Chicken Tikka Masala

A few weeks ago, we went to an Indian restaurant near us.  My kids loved the Chicken Korma and the Chicken Tikka Masala.  I had made Chicken Tikka Masala before at home.  The first time it was great, but the second not so great.  So, last week I thought I'd try again.  I looked up several recipes and combined them to make a new one.  This is what I ended up with:

Chicken Tikka Masala

1.  Mince 1/2 large onion and saute over med. heat in 3-4 Tbsp canola oil for 5 minutes, until they are softened and just beginning to brown.

2.  Add      2 garlic cloves, minced (1 tsp.)
                  2 tsp. coriander
                  1 tsp. cumin
                  1 tsp. paprika
                  1 tsp. garam masala
                  1/2 tsp. salt
   Saute for 30 seconds.

3.  Stir in one 8 oz. can of tomato sauce and simmer for 15 minutes.

4.  Pound 2 pounds of chicken breast till thin.  (between 1/4-1/2 inch thick = 1 cm thick)

5.  Mix 1 cup plain yogurt
             2 Tbsp. lemon juice
             1 tsp. salt
             1-2 tsp cumin
             1/2 tsp black pepper
             1 tsp cinnamon
             1/4-1/2 tsp. ground ginger (optional)

6.  Put foil on a cookie sheet and place grate on top.  Spray grate with cooking spray.

7.  Pat chicken dry with paper towels and coat chicken with yogurt mixture.  Then, lay chicken on grate.  Broil 10 min. @ 475 degrees.  Turn chicken.  Broil 5 min. more.  I place my oven rack on the level as close as I can get and still fit in the tray, but you don't want the chicken to burn--so the first time you make this, I would keep a close eye to make sure your chicken isn't burning.

8.  Add 1 cup half and half plus 1 Tbsp. butter to sauce.  Whisk in.  Tear chicken into pieces and stir in.

Serve with basmati rice and cilantro on the side.

I know the half and half seems like a lot of calories--but several of the recipes I saw called for whole fat whipping cream!  So, at least it's less than that.  You could probably get away with sauteeing the onion in only 1-2 Tbsp canola oil and without altering the taste of the recipe too much and I will try doing that next time.

Oh, and my kids and I are very mild, so you might have noticed that there's no cayenne pepper in this recipe...  My husband loves spicy food so I just leave the cayenne pepper on the table and he can sprinkle it over his food to taste!

:)  Let me know how this recipe works for you if you try it and if you have any alterations you make to it!