Chicken Tikka Masala

I never thought I could make Indian food at home, especially not good Indian food, and especially not with ingredients I already had on hand. Well, I was wrong! I have ordered Chicken Tikka Masala at our favorite Indian restaurants in the city and always loved it. This dish was just as flavorful and delicious as any restaurant Indian I've tried! Klane loved it and said he'd like to have it once a month. Tikka Masala is a dish in which roasted chicken chunks (tikka) are served in a rich orange, creamy, lightly spiced, tomato-based sauce. The flavors are so interesting and complex. It has just enough spice, but if you don't like spicy then maybe reduce the amount of cayenne pepper or jalapeno. Oh but this was amazing! Make it!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Marinade:

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (I used ground Ginger, 2 tsp)
1 teaspoon salt
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 cup cream
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Combine all marinade ingredients except chicken. Pour sauce over chicken and refrigerate for one hour {I, Angie, marinated it about 10 hours while I was at work}. Grill or cook chicken in frying pan. Discard marinade.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for one minute. Season with cumin, paprika and 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. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve over hot rice.

Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe.