Chicken Tikka Masala...get your taste buds ready!

There’s nothing like your significant other greeting you with a home cooked meal after a long hard day, week, meeting, exam, trip around the world etc. right?!
Tonight I dove back into my English roots and made Indian food (you’ll understand if you know anyone British). I present to you my specialty and Dan’s personal favorite meal I can make all by myself: Chicken Tikka Masala.

Preparation:
1. Cut 2 chicken breasts into 1X1” cubed pieces.

2. MAKE THE MASALA MARINADE:
In a large glass bowl combine 1 cup of plain Greek or non-fat yogurt, 1 tsp. grated ginger, 1 tbl. fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 ½ tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp Garam Masala spice blend, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp paprika, ½ tsp chili powder, ½ tsp mustard powder, 1 tsp salt and “enough” fresh ground black pepper. Of course, this can be adjusted to your own taste and spice tolerance.

3. Marinate cubed chicken pieces in this mixture for at least 1 hour. Can be marinated overnight.
Marinade should look like:


Cooking & Serving:
Grill marinated chicken pieces on a lightly oiled cast iron skillet until cooked through. Place aside on a plate. In a 4 qt. sauce pan turn heat to medium and melt 2 tbl butter or oil, while browning 2 minced cloves of garlic, a chopped seeded jalapeno pepper, and 1 diced onion. Add 1 tsp of each of the following: Garam masala, chile powder, coriander, paprika, cinnamon and cayenne pepper and let cook for 1 minute. Add 6 ounce can of tomato paste and 1 tbl sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-10 mins. Sauce will be pasty and thick. Add 1 cup heavy cream and stir for a few mins over low heat until thickened again. Add the chicken and let simmer for approx. 10 minutes.

Serve over basmati rice, which takes approx. 45 mins to cook. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the chicken. Garnish with chopped fresh grown cilantro. You can also add your favorite Nan bread, or a side dish of samosas! Do I hear a future post???