Chicken Tikka Masala

I must admit that I had no idea that chicken tikka masala was to India as Panda Express orange chicken was to China. Needless to say, this tasty British adapted dish is a basic I almost always shamlessley order at some point at any Indian restaurant. This recipe I tried was different in that the chicken wasn't not swimming and falling apart in the sauce. There was just enough sauce to cover. I made some basmati rice with it, but unfortunately I did it Japanese style by measuring the water up to the first knuckle, resulting in sticky white rice (perfect by Japanese standards but not what I had in mind for this meal). Oops.

This might have taken some time to put together, but it was really easy once I got all the ingredients together. It's full of a flavor and I love it. I'll be making this again in the future.

Notes:

(1) this dish was hardly spicy with the one serrano chile i used. So if you want it spicier, add more or leave in the ribs and seeds (although i heard somewhere that the seeds don't hold the spiciness as much as the white ribby part).

(2) fresh cilantro on top added a freshness to it that you won't get without it, so if you can bother to buy it, do it.

RECIPE:

Chicken Tikka

1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (that was about 4 breast pieces)
1 cup of plain whole milk yogurt
2 T vege oil
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 T fresh grated ginger

Masala Sauce

3 T vege oil
1 medium onion diced fine
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 serrano chile
1 T tomato paste
1 T garam masala
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
chopped fresh cilantro to garnish

Directions:

1. Chicken Directions: combine all dry spices and salt in bowl and sprinkle on both sides of breasts. Cover and put in fridge30-60 minutes. Mix yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger and set aside.
2. Sauce Directions: Heat oil in big pot over medium heat. Add onions and stir until light golden. Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala. Keep stirring for a couple minutes. Add can of tomatoes, sugar and salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove from heat.

3. While sauce simmers, put oven rack in upper middle half (about 6 inches from heat source) and turn oven on for broiler. Coat chicken with thick layer of yogurt mixture (this makes chicken crazy moist). Place on baking sheet or broiler pan (Foil lined makes for easy clean up). Broil chicken 8-10 minutes (flipping half way through). It says parts should be charred, but I didn't get much of that. But as long as it's not pink inside, we're golden.
4. Let chicken rest for like 5 minutes, then cut into bite size chunks and stir into sauce (don't have it when it's still simmering). Top or stir in cilantro. Add salt to your taste.

I served it with my screwed up basmati rice. still delicious. I also got my hands on some frozen samosas that we baked up. perfeito!