Heavily marinated in a mixture of yogurt, ginger, garlic and a multitude of Indian spices, chicken tikka masala is the addictive equivalent of Indian comfort food - its is extremely quick and easy to prepare, but for best results, the chicken really should be marinated overnight. Note: While the ingredient list looks alarmingly long, all ingredients are most likely already in your pantry..
Meat type: While I have seen many use chicken breasts for this recipe, I have a preference for chicken thigh meat as it tends to be juicier after broiling and absorbs the marinade very well. Chicken breast meat tends to overcook due to the high temperature grilling Heat intensity: To reduce the heat in this dish, subsitute the hot chilli powder with paprika. To make it hotter, add crushed red chilli flakes. Adding the crushed red chilli flakes earlier while the sauce is still cooking will result in the heat being uniformly distributed throughout the sauce. Frying vs. Broiling: I have noticed that several recipes suggest that you fry the chicken instead of broiling it. I have not had much success because the heavy marinade covering the chicken tends to make my chicken steam and not fry. To get the charred effect through frying, you would need to somehow reduce the amount of marinade on the chicken. That being said, if you do not have a broiler and just want to skip the broiling and frying, you get a pretty fantastic dish which is more like a yogurt based curry rather than a "tikka" based one. Grilling vs. Broiling: Grilling the chicken on a charcoal grill as opposed to broiling it in the oven, takes this dish up to another level. Blending vs. Mixing the Marinade: I have tried both ways and have not found much difference since all the ingredients are in liquid or powder form. Tomato Sauce Alternatives: You can use any canned tomato as long as you break the chunks so that the spices are evenly distributed. While there are many recipes on cooking Chicken Tikka Masala with fresh tomatoes, this has not worked for me because the resulting sauce is too watery and took too long to reduce to the right consistency. Red vs. White Onions: Personally, I have a preference for red onions as it makes the dish sweeter. Low fat substitutions: Ghee and cream make a big difference in taste but if you are watching calories you can substitute vegetable oil for the ghee and evaporated milk for the cream.