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Smolder Notes: Lapsang-Smoked Chicken Tikka Masala
LXV Recipe

Smolder Notes: Lapsang-Smoked Chicken Tikka Masala

Prep25 mins (plus 4 hr marinade)
Cook45 mins
Serves4
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Neeta's Pairing

Make it the LXV way

LXV Smolder Notes Spice Blend Spice blend

Smolder Notes Spice Blend

2023 Meso Sangiovese Wine pairing

2023 Meso Sangiovese

100% Sangiovese from Armaa.N Vineyard, Willow Creek District. 136 cases. LXV's estate vineyard produces a Sangiovese of remarkable depth — dark fruit, spice, and a vibrant acidity that electrifies the palate.

2023 The Tempo Wine pairing

2023 The Tempo

45% Merlot, 43% Cab Franc, 6% Cab Sauv, 6% Petit Verdot. 409 cases. Central Coast AVA. The most approachable wine in the lineup — plush, marshmallow-like texture with ripe cherry and baked-fruit character.

What separates tikka masala from every other tomato-cream curry is smoke — and Smolder Notes, with its lapsang souchong and smoked paprika, delivers it in the marinade rather than after the fact. The chicken chars under the broiler, then goes into a tomato gravy loosened with cream and finished with a live coal if you want the full dhungar treatment. Meso Sangiovese for acid against the tomato; The Tempo for plush fruit against the smoke.

Ingredients

  • MARINADE: 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 3/4 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp LXV Smolder Notes Spice Blend
  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • GRAVY: 3 tbsp ghee or butter
  • 1 yellow onion, finely diced
  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1 tsp LXV Smolder Notes Spice Blend
  • 1 tsp ground coriander and 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, hand-crushed
  • 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tbsp kasuri methi, crushed
  • Cilantro, and warm naan or basmati, to serve

Method

  1. Whisk the yogurt, 2 tbsp LXV Smolder Notes, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice and salt together. Fold in the chicken, cover, and marinate at least 4 hours and ideally overnight.
  2. Thread the chicken onto skewers, shaking off excess marinade, and set them over a foil-lined sheet pan so air circulates underneath.
  3. Broil on the top rack 6-8 minutes per side, until the edges blacken in spots and the chicken is just cooked. You want char, not evenness. Rest the skewers while you build the gravy.
  4. Melt the ghee in a wide pan over medium heat. Cook the onion 8-10 minutes until soft and golden at the edges.
  5. Add the ginger-garlic paste, the remaining 1 tsp Smolder Notes, the coriander and the cumin. Toast 45 seconds.
  6. Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar and salt. Simmer 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce darkens to brick red and the fat separates. For a silkier gravy, blend it smooth and return it to the pan.
  7. Stir in the cream and the kasuri methi and simmer 5 minutes.
  8. Slide the chicken off the skewers into the sauce along with any juices from the pan and simmer 5 minutes more so the two get acquainted.
  9. Optional dhungar: set a small steel bowl in the center of the curry, drop in a red-hot piece of charcoal, spoon 1 tsp ghee over it, cover the pot immediately and leave 3 minutes. Remove the bowl before serving.
  10. Finish with cilantro and serve with naan or basmati.

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https://www.lxvwine.com/recipes/smolder-notes-lapsang-smoked-chicken-tikka-masala/ · LXV Wine, Paso Robles