Craving Curry > Chicken Tikka Masala

It has been a while since I have posted a recipe, so I thought I would share this one that I made the other weekend.

Being from England, I’m a curry lover and a couple of weekends ago I just had this craving for some Indian food and I played around with this Chicken Tikka Masala recipe and was pleasantly surprised. Now I am not saying this is totally authentic, but it packed a ton of flavor and it satisfied my craving 🙂

Ingredients

2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken – I used breast meat
6 Garlic Cloves, finely grated
6 tps Ground Turmeric
3 tps Garam Masala
2 tps Ground Coriander
3 tps Ground Cumin
1½ cups Yogurt
1 tbsp Salt
3 tbsp Ghee or Vegetable Oil
1 Small Onion, thinly sliced
¼ Cup Tomato Paste
1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (more if you would like some more heat)
1 28-ounce Can Whole Peeled Tomatoes
2 Cups Heavy Cream
Cooked Basmati Rice

Directions

Make a spice mixture ny combining the garlic, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, and cumin in bowl. Split this spice mixture into 2 equal portions
In a medium / large bowl mix the yogurt, salt and ½ the spice mixture until well combined
Cut the chicken breasts into 1 to 1.5 inch strips lengthwise and add to the yogurt mixture. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4-6 hours (or longer)
Cover the remaining spice mix, to be used later
Heat on medium, the oil (or ghee) in a large pot and add the sliced onion, tomato paste and the chili flakes and cook for about 5 minutes
Add the remaining half of spice mixture and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often
Crush the tomatoes with your hands and add them to the pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently
Add the cream, stir and simmer for around 40 minutes until the sauce has thickened
With around 15 minutes of cooking time remaining, preheat your broiler and arrange the marinated chicken pieces on a wire rack or lined baking tray. Broil until you see the chicken start to blacken slightly; about 10 minutes
Cut chicken strips into bite-size pieces and add to the sauce
Simmer for around 10 – 15 minutes to ensure the chicken is fully cooked
Serve with rice and enjoy a taste of India