A bit of Indian Flair: Chicken Tikka Masala

After a recommendation from a friend, we tried this recipe one night. It was another hit at the Kaiser household! I won't take credit for the recipe. It came from The Pioneer Woman website, and I plan to revisit that site and try some others, too. For the original recipe (almost the same as below, but mine has a bit less fat) and for step-by-step instructions and pictures, click on the link here.

Chicken Tikka Masala

• 1 1/2 to 2 pounds chicken breasts
  
• Kosher salt, to taste
  
• Ground coriander, to taste
  
• Cumin, to taste
• ½ cup plain low-fat yogurt, plus more for garnish
  
• 3 TB Butter
• 1 large onion, diced
  
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 2-inch chunk fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 3 TB Garam masala (an Indian spice mix, see note at bottom)
  
• 2 14-oz cans Fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 TB Sugar
• 1-½ cup half-and-half
  
• 2 cups Basmati rice
• Tumeric
  
• Fresh cilantro
• Chili peppers, optional
  
• Turmeric
• Frozen mixed vegetables (peas, corn, carrots)

Seasoning both sides of the chicken breasts with kosher salt, coriander, and cumin. Then coat the chicken breasts completely with the plain yogurt. Set the chicken on a metal cooling rack over a foil-lined baking sheet and place it about 10-12 inches below a broiler for 5-7 minutes per side. Watch carefully so as not to totally char the chicken. It should have slightly blackened edges. Remove from oven.

In a large skillet melt 1 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions and sauté until they are slightly browned, then add the garlic and ginger.

Next, add Garam Masala spice. And, if you like it hot, this is also when you will add your hot chili peppers. Serranos work well. (I made the Tikka Masala in one pan up to the point of adding the Serrano peppers. At that point, I moved some of it into a smaller pan to add the spice for Allen. Those peppers made me cough like crazy when I was cutting them and I thought they'd be too hot for the kids and me.)

Now add the diced tomatoes. Continue cooking and stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Add sugar. Let mixture simmer on medium for about 5 minutes.

To a rice cooker add 2 cups Basmati rice, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon Ground Turmeric and 4 cups water. Cover, turn on your rice cooker and walk away. If you do not have a rice cooker, cook your rice as usual but make sure that you use Basmati rice.

After the Tikka Masala sauce simmered for a little bit, add the half & half. Chop the chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks and stir them into the Tikka Masala sauce. A handful of chopped fresh cilantro is a nice addition if you like cilantro. You can also throw some frozen veggie mix into the cooked rice, give them a stir, and allow the heat of the rice to cook them. It tastes great and gives another nice dash of color. Serve the rice with the Chicken Tikka Masala over top, and a dollop of yogurt on top of that.

Note: I couldn't find the Garam Masala spice mix at our grocery stores, but I made the mix as suggested. Next time I will probably reduce the cayenne to 1/2 TB since it had a bit too much of a kick for the kids' palates.

Garam Masala Mix

• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 TB ground coriander
• 1 TB ground cumin
• 1 TB ground black pepper
• 1 TB ground cayenne pepper (this was too much for the kids, I will use 1/2TB next time)
• 1 TB fennel seeds
• 1 TB ground ginger
• 1 TB ground cardamom
• 1 TB ground nutmeg