Jett asked to go out for Indian food. I got brave and we made it as home instead.
I couldn't believe when we sat down to eat this - that this was something that we made.
It had a lot of steps, but it wasn't hard. And it was so delicious and it made for a really fun meal to sit down as a family and feel like we had dinner "out".
Ingredients:
3 whole (to 4) Chicken Breasts
Kosher Salt
Ground Coriander
Cumin, To Taste
1/2 cup Plain Yogurt
6 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Large Onion
4 cloves Garlic
1 piece (approximately 2 Inches) Chunk Fresh Ginger
Garam Masala
1 can (28 Ounce) Diced Tomatoes
Sugar
1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
2 cups Basmati Rice - serve with your chicken
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OPTIONAL:
Fresh Cilantro
Chili Peppers
Directions:
Start by seasoning the chicken breasts with some salt and pepper.
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.
Next dice one large onion. In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions and sauté until they are slightly browned. As the onions cook, mince your garlic.
Next, cut off the outer skin and mince or grate a 1 by 2 inch chunk of fresh ginger. Add the garlic and ginger to the onions. Also throw in about 1 tablespoon of salt.
Next you are going to add about 3 tablespoons Garam Masala spice. And if you like it hot, this is also when you will add your hot chili peppers. Serranos work well.
Now you are going to add your can of diced tomatoes. Continue cooking and stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Add about 1 tablespoon sugar. Let this mixture simmer on medium for about 5 minutes.
After the Tikka Masala sauce has had a chance to simmer for a little bit, add in the 1 ½ cups of heavy cream. Now, chop up your chicken breasts into 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 peas into the cooked rice, give them a stir, and allow the heat of the rice to cook the peas.
It tastes great and gives another nice dash of color. Serve the rice with the Chicken Tikka Masala over top. Make sure to have some Nann bread handy, too.
