Chicken Tikka Masala

This is definitely my favorite kind of Indian food. You might have guessed from previous posts (like this one, this one, or this one) that we eat lots of Indian food in my house. Thanks to my husband. He loves anything Indian. He is always begging me to let him make dinner and when he makes dinner he always makes curry. I actually hardly ever make it. He is the curry master. Well, today we went all out and worked together. He made Tikka Masala while I made Naan bread and a Yogurt cooling sauce. It all turned out fabulous! I will post the Naan bread and yogurt sauce in the next couple of days.
Ingredients:
Marinade

• 1 C. plain yogurt
• 1 TBSP lemon or lime juice
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp – 2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or less if you don’t handle spicy food well. )
• 2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 TBSP minced fresh ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp. garam masala ( This is a mixture of Indian spices. I am pretty sure you can get it in the international food section of most grocery stores. If you can’t find it, I am going teach you how to make your own in a future post.)
• 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

Sauce:

• 1 TBSP butter or olive oil
• 1/2 an onion, diced
• 4 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
• 1 jalepeno pepper, finely chopped (optional)
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 2 tsp. garam masala
• 3 tsp. salt (or to taste)
• 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 1 C. heavy cream
• 1 chopped tomato

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine marinade ingredients and the chicken. stir and marinade in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
Note:  Normally, chicken tikka masala is marinated and grilled chicken that is then put in a tomato base curry sauce. I broke tradition and didn’t grill it first. Maybe the flavor was a bit different, but mine turned out extremely tender and I didn’t have to deal with the mess of grilling. If you want to grill, put the chicken piece on  skewers, or just use a George Forman grill.
2. Sauté onions, jalapeno, and garlic in the olive oil until they start to turn golden. Add all the sauce spices. Add the chicken and discard the marinade. Cook the chicken for 5 –10 minutes or until cooked through.  Add the tomato sauce , chopped tomatoes, and cream. Let simmer for about 15 minutes. Serve over Basmati rice (or any rice that you have on hand).



Recipe adapted from Good Eats n’ Sweet Treats.

COMING SOON: Garlic Naan Bread!!!!