Indian Cuisine: Chicken Tikka Masala

There are so many who enjoy trying the cuisine of different countries. I am certainly one of them. The rut we tend to get into is that we go to that one same restaurant every time we are craving Italian food, Japanese food, Chinese food, or whatever it may be. But we are also in the day and age where people want to eat healthier and want to know exactly what is on their plate. That is why it is even more important to eat out less, and cook at home more. Not knowing exactly where your food is coming from is the not the only issue, but portion sizes are another issue with eating out often. Why not learn how to make these dishes yourself. You may not cook often and you may end up discouraging yourself before you even begin, but trust me it’s easy! You will never know how easy it actually is until you try. Now you may have to do more grocery shopping than you may be used to, but once you have all the ingredients you’re good to go.  Indian food is definitely one of the cuisines that people view as difficult to recreate. One popular Indian dish is Chicken Tikka Masala . Chicken Tikka Masala is a great dish for those who appreciate Indian flavors, and it is also a great dish for people who may be new to Indian food.  Some of the things you’ll need are:

• ½ cup of plain yogurt

• 1 ½ teaspoons of lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin

• ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

• 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

• 1 ½ teaspoons of ginger (fresh or ground)

• 2 teaspoons of salt, or to taste

• 1 ½ boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

• 1 ½ teaspoons of butter

• ½ clove of garlic, minced

• ½ jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

• 1 teaspoon of paprika

• ½ a can of tomato sauce

• ½ cup of milk

1. In a large bowl combine yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2. In a skillet on medium high heat brown the chicken on each side until fully cooked. Refuse chicken from skillet.

3. Melt butter in the skillet and sauté garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with salt and paprika. Stir in tomato sauce and milk. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add chicken back to pan and simmer an additional 10 minutes.

4. Serve on top of rice.