Chicken Tikka Masala

I love curry.. I love Indian over all… Lately my stomach has been hurting so this dinner was welcomed. And the best part of it is Indian is pretty inexpensive too.. it does take a bit to get all your spices if your just starting but once you buy a bag of Garam masala for $3.50 it will last you for ages.

I can’t say that everyone will like this or that kids will.. Mine scarf this up.. only because they have learned to like the cuisine that comes out of my kitchen.. I am the “eat this or go hungry” kind of mother.. well I am to the oldest ones… Gabriel gets away with eating bread, cheese, beans and potatoes.. He now informs me that he doesn’t like the crust on his bread but he has to eat it because it is good for him..

I think it is a texture thing.. but I am just fooling myself.

And when he grows up and gets married I can then put all the blame on his wife and swear that he wasn’t a picky eater till she married him.. it must be her horrible cooking.. un-huh…  

I am gonna be such a horrid mother in law.

Can’t wait.

Ok so back to curry…  You can have this with chicken or not.. If you don’t have cilantro then no big deal and if you want to use canned tomatoes because that is all you have in your pantry then go for it.. I like the fresh ones better.. it makes it less canned flavor.. or if you have ones that you canned your self! This recipe is nice because you can play around with it a bit.

Here is what is missing besides my brain.. cilantro, butter and sugar

First lets ½ cup of yogurt in large bowl add some salt cumin and coriander stir it well and then add the chicken breasts and let sit for a hour or so in your fridge.

Turn on your oven to broil and lay out chicken on a wire rack that is sitting on a sheet like so.. bake until done.. or I should say broil till done.

Here I have some basmati rice, butter, turmeric powder, butter curry mix and some salt. Set aside

Dice your tomatoes and then dice your onions and garlic don’t mix.. you will be cooking them at different times.

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in large pot add your garlic and onions.. cook till translucent

Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of ginger

Next add a tablespoon of salt and three tablespoon of garam marsala

Let that cook for about a min or two.. and then add your tomatoes and one tablespoon of sugar. Turn down your heat to low and let simmer for 20 mins. Turn on your rice at this time too                                            

Add one cup of cream

Your chicken should be done by now ( unless your like me and forgot to start cooking it)

Dice it and add to your curry…

A large handful of fresh cilantro at this time is really good.. Stir well and wait impatiently for your naan and rice to finish.

Print Recipe

Recipe:

• Tikka Masala

  3 whole (to 4) Chicken Breasts Kosher Salt Ground Coriander Cumin, To Taste 1/2 cup Plain Yogurt Curry: 6 Tablespoons Butter 1 whole Large Onion 4 cloves Garlic 1 piece (approximately 2 Inches) Chunk Fresh Ginger or 1 tablespoon of ginger paste Garam Masala 1 can (28 Ounce) Diced Tomatoes or 2 lbs fresh tomatoes Sugar 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream 2 cups Basmati Rice _____ OPTIONAL: Fresh Cilantro Chili Peppers Turmeric Frozen Peas Preparation Instructions Start by seasoning the chicken breasts with some kosher salt. Next sprinkle them on both sides with some coriander and cumin. Then coat the chicken breasts completely with the plain yogurt. Set the chicken on a metal cooling rack over a foil-lined baking sheet and place it about 10-12 inches below a broiler for 5-7 minutes per side. Watch carefully so as not to totally char the chicken. It should have slightly blackened edges. Remove from oven. Next dice one large onion. In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions and sauté until they are slightly browned. As the onions cook, mince your garlic. Next, cut off the outer skin and mince or grate a 1 by 2 inch chunk of fresh ginger. Add the garlic and ginger to the onions. Also throw in about 1 tablespoon of salt. Next you are going to add about 3 tablespoons Garam Masala spice. And if you like it hot, this is also when you will add your hot chili peppers. Serranos work well. Now you are going to add your can of diced tomatoes. Continue cooking and stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Add about 1 tablespoon sugar. Let this mixture simmer on medium for about 5 minutes. To a rice cooker add 2 cups Basmati rice, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon Ground Turmeric and 4 cups water. Cover, turn on your rice cooker and walk away. If you do not have a rice cooker, cook your rice as usual but make sure that you use Basmati rice. After the Tikka Masala sauce has had a chance to simmer for a little bit, add in the 1 ½ cups of heavy cream. Now, chop up your chicken breasts into chunks and stir them into the Tikka Masala sauce. A handful of chopped fresh cilantro is a nice addition if you like cilantro. You can also throw some frozen peas into the cooked rice, give them a stir, and allow the heat of the rice to cook the peas. It tastes great and gives another nice dash of color. Serve the rice with the Chicken Tikka Masala over top. Make sure to have some Nann bread handy, too.