Growing up in ruralish Delaware, I never even saw an Indian restaurant. By now, having married into an English family, I think I’ve had more curries than hamburgers. And I love it. Curry is versatile, flavorful and, if you so choose, pretty healthy.

If you have an Indian grocery store nearby, all the flavors are at your fingertips. My favorite spice packets are Paramparaand make a curry as easy as making Kraft mac and cheese. After a few years, I started with a little experimentation and some side dishes from scratch, but decided to take the plunge into Chicken Tikka Masala when I found this recipe on the Food &Wine website. 

I adapted this recipe a bit to simplify it a little, but do plan ahead so you have plenty of time for your chicken to marinade. Don’t be intimidated by the list of ingredients. They’re just small amounts of spices and we bought them all in bulk pretty inexpensively.

The results were amazing. Even my toddler ate it, after I added a bit more yogurt to his helping to temper the spice (good tip for anyone who doesn’t like a lot of chile heat). And now I no longer fear curry from scratch. But I will keep my packets, too!

Chicken Tikka Masala (adapted from Food & Wine)

Ingredients

For the masala marinade:

• 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom (or 3 cardamom pods, bashed with the flat of a knife)
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the sauce:

• 2 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp minced fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 Tbsp garam masala
• 1 1/2 tsp pure chile powder
• 28 oz diced tomatoes
• Pinch of sugar
• 1 cup nonfat yogurt

Directions

1. In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, cayenne and turmeric. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Using a sharp knife, make a few shallow slashes in each piece of chicken. Add the chicken to the marinade, turn to coat and refrigerate at least three hours, as long as overnight.
3. Preheat the broiler and position a rack about 8 inches from the heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade; scrape off as much of the marinade as possible. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and spread the pieces on a baking sheet. Broil the chicken, turning once or twice, until just cooked through and browned in spots, about 12 minutes. Let cool enough to handle, transfer to a cutting board and cut it into two-inch pieces.
4. In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garam masala, chile powder and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the tomatoes with their juices and the sugar and season with salt and pepper. Cover partially and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Add the yogurt and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes longer. Stir in the chicken; simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, and serve.