Easy Chicken Tikka Masala

lildebbie77's Note:

This is a classic dish, with wonderful flavor. If you don't have the whole spices, you can easily substitute ground/dried - 1 Tbsp whole = 1 tsp ground/dried. Lovely served over rice (we always use basmati) and served with flat bread. I like to measure everything and cut up the chicken before I get started. Even better - it's a 1 pot meal! For step by step instructions with pictures, see: http://whatsinmykitchen.blogspot.com/2009/08/chicken-tikka-masala.html

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4-6

Yield: 1.0 pot

• 2 small onions
• 5 garlic cloves , finely minced
• seeds from 10 cardamom pod (or 1 tsp ground)
• 1 teaspoon peppercorn
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon cumin seed
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 4 tablespoons butter , divided
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon garam masala (optional, but I love it)
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 14 ounces diced tomatoes
• ½ cup yogurt (I use fat free)
• ¾ cup half-and-half cream
• 1 1⁄8; lbs chicken breasts , cut into 1 inch pieces

Directions:

1. Make your spice blend: Put the cardamom seeds, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin and pepper flakes in a spice grinder and -- grind.
2. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a large skillet. Saute onions until they begin to caramelize.
3. Add garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Add your spice blend, ginger, garam masala (if using) and paprika.
5. Stir everything together until it's well combined and let it all mix together in the skillet for a few minutes.
6. Add tomatoes and water and stir everything together. Turn your heat down and simmer for about 10-15 minutes - it will thicken up a little and reduce.
7. Whisk the yogurt into the sauce, then add the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter and the half and half, and whisk everything together.
8. When the sauce is simmering again, add the chicken pieces and let it simmer until they are completely cooked.(about 10 minutes).
9. Serve over rice, hopefully with some kind of bread to sop up all the sauce.

Reviews

[Chef Dudo]

Since i do not mix meat and dairy I used soy yogurt and soy half-and-half cream. I also used the option of ground spices, thank you for mentioning the substitution amount. When done I found that it was a bit lacking in salt and added 3/4 teaspoon which lifted the taste. Thank you for a good tikka masala recipe!

[East Wind Goddess]

Lildebbie, I'm glad to see more tikka masala recipes turning up where the meat is cooked in the sauce: there has been a misunderstanding that "tikka masala" requires grilled meats. Actually, depending on where you travel in India, you will more typically find tikka ('bite-sized") meats cooked in the sauce, casserole style. This recipe is quite typical, and I'm happy I tried it!