Chicken Tikka Masala

Since moving out of the city, we've struggled to find a solid Indian restaurant nearby. Surprisingly, many of the dishes just seem to be lacking in flavor. So I took to experimenting at home!

I enjoy a variety of Indian dishes, but it's usually the curries I crave most often. Korma, Vindaloo, and obviously Tikka Masala. And while, yes, I expect we've bastardized Tikka Masala over here in the States, I can't help myself. It's delicious! Being tried and true, and a bit more approachable, I figured I'd tinker with this recipe as my first foray into homemade Indian cuisine.

No, I didn't make my own garam masala spice blend. I'm sure some little Indian lady is rolling over in her grave right now. But I wanted this recipe to be relatively approachable and quick to prepare, so that I can allocate more of my time to homemade naan!

This Chicken Tikka Masala ladled over basmati rice is delightful in its own right. But fresh garlic naan is my weakness. I can't help but order it when out for Indian. For all you lucky, gluten-eating people out there, there's plenty of delicious storebought naans on the market. Gluten-free, however, is a bit harder to come by. So when cooking in, I always allow a little extra time to make my own. I personally prefer Gluten Free on a Shoestring's recipe for GF naan. I like to brush the warm naan with a bit of salted garlic, herb butter for extra flavor!

Of course, I'm by no means an Indian cooking aficionado. But I think this Tikka Masala is pretty damn good!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients

For the marinade

· 1 cup plain Greek yogurt

· 1 ½ tbsp garlic, minced

· 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

· 2 tsp garam masala

· 1 tsp turmeric

· 1 tsp cumin

· 1 tsp chili powder

· 1 tsp salt

· 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

For the tikka masala

· 2 tbsp canola oil

· 1 onion, diced

· 1 ½ tbsp garlic, minced

· 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

· 1 ½ tsp garam masala

· 1 ½ tsp cumin

· 1 tsp turmeric

· 1 tsp coriander

· 1 tsp chili powder

· 1 tsp brown sugar

· 1 tsp salt

· 15oz plain tomato sauce (not marinara)

· ½ cup heavy cream (or half & half / evaporated milk for lighter sauce)

· Basmati rice and warm naan for serving

· Fresh cilantro, chopped

For the marinade… combine the yogurt and all spices in a large mixing bowl. Toss the chicken in the yogurt until fully coated. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

For the tikka masala… remove the chicken from the fridge. Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add about 1/3 of the chicken to the heated skillet taking care to remove excess yogurt where possible. Allow the chicken to fry on all sides for about 2 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Repeat with the remaining batches of chicken.

In the same pan, reduce the heat to medium low and add the onions, garlic and ginger. Sautee until the onions are translucent. Then add all the remaining spices. Fry the spices until fragrant; about one minute. Stir the tomato sauce into the pan scrapping up browned bits from the bottom.

Return the chicken to the pan with the sauce. Cover the pan and simmer on low for 20 minutes and then keep warm until ready to serve.

Just before serving, stir the cream into the sauce.

Serve the chicken tikka masala over steamed basmati rice and warmed naan, if desired. Garnish the curry with fresh, chopped cilantro.

Serves 4-6

Gluten Free Friendly!

The tikka masala is naturally gluten free. Of course, storebought GF naan is hard to come by, so you may need to make your own or skip all together. I enjoy Gluten Free on a Shoestring’s recipe for GF naan.