Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Chicken Tikka Masala


Last Saturday, I took a break from the Thai curries, and decided to make an Indian curry; Chicken Tikka Masala.  There are numerous variations of this recipe, but I wanted to make one that (I thought) the whole family would like.

It turned out to be a bit too spicy for the wee ones, but Jesse and I really liked it.  This recipe serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS

FOR CHICKEN:
  • 1 lb. chicken breasts (either 3 or 4 breasts)
  • 1/4 Teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 Teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 Teaspoon ground coriander seeds
  • 1/2 cup plain, lowfat or non-fat yogurt
FOR CURRY:
  • 1 large yellow/sweet onion, diced
  • 1 Tablespoon finely minced garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger root
  • 32 oz. Hunts(TM) Petite Diced tomatoes
  • 3 Tablespoons Garam Masala
  • 1 Teaspoon Thai chili powder
  • 2 Tablespoons canned (and drained) green chiles
  • 1/4 Teaspoon sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream (at room temperature)
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
FOR RICE:
  • 2 cups Basmati rice
  • 1 Tablespoon Tumeric
  • 1 bag (12 oz.) frozen peas
  • 4 Tablespoons salted sweet cream butter
TO PREPARE THE CHICKEN:
  1. Season the chicken breasts with ground cumin, ground coriander, and salt
  2. Coat each chicken breast with plain yogurt
  3. Grill over medium heat until cooked through - about 10 minutes
  4. Remove from heat, and let sit for 5 minutes
  5. Dice cooked chicken into 1" pieces, and set aside
TO PREPARE THE CURRY:
  1. Melt 2 Tablespoons of salted sweet cream butter in a medium-sized skillet
  2. Add the diced onions, and saute until golden (about 5 minutes)
  3. Add the minced garlic and grated ginger, as well as 1/2 Teaspoon of salt to the onions and saute 2 minutes
  4. Add 3 Tablespoons of Garam Masala spice and 1 Teaspoon Thai chili powder to the saute pan, as well as 2 Tablespoons canned (drained) green chiles.  Stir to coat ingredients with Garam Masala
  5. Next, add the petite diced tomatoes and their juices (remove any pieces of tomato that look green/yellow, and discard), and 1/4 Teaspoon white sugar.  Stir to mix ingredients.
  6. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally
  7. Right before serving, add 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream, diced chicken breast, and 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro to the pan.  Stir to combine.
  8. Serve over rice
TO PREPARE THE RICE:
  1. Place 2 cups Basmati rice, 1 Tablespoon Tumeric, 4 Tablespoons salted sweet cream butter and 4 cups of water in a rice cooker.  Set to cook and walk away.
  2. When rice finishes cooking, open rice cooker and add the frozen green peas, stirring to combine and heat peas.  Let sit 3 minutes until peas are cooked through.
Spoon rice onto each plate, top with curry/chicken mixture and enjoy!

We served this with fresh vegetarian spring rolls and some garlic Indian Naan bread.

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