A couple months ago, I tried Indian food for the first time. Delicious. I had no idea what I was eating and it sort of just blended together on my plate and I ate lots and lots of naan bread with it. Ever since then I sometimes get an Indian craving, mostly for something saucy and spiced (not necessarily spicy). A couple weeks ago I satisfied this craving by ordering some chicken tikka masala for takeout. It was delicious but kind of expensive. I found this recipe online and wanted to see if I could make it for myself.
Overall this recipe is surprisingly easy. There's two parts: the chicken part and the sauce part. The chicken gets marinaded in yogurt and spices and then grilled (I broiled mine). The sauce gets put together and then the two get mixed together. And that's it. You're done. I ate mine with regular rice (didn't want to buy the special kind) and store-bought naan bread. It turned out pretty darn delicious, not quite as awesome as the kind you get from an Indian restaurant but it certainly hits the spot (and is cheaper, and healthier, see notes).
(Not my picture, but that's what it looks like)1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
salt to taste
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
salt to taste
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Preheat a grill for high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.
3. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.
Notes and tips:
1. I didn't use the cayenne or jalapeno peppers. Other reviewers said the recipe was too spicy and I didn't want to buy these things. I sprinkled in some crushed red pepper to taste instead. I also didn't want to buy fresh ginger and just used ground ginger.
2. I don't have a grill so I used a broiler pan. I just set the broiler to high and then flipped the chicken every 5 minutes until it was done (I used a meat thermometer). This method worked out fine, the chicken was cooked through but was not burnt on the outside.
3. Based on the comments of other reviewers, I doubled the sauce part of the recipe. It's one of the best parts, to soak up all that sauce with rice and bread. In hindsight this probably made too much sauce, so I would go with maybe 1.5.
4. I am usually against using heavy cream in recipes if I can avoid it. Instead of cream, I used fat-free half and half to make a bit healthier. You probably can't tell the difference.
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