Chicken Tikka Masala

I absolutely love Indian food, but have always assumed that this was a type of food best left to the professionals.

Then I saw it- a recipe for my favorite Indian dish, Chicken Tikka Masala! It was featured on the fabulous Pioneer Womans site Tasty Kitchen,

and originally came from the site Merryweathermama.com

I usually like to make my own recipes up- but clearly I was in way over my head when I decided that I would make Indian food at home! The Merry Weather Mama made thing delightfully easy, and the result was incredible. It was pretty authentic, and my husband and I sat around gobbeling it up all night while watching the Golden Globes.

I tweaked her recipe based on what I had at home, and the fact that we like spicier food. You can find the original at her site Merryweathermama.

By the way, I served this with fragrant jasmine rice and the most incredible homemade naan bread, (that recipe is coming next!!).

Chicken Tikka Masala
1.75 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breast
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp coriander
½ tsp cayenne
1 tsp kosher salt

Marinade:
1 cup whole milk greek yogurt
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 Tbs vegetable oil

Simmer Sauce:
2 Tbs oil
1 large onion, small diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
2 fresh jalapeno’s finely minced
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 Tbs garam marsala spice blend
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 Tbs sugar
¾ cup heavy cream
Kosher salt to taste
(extra cayenne if you like it spicy!)

In a Ziploc bag, add the chicken and the dry spices and shake vigourously.

Rub the chicken through the bag. Refrigerate the chicken for up to a few hours.

Combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger and oil in a bowl and set aside. Dump the yogurt mixture into the Ziploc bag with the chicken, and leave out at room temperature to marinate.

Preheat the oven to broil.

In a large heavy pot over medium heat, add the oil. Add the onions to the pot and brown.

Add the garlic, ginger and jalapeno’s.

Add the garam marsala and the tomato paste. Stir to combine.

Add the diced tomatoes and the sugar and stir to combine. Cover the pot and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Add the heavy cream and stir until even and creamy. Turn the heat off and set aside.

On a sheet pan covered in tin foil, pour the chicken out.

Broil the chicken for 15 minutes, and then turn the heat off and leave it in the oven for 5 minutes.

Take the chicken out and slice into bite sized pieces.

Add the chicken to the simmering sauce and gently reheat.

Serve the Chicken Tikki Masala over a bed of Jasmine rice and garnish with some fresh parsley.