Chicken Tikka Masala

I hear tell it's supposed to snow tomorrow so today I thought I'd post a warm and fragrant Indian dish that's very easy to whip up with lots of spices that you probably already have in your pantry. I really like Indian food and it's something I wish I ate more of. I've only ever been out to an Indian restaurant once, in high school no less! One day I'll make curry and homemade garlic naan, but today's focus is on chicken tikka masala.

In a large bowl mix one cup of plain Greek yogurt, one tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice, one tablespoon of ground ginger (or fresh if you have it), one teaspoon of salt, one teaspoon of ground black pepper, one clove of minced garlic, two teaspoons of cumin, one teaspoon of cinnamon, and a quarter teaspoon of cayenne. Stir in 6-12 chicken tenders, being sure to coat thoroughly, then refrigerate for at least an hour. The longer you marinate the longer those delicious flavors set in!

Once your chicken is finished marinating set your oven to high broil. Place a wire cooling rack on top of a baking sheet, then place the chicken on top, discarding the remaining marinade. Broil on each side for a few minutes until the chicken is cooked through. I estimated about 3-4 minutes per side which worked pretty well. The broiler terrifies me a little bit. I can't tell you how many times I've overcooked or burned things so now I check it constantly!

To make the sauce heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Saute one minced clove of garlic and a quarter cup of chopped onion until tender. If you like your Indian food spicy you can add in one quarter of a seeded, finely chopped jalapeno but we have a low heat tolerance so I left that out. It doesn't make any difference if you opt to skip it, the recipe lists it as optional.

Add in two teaspoons of cumin and paprika and one half teaspoon of salt. Stir for one minute, then stir in one 8 ounce can of tomato sauce and one cup of half and half. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add in the chicken and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Once done serve over jasmine rice and top with cilantro or crushed almonds. I don't particularly care for the taste of cilantro in large amounts and I had a bag of sliced almonds I wasn't sure what to do with so I topped the chicken with those. They add a nice crunch to the dish!

The chicken turned out so tender this time, you didn't even need a knife to slice it. The sauce was creamy and you could taste the spices peeking through the tomato flavor. This is definitely one of my favorite dishes to make!