Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients for marinade:
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
Chicken: I used 5 thighs & 4 drumsticks or you can use 4 breasts. You can use skinless or not. Your preference.
Ingredients for sauce:
1 tablespoon butter (or Ghee)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
3 teaspoons garam masala spice
1 teaspoons salt
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
In a bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Place chicken in a gallon zip bag, add sauce & mix sauce around really well. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. I marinated for 5 hours.
Preheat a grill for high heat. We used a Traeger. Alternatively you could cook in in your oven. Time varies based on method. Cook until juices run clear. One of my "samplers" said the chicken was delicious fresh off the grill. By "sampler" I mean a sneaky teenager who stole a piece of chicken while I was cooking.
Sauce:
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Add cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt. Mix cornstarch with a bit of cold water & add to sauce. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, turning chicken on occasion to make sure all get covered in sauce. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro. (Optional)
Indian Rice:
1 cup brown Basmati rice
2 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
2 cloves
2 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon chile flakes
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
3 chopped garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
*note* cardamom pods are expensive. They last forever, but since you only need a couple, I would suggest asking a friend if they have any.
METHOD
1 Place rice in a fine mesh strainer and run cool water through it to rinse it until the water runs clear. Add rice to water in pan & soak 15 minutes. Add the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon and bring to rolling boil. Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes or until water is absorbed. Stir often the last few minutes so it doesn't burn to the pan.
3 When the rice is cooked to your liking, carefully remove the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon and discard.
4 In a skillet large enough to hold the rice, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the mustard and cumin seeds and the chile flakes. Cook until the mustard seeds start popping, then add the onion. Sauté until the onion is soft & brown about 7-10 minutes.
5 Add the garlic and sauté another 2-3 minutes. Add the rice and mix well. Sprinkle the turmeric over the rice and mix well. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often.
Oven roasted vegetables:
Preheat oven to 475. You can use any hearty vegetable you want. I used small red potatoes, sweet potatoes & carrots. Next time I am going to throw in some butternut squash, turnips & possibly Brussels sprouts.
Cut to chunky bite size. For 10 people I used 12 small red potatoes, 2 sweet potatoes & 8 carrots. I should have made a little more because they were gone & people were asking for more.
Place cut vegetables in large bowl. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Just enough to coat veggies. Add a dash of balsamic vinegar, a sprinkling of Italian seasoning, a couple of teaspoons salt & pepper. Mix really well in bowl.
Place vegetables on cookie sheet and bake 30-40 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.
Like I said, there was a lot of steps involved in this meal but it was well worth the effort. I hope you like it!!
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