Chicken Tikka Masala

This is so good, perfect on a cold night (the spice always makes me feel warmer), and it makes a ton of food so you'll be eating for a few days. It is obviously best served with Naan bread and Basmati rice, but if you don't have/can't find naan you can just serve it with white italian bread (its cheating but its still good to dip in the sauce). And, as always, pre-chop all your vegetables!

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients:
3-4 Chicken breasts
Kosher Salt
Ground Coriander
Cumin
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I usually just get one of the small individual serving size cups)
2 tbs butter
1 large onion finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 piece (approx. 2 inches) fresh ginger finely chopped
3 tbs Garam Masala Spice (I found this spice at Whole Foods- you can make your own spices if you can't find it, but try hard!)
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
1 tbs sugar
1 1/2 c heavy cream
2 cups basmati rice (plus 1 tbs turmeric and 1 cup frozen green peas, optional)
Optional: a handful of fresh cilantro, 2-3 chili peppers (I use serrano, and slice them into small pieces)

Note: This time around, I used a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes because that is what I had in my cupboard. It turns out, I actually prefer crushed tomatoes because of the way the consistency turned out.

Homemade Garam Masala Spice (make your own!)
1 tbs ground coriander
1 tbs ground cumin
1 tbs ground black pepper
1 tbs ground cayenne pepper
1 tbs ground fennel seeds
1 tbs ground ginger
1 tbs ground cardamom
1 tbs ground nutmeg
1 TSP ground cloves

OR


Basmati Rice: You can make your basmati rice by the package directions, but here is how I do it.

1. First, soak the rice in cold water for 30 minutes before preparing the rice. Drain the rice through a strainer to rinse the starch away. For every cup of uncooked rice, add 6 cups of water into a large pot.

2. Bring the water to a boil, add in the rice and 1 tbs turmeric. Let it boil for approx. 8 minutes, then drain through the strainer.


3. Add the green peas immediately, stir them through, and it is ready!


Chicken Masala:

1. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with kosher salt, cumin and coriander. Coat both sides with plain yogurt. Place chicken breasts on a cooling rack placed over a foil-lined baking sheet. This gives the yogurt a place a to drip, and helps the chicken cook thoroughly. Broil until the chicken is cooked through, and starting to brown (I can't remember how long... maybe 15-20 minutes). Remember to turn the chicken so both sides can brown.


Note: my chicken never blackens (I don't know why), but keep an eye out to see if yours does.


2. In a large skillet, melt 2 tbs of butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and stir occasionally until they start to brown. Add garlic, ginger, and 1 tbs salt. Stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the pan.


3. Add 3 tbs of Garam Masala sauce, stirring to keep from sticking. At this point, add the peppers if you are using them. Add the can of tomatoes, 1 tbs sugar, stir, and let simmer for approx. 5 minutes.





4. After the sauce has had a chance to simmer, add the 1 1/2 cups heavy cream. Let simmer for about 5 minutes. If you don't think the sauce is spicy enough, add a little bit of cayenne pepper (I can't emphasize enough- a LITTLE BIT of pepper. I accidentally put in like... a tsp of pepper and almost burned my tongue off). Chop the browned chicken breasts into small pieces, and add to the sauce. If you are using cilantro, toss in a handful.





5. Serve over your rice, and enjoy!