Chicken Tikka Masala

Oh Em Gee!! This recipe is awesome! I have only tried one other Indian dish (which I loved), and I'm hooked! I think I was meant to be Indian. :]

So, here we go fellow foodies:

Chicken Tikka:

1/2 tsp ground Cumin
1/2 tsp ground Coriander
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp Salt (table)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press
1 tbs fresh Ginger, grated
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

Masala Sauce:

3 tbs vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 jalapenos, finely diced
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs Garam Masala
1 can (14oz) crushed tomatoes
3 tap sugar
3/4 tap salt (table)
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 tsp Tumeric

Preparation - Chicken Tikka: Combine Cumin, Coriander, Cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Add crushed garlic and Ginger. Rub onto chicken and drizzle with vegetable oil. Place chicken in ziploc bag and refrigerate overnite (or several hours). Add yogurt, making sure it coats chicken thoroughly. Let marinate for another 1-2 hours. In the meantime, begin getting all the ingredients for the Masala Sauce ready.

Masala Sauce: Heat oil in large dutch oven (or pot) over medium heat until simmering. Add onion and jalapenos, stir frequently. Cook until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Add garlic, Ginger, tomato paste, and Garam Masala. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, Tumeric, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, simmer for 15 minutes; stir occasionally. At this point, you can adjust the seasonings to your liking, add cream. Simmer for 5 minutes; remove fro
heat and keep warm.

While sauce is simmering, oil grill. Coat the chicken thoroughly with yogurt; grill over medium heat. Chickencan also be cooked in the oven. Place rack in the upper-middle position in the oven; set to broil. Line a baking sheet with foil, oil. Thoroughly coat chicken with yogurt (there should be a thick layer of yogurt on each price of chicken). Discard excess yogurt. Broil chicken until thickest parts register 160 degrees on a meat thermometer; exterior will have lightly charred edges, 10-18 minutes. Flip chicken halfway through cooking. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes. Cut into 1 inch chunks and stir into Masala Sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro and serve over rice.

Thoughts: I LOVED this dish!! First off, I used boneless, skinless thighs; I prefer dark meat. Second, I didn't have crushed tomatoes. I diced up a couple fresh tomatoes (4 for recipe), simmered them in the sauce, added water (1/3-1/2 cup for recipe), and used my potato masher to crush them. It was a bit harder than using canned tomatoes, but the taste was worth it!! :] Third, I really enjoy HEAT! So, I added a little extra Cayenne to my sauce. *Note: The chicken is a bit of heat. If you're not a fan of heat, knock down or eliminate the amount of Cayenne you use.* I also had to add a bit more salt, for taste. And lastly, I served up some warm Naan bread to sop up the sauce. YUMMO!! *You can lurches premade Naan in the bakery section of your local grocery store. Or, you can look up a recipe (I'll post one tomorrow).*

I hope everyone tries this, and enjoys it thoroughly!! Happy eating fellow foodies!

Taste the love - Kim :]

Can you taste it?

During my younger teen years, my mom worked harsh hours, so I was stuck at home with two younger siblings. Well, we had to eat didn't we? Thus, a foodie was born! I remember using everything I could get my hands on to create a fantastic meal. I LOVED praise from others over my food. My siblings still talk about the first time I made BBQ oven chicken.

I have always strived to please others with my cooking. My heart and soul go into every dish I make - yes, even grilled cheese. :] My famous saying is, "You can taste the love in my food". Which is true! If your heart isn't into cooking, people can taste it; it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Now, food with love?! You can taste that too! You feel the love, which makes the food taste that much better!

I am an adventurous cook! I will try to cook anything once. This blog will contain the recipes that are tried and true, new recipes, and my thoughts and corrections to these recipes. I hope to inspire you to cook as well! Taste the ♥...