Chicken Tikka Masala

Adapted from ahintofhoney.blogspot.com

My friend had an Iron Chef party for her birthday.  Half the guests were given the secret ingredient lemon to create a dish and the other half were given yogurt.  I was in the yogurt group.  You are judged on deliciousness, creativity and presentation.  I decided to make chicken tikka masala and won for the best yogurt dish!  Hip hip hurray!  I was probably overly excited, but you know how much I love to cook!  So this was a serious competition for me.  :)  Anyway, here is the winning recipe.  Serve with garlic cilantro naan bread.

Ingredients:

Marinade:

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs minced fresh ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 3 boneless chicken breasts

Sauce:

• 2 Tbs butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup choppped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine marinade ingredients. Stir in chicken, cut into bite-size pieces, and refrigerate for at least several hours.

2. Preheat a grill for high heat. Lightly oil grill grate. Grill chicken until juices run clear, apprx 5 minutes on each side. (Can be done on skewers.)

3. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Sauté garlic and jalapeno approximately 1 min. Season with cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and cream. Simmer on low heat at least 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken and simmer 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

Note: This is the recipe, but the spices release better the longer it simmers, so allow to simmer longer for better flavor.