Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Chicken Tikka Masala


My friend Wayne, from the  Food Network community site recently pointed out that he was haunted by the chicken tikka masala dish appearing everywhere on the Food Channel. Everyone from the "Spice Goddess", Bobby Flay, and even the " Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" program were focusing on this popular east Indian dish. Talk about the power of the media being persuasive: I too succumbed and had made the recipe but had not gotten around to posting it. My version is probably a lazy one as I didn't marinate the chicken nor pre-bake it before adding it to the tikka masala sauce. Also for my vegetarian friends, I'm sure this would be a great recipe for you if you simply replace the chicken with tofu. Now, without further ado and thanks to Wayne's reminder.......

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts cut into bite size cubes
3-4 tablespoons of  vegetable oil or grape seed oil
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 teaspoon garam masala (spice mixture)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cardamon
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 tomato chopped
1/2 cup water
1 small container plain yogurt (about 1/2 cup)
fresh coriander for garnish
Salt to taste

In a small bowl mix all the spices including the ginger. Set aside. In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onions and cook until golden brown. Add the garlic and continue to cook for a minute. Stir in the spices and allow the flavours to infuse. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the chopped tomato and pour in the water. Simmer and season with salt to taste. Add the chicken pieces stirring well to coat the meat with the sauce. Continue to simmer until the chicken is cooked and the sauce has thickened, about 12 minutes. Stir in the yogurt and continue to simmer 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro and serve with bismati rice.

10 comments:

  1. You can also replace the chicken with the delicious indian cheese: paneer. SOOOOOO Delicious. My favourite order in Indian restaurants is paneer tikka masala!!! yummmmm-iiiiiii

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  2. Thanks Geneviève,it was my first attempt and loved the dish. Thanks for the suggestion. I was actually going to try making paneer but haven't gotten around to it.

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  3. I love Chicken Tikka Masala! Can't get enough of it, especially when the weather's slightly cooler. Yours looks amazing!!

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  4. I have never had Tikka Masala, it sounds like such a flavorful dish! I would love to see what its supposed to taste like before I try to make it!
    Thanks for a great post!
    Dennis

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  5. Chef Dennis, I took a leap of faith with this recipe and loved the results. Thanks for the visit and support by signing up as a follower.

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  6. Kimberly, it was my first time making it and loved the dish. I will have to check out your blog to see if you have your recipe posted. Thanks for the visit.

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  7. this looks so lovely... i cant wait to try this out soon. thanks for sharing.

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  8. Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe.

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  9. Boy they do may you want to try their recipes. This is on my to try list too! I like the honey spice cake recipe too, putting that on my list.
    -Gina-

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  10. Gina, thanks for dropping by and signing up as a follower. I really appreciate the support. I'm really glad you enjoyed both recipes. Have a wonderful week.

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