Chicken tikka masala is arguably the single most popular Indian restaurant dish in the world. Turns out, it’s not an authentic Indian dish — it was invented in a London curry house.

Without historical roots, there is no definitive recipe. The variations we found had mushy or dry chicken and sauces that were unbearably rich and/or overspiced.

We created instead an approachable method for producing moist, tender chunks of chicken in a rich, lightly spiced tomato sauce.

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

By America’s Test Kitchen

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded to even thickness
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

>> Sauce:

• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2/3 cup heavy cream

To make sauce: Combine oil and onion in Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat until softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in garam masala, ginger and garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld, about 15 minutes.

Stir in cream, cover, and keep warm.

Meanwhile, adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Line broiler-pan bottom with foil and lay slotted broiler pan on top.

Combine yogurt, salt, cumin, coriander and cayenne in medium bowl.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on prepared broiler-pan top. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil chicken until lightly charred in spots and chicken registers 160 degrees on an internal thermometer, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking.

Transfer chicken to cutting board, let rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks. Stir chicken into warm sauce and let heat through, about 2 minutes. Stir in cilantro and season with salt. Serves 4-6.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 456 calories, 26 g total fat, 8 g saturated fats, 149 mg cholesterol, 533 mg sodium, 15 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 9 g sugar, 40 g protein.