Chicken Tikka Masala

I love Indian food and one of my goals is to get Keri to like it too (she fears the heat).  To that end I have been slowly introducing Indian flavors at home.  Garam Masala is the key to this recipe and can be found in any Indian grocery store.

I've split the recipe into two parts for convienence.

Chicken Tikka Masala  Rating: 9

Marinade
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
5 tbsp Garam Masala
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cayenne to taste
2 Chicken Breasts, sliced into strips

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and add the chicken.  Marinate at least 1 hour but overnight is much better.

Sauce
1 tbsp butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1  14oz coconut milk
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
3 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
Cayenne to taste

Preheat your grill.

Saute the onion and garlic with the butter to the pot over medium heat until the onions soften, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the spices and mix together, being caseful to not burn the spices.  Add the tomato sauce and cocnut milk and simmer on low for 20 minutes.

While the sauce is simmering grill your chicken for about 4-5 minutes per side, its not necessary to cook your chicken all the way through because it will be added to the sauce later.  Remove chicken from grill and allow to rest for about 5 minutes.  Cut into bite size pieces.

After the sauce has simmered for 20 minutes add the chicken and allow to simmer an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with Basmati Rice and Naan