CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

I have always enjoyed trying new flavors, and lately I have been embracing Indian cuisine.  Previously I didn’t think I liked it, because everything I had tried had a strong taste of cinnamon.  I love cinnamon in sweet desserts, but I just don’t enjoy it in savory dishes so I thought I didn’t like Indian food.  Lauren and Sid introduced me to Chicken Tikka Masala, and I realized I really like it!  The quest began to find a recipe that would satisfy us all, and I finally settled on this one.  I just deleted the cinnamon from the marinade and no one seemed to miss it.  I have made it several times now and each time I improve it a little.  The picture above shows our Xmas Eve dinner with the tikka masala served over Basmati rice (which I will also blog), Saag Paneer (spinach with Indian cheese which was interesting but not blog-worthy), and Indian street corn (which I will also blog).  I have since added roasted vegetables to the tikka masala, and I very much like the crunch of them along with the chicken.  If you are willing to branch out and try new flavors, this is probably the most “Americanized” Indian food you can find and still have Indian flavors.   This recipe serves 4 so I usually double the recipe since there are 5 of us, and we enjoy having leftovers.

1-1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in 1” cubes

MARINADE:

1 c. plain whole milk yogurt (not Greek)

2 TB fresh lemon juice

2 t. ground cumin

1-2 t. cayenne*

2 t. black pepper

1 t. salt

1 piece minced ginger (1” long)

Bamboo skewers

SAUCE:

2 TB unsalted butter

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 jalapeno chiles, minced

4 t. ground coriander

2 t. ground cumin

2 t. paprika

2 t. garam masala

1 t. salt

16 oz. can tomato sauce

2 c. heavy cream**

½ c. chopped fresh cilantro

Indian roasted veggies, optional (recipe below)

Thread chicken on skewers; cover and marinate in the refrigerator several hours or overnight.  

To make the sauce, melt the butter on medium heat.  Add garlic and jalapeno and cook about a minute.  Stir in all the spices: coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt; then stir in the tomato sauce.  Simmer on low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Discard the chicken marinade.  Grill the chicken, turning occasionally to cook through, about 8 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the skewers.

To the sauce stir in the cream and simmer to thicken, about 5 minutes.  Add the chicken and if desired the roasted vegetables.  Simmer 5 minutes.  Stir in cilantro and take off of the heat.

Serve over basmati rice or with naan bread to tear and dip into the sauce.

*The first time I made it I only used 1 t. cayenne, and we thought it could use a little more kick.  When I used 2 full t. it was too hot for us, so now I use 2 scant t. of cayenne – quite a kick but perfect for our tastebuds.

**We love the addition of all this cream, but one guest thought it might be a little rich, so you could try either half and half, whole milk or even coconut milk.  I would make it with the cream first and then experiment if you think it is too rich.

INDIAN ROASTED VEGETABLES*:

½ small head of cauliflower, cut into small florets

4 carrots, peeled and cut into ¼” rings

2 zucchinis, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1” sticks

2 TB. peanut oil

1 t. garam masala

1 (1/2”) piece ginger, diced

2 garlic cloves, smashed and diced

1-1/2 t. kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Put the vegetables in a bowl.  Stir the rest of the ingredients together and pour over the vegetables and toss to coat them well .  Place on a greased cookie sheet and roast until they are al dente, checking after about 20 minutes and then every 5 minutes until you can poke them with a fork but they don’t fall apart.

*The original recipe called for butternut squash, new potatoes and red onions, so a variety of vegetables would work and the cooking times would vary.  I used these because my friend who had tikka masala with vegetables in it told me the ones she had in her favorite dish. 

These vegetables could also be served alongside the tikka masala instead of stirred into the sauce.