Easy Tikka Masala

This is the last Indian food post this week. This recipe was super easy to throw together and I don't feel like the flavor suffered for not having to do all those other steps that you usually do when making Indian food.  I think I need to make this again for this month...  This could be made in a crockpot as well. 

Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

Recipe from HERE

1 - 2 lb. chicken tenders

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 c. low fat milk

1 c. plain yogurt

2 T. lemon juice

2 T. cilantro

2 tsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. garam masala

dash of red pepper

--Mix all ingredients together. Pour over chicken in large casserole dish. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve over jasmine rice.

Coconut Chicken Korma

 

All these pictures of Indian food are going to look almost the same...  :)  I have two favorites from Indian restaurants that I always order if they have it, Daal and Coconut Chicken Korma.  My favorite Indian restaurant is Bombay House is SLC and Provo, Utah.  They make those two dishes the best, and we've eaten a lot of Indian food in different states!  I found a copy cat recipe for their Korma, I don't think it was the same, but it still tasted good! 

 

 

Coconut Chicken Korma Recipe

Recipe from HERE

 

 

Ingredients:

Chicken Spice Marinade:
3 chicken breasts, cut into strips or bite size pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Mix together and marinade for at least an hour.

Sauce:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped onions

4 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne*
2 ripe medium tomatoes, lightly blended (or 1 can diced tomatoes)

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

3/4 cup water + 2 tablespoon cornstarch**
1 teaspoon salt
1 can coconut milk
1 teaspoon garam marsala

1/4 cup golden raisins (optional)

1/4 cup cashews, chopped (optional)

garnish with cilantro (optional)

Directions:

Spray large fry pan with non stick spray or a little bit of oil and brown marinated chicken over medium heat, but do not cook all the way through.

In a large pan add oil, garlic, onions, and ginger and cook over medium heat until onions are translucent. Then add the remaining spices (except salt and marsala) and cook for another minute.

After that, add the tomatoes and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the yogurt and blend in with a wire whisk. Then add the browned chicken, water cornstarch slurry and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir in the coconut milk, garam masala, and golden raisins then simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce becomes fairly thick. Serve over brown jasmine rice and top with cashews and cilantro if using.

 

Enjoy!

Chicken Tikka Masala with Naan

 

 

We love Indian food at my house, and this past summer I tried a lot of different recipes. I'll be posting them this week.  Surprisingly, my kids like to eat it too.  Once I was making rice for a recipe, and my oldest came downstairs, smelled it, and said, "Yay! Indian food for dinner!"  He was very disappointed when I told him otherwise! 

 

This recipe was good!  Found it on Pinterest, it's a Pioneer Woman recipe.  Chicken breasts are healthiest but to make it more authentic you would use chicken thighs, etc.

 

This recipe was a little more involved (took more steps) than a lot of Indian food dishes, and I didn't notice a big difference in the flavor.  I'll post somemore Indian food recipes I've tried...  I also like saffron rice better than this tumeric rice.  Tumeric just has a funny/bitter kind of aftertaste, but still good!

 

I also tried this HOMEMADE NAAN RECIPE and it was great!!!  After experimenting with different recipes, this is the best one I've found so far.  The trick is having a hot pan!

 

Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

Recipe from HERE

Ingredients

• 4 Chicken Breasts
• Kosher Salt
• Ground Coriander
• Cumin, To Taste
• 1/2 cup Plain Yogurt
• 6 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Large Onion
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1 piece (approximately 2 Inches) Chunk Fresh Ginger
• Garam Masala
• 1 can (28 Ounce) Diced Tomatoes
• Sugar
• 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 cups Basmati Rice
• _____
• OPTIONAL:
• Fresh Cilantro
• Chili Peppers
• Turmeric
• Frozen Peas

Preparation Instructions

Start by seasoning the chicken breasts with some kosher salt. Next sprinkle them on both sides with some coriander and cumin. Then coat the chicken breasts completely with the plain yogurt. Set the chicken on a metal cooling rack over a foil-lined baking sheet and place it about 10-12 inches below a broiler for 5-7 minutes per side. Watch carefully so as not to totally char the chicken. It should have slightly blackened edges. Remove from oven.

Next dice one large onion. In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions and sauté until they are slightly browned. As the onions cook, mince your garlic. Next, cut off the outer skin and grate a 1 by 2 inch chunk of fresh ginger. Add the garlic and ginger to the onions. Also throw in about 1 tablespoon of salt.

Next you are going to add about 3 tablespoons Garam Masala spice. And if you like it hot, this is also when you will add your hot chili peppers. Serranos work well. Now you are going to add your can of diced tomatoes. Continue cooking and stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Add about 1 tablespoon sugar. Let this mixture simmer on medium for about 5 minutes.

To a rice cooker add 2 cups Basmati rice, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon Ground Turmeric and 4 cups water. Cook.

After the Tikka Masala sauce has had a chance to simmer for a little bit, add in the 1 ½ cups of heavy cream. Now, chop up your chicken breasts into chunks and stir them into the Tikka Masala sauce. A handful of chopped fresh cilantro is a nice addition if you like cilantro. You can also throw some frozen peas into the cooked rice, give them a stir, and allow the heat of the rice to cook the peas. It tastes great and gives another nice dash of color. Serve the rice with the Chicken Tikka Masala over top.

Healthier Curry Chicken Recipe

I'm sorry I don't have a picture of this to go along with this post, but I was just too excited to eat it every time I made it, and didn't want to stop to take a picture...

If you like Indian food, try this recipe! If you don't know if you like Indian food, try this recipe! If you know you don't like curry - don't try this recipe. (Not like you would, given the title of the recipe, but I thought I would throw that in there.)

This is a recipe I adapted from the Every Day Food magazine a few years ago. The reason I added the word, 'healthier' in the title was because it is a little healthier than eating it in an Indian restaurant, because you aren't eating the chicken broth and grease that the chicken is cooked in too. This recipe uses coconut milk, which if you are familiar with Indian food, makes the curry taste a little bit like a Korma or Kurma (depending on the restaurants spelling). It is such an easy recipe, and really delicious!

Chicken Curry Recipe:

2 lbs. chicken (whatever kind you want to use - boneless/skinless being the easiest, but you could do a whole chicken, and just use the desired amount of chicken in your sauce)

1 med-large onion diced

Put your chicken in a crockpot. Add a little water to the bottom of the crockpot. If you are using a whole chicken - no need to add water. Add your onion, and sprinkle the chicken with garlic, ginger, salt, ground curry, coriander, and cumin. Cook on high for about 4 hours, or low for about 6 hours until chicken is tender and done. Shred.

Sauce:

2 T. olive oil (or use 2 T. of your chicken broth, strained)
4 T. curry powder
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. ground cumin
4 tsp. salt
13 - 16 garlic cloves minced or pressed
2 tsp. ginger
1 LARGE onion sliced or diced (whichever you prefer)
2 (13.66 oz) cans of unsweetened coconut milk

Cilantro (if desired for garnish)

In a large saucepan, add your olive oil or chicken broth. Saute your onion and garlic over medium heat until tender. Add spices and coconut milk, and cook until boiling. Reduce heat, add shredded chicken, and let cook over low heat for twenty minutes or so. (Really, you could eat it immediately, but it's better to let the chicken absorb some of the spices and milk.) Serve over rice. This makes a lot, and could be halved if you don't like leftovers. But, we like leftovers at my house!