated
  • ½ tspsalt

Sauce

  • 2 tbspbutter
  • 1yellow onion, finely diced
  • 3 clovesgarlic, minced
  • 1 tbspfresh ginger, grated
  • 1 tbspgaram masala
  • 1 tsppaprika
  • 1 tspground cumin
  • 1 tspground coriander
  • ½ tspturmeric
  • 1 can (15 oz)tomato puree (or crushed tomatoes)
  • ½ cuphalf-and-half (or heavy cream)
  • 1 tspsugar
  • to tastesalt

For Serving

  • 1½ cupsbasmati rice
  • 4 piecesnaan

Kachumber Salad

  • 1English cucumber, diced small
  • 1 cupcherry tomatoes, quartered
  • ½red onion, finely diced
  • ¼ cupcilantro, chopped
  • 1 tbsplemon juice
  • ¼ tspground cumin
  • to tastesalt

Instructions

1Marinate the chicken: toss the cubed chicken with the Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, grated ginger, garlic, and salt. Let it sit 20 min (or overnight).
2While the chicken marinates, make the kachumber salad: toss the diced cucumber, tomato, red onion, and cilantro with lemon juice, cumin, and salt. Cover and chill — the rest keeps it crisp and lets the flavors meld.
3Start the basmati: rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then cook (1½ cups rice : 2¼ cups water, simmer covered ~15 min, rest 10 min off heat).
4Sear the chicken: heat a little oil in a large skillet over medium-high and sear the marinated chicken in a single layer until lightly charred, ~5–6 min. Remove to a plate — it finishes in the sauce.
5Build the sauce: lower heat to medium, melt the butter, add the onion and cook 4–5 min until soft. Add the garlic and ginger for 1 min, then add the garam masala, paprika, cumin, coriander, and turmeric and bloom the spices in the fat ~30–60 sec until fragrant — this is where the depth comes from.
6Add the tomato puree and the sugar and let it cook down 2–3 min, stirring, until it darkens a shade and starts sticking to the pan — that caramelized edge is the depth. Then add a splash of water to deglaze and simmer 8–10 min until deepened and slightly thickened. Lower the heat, then stir in the half-and-half off a hard boil so it doesn't split.
7Return the chicken and its juices and simmer gently ~5 min until cooked through (165°F). Off heat, swirl in a small knob of butter for gloss, taste for salt, and finish with a squeeze of lemon and torn cilantro.
8While the sauce simmers, warm the naan in a dry skillet ~1 min per side and brush with a little melted butter; keep it under a towel so it stays soft. Serve the curry over basmati with naan and the chilled kachumber salad alongside.