Tikka Masala

With the warmer days, the kickoff of grilling season begins again. So over the gorgeous Memorial Day weekend I made this meal.. tikka masala. Chicken Tikka Masala is a delicious dish which pre-marinated pieces of chicken are grilled and then added to a thick creamy gravy. The result is a lovely warm and smokey flavor. I served it over a bed of jasmine rice as I was all out of basmati, plenty of chopped cilantro along with triangles of syrian bread. If you grill as much as we do here, this is a very easy recipe that may be may ahead. Don't omit the marinade sauce..it really adds a lot to this warming dish. I originally had this dish at a friends barbecue, where she served shrimp instead of chicken. Both are equally delicious in this wonderful sauce mixture.

Prepare the chicken

3 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp sea salt

Sprinkle seasonings over chicken breasts--cover in wrap & refrigerate 30 minutes.

Dip/Marinade

1 cup whole yogurt
1 TBLS fresh ginger, diced fine
2 TBLS garlic cloves, minced
2 TBLS vegetable oil

Mix well and set aside until chicken is ready to be cooked. Once readied, dip chicken breasts into yogurt mixture. Once coated, toss them on the grill, basting each side until chicken is cooked and sauce mixture is gone. Allow chicken to rest once grilled and slice into 1 inch slices and then turn and cube into 1 inch pieces.
Set aside and prepare the masala sauce.

Prepare Masala Sauce


3 TBLS vegetable oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and diced fine
1 TBLS tomato paste
1 TBLS Garam Masala -*an Indian warm mixture of spices
1 cerano chili-minced

Saute onion, garlic and ginger in vegetable oil for 7 minutes. Add tomato paste, garam masala & chili and cook 4-5 minutes longer.
Then add:
28 oz crushed tomatoes
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt

Cover and continue cooking another five minutes or so. Lower the heat and stir into the red sauce 2/3 cup light cream. Once blended in, add the cooked,cubed chicken pieces just long enough to blend in. No need to cook any longer. Add 1/2 cup chopped cilantro and serve over warm rice. Enjoy!