Chicken Tikka Masala

My roomate has made this a few times and it is so delicious. Word to the wise it is very spicy. You could probably put in less cayenne and tone it down a bit. I also made a vegetarian version of this by cutting up some potatoes and baking that along with peas and carrots using the same mixture you would for the chicken version. I baked it at about 400 until the potatoes were done. So with that lengthy intro out of the way.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken:

1 cup plain yogurt 1stp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger (or ½ inch ginger root) 1 T. lemon juice

2 tsp cayenne pepper (1 tsp for milder) 1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cumin 2 tsp. black pepper

1 ½ lbs. boneless chicken breasts or thighs

After combining all ingredients in a gallon-size Ziploc bag, seal bag and knead the mixture together by hand. Allow chicken to marinate at least 1 hour in refrigerator.

After marinating, remove chicken from bag. Grill or broil chicken until cooked through. Marinade will be thick and will cook off. You do not need to save the drippings.

Sauce:

1 T. butter or margarine 2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. ground coriander 1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. paprika 1 tsp. garam marsala

½ tsp. salt 1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce

1 cup whipping cream

Melt butter in a large skillet, add garlic. Cook 1 minute. Add coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala, and salt. Add tomato sauce and cover. Simmer 15 minutes. Add cream and simmer until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Add cooked chicken to sauce; simmer an additional 5 minutes. Serve over basmati rice. Garnish with cilantro.

Serves 6