One of our family’s favorite menu item to order when going to an Indian Restaurant is Chicken Tikka Masala.  I have tried numerous recipes to duplicate the robust taste of a good Tikka Masala recipe to no avail until today!!  This recipe is definitely a 5 star in our book and I’ll be making it many more times to come.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients:

1 ¹⁄₂ Lbs. Organic Chicken Breast, chopped into bite size pieces

Marinade:

1 C. Plain Yogurt

2 T. Lemon Juice

2 tsp. Cumin

2 tsp. Red Pepper

2 tsp. Black Pepper

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Ground Ginger

Sauce:

1/4 C. Cilantro (for garnish)

1 T. Unsalted Butter

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 Jalapeño, minced

2 tsp. Ground Coriander

1 heaping tsp. Cumin

1 tsp. Paprika

1 heaping tsp. Garam Masala¹

1⁄₂ tsp. Salt

2 cans(15oz) Tomato Sauce

1-2 C. Heavy Whipping Cream (must be heavy)

Directions:

For the Marinade:

Cut chicken in 1″ cubes.  I like cutting my chicken in half lengthwise and then cutting against the grain of the chicken.  Also, my chicken was partially frozen, which makes it easier to cut.

Combine the 1 C. yogurt, juice from 1 lemon (about 2 T), cinnamon, ground ginger, cumin, red pepper, salt and pepper in a zip lock bag and add chicken.  Let marinade in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or I let mine marinade for all day.

Remove chicken from marinade and discard leftover marinade.  Put marinated chicken on skewers and grill or if you’re in a pinch, you can do it in a pan on the stove, but grilling is the preferred method.

Cook until nice and brown.  Set aside.

For the Sauce:

Mince Jalapeño and garlic, also lightly chop some cilantro for the garnish

Sauté Jalapeño and garlic in pan on medium high for 2 min. or until fragrant.  Add coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala, and salt.  Now we need to bloom those spices, which means we need to cook them for a couple of minutes until they are fragrant, but be careful not to let them burn and stir, stir, stir. This is key to any Indian dish.

Stir in tomato sauce and cook until thickened–about 15 min

Remove cooled chicken of skewers and place in tomato sauce and add 2 C. milk.  Serve with jasmine rice and garnish with cilantro and don’t forget your veggies :).

Enjoy

TOMORROW I HAVE A SPECIAL SURPRISE GUEST ON THE BLOG for FRIEND FRIDAY.  Each Friday I’ll have a different guest sharing a recipe, a fitness tip, nutrition tidbits or other nuggets of info!  You won’t want to miss it!!