Chicken Tikka Masala

We're not very adventurous when it comes to Indian cuisine in our household. When we've gone out for Indian food, I almost always get butter chicken or saag paneer while the Mister prefers chicken tikka masala. Since we're making a conscious effort to reduce the number of times we dine out each month, I thought I'd try my hand at making chicken tikka masala at home. The recipe I seem to come across the most when searching online is the one from Pioneer Woman's website. On the first try, I made it pretty much as written (minus the ginger, because I could not find any decent specimens at the grocer). It was good, but we found it to be a bit much with all that cream. When I made it again I switched from diced tomatoes to crushed and reduced the amount of cream by half. I also had a hard time getting the chicken to char as well as she did with the broiler (this is one of those times I wish we had a gas oven!), so I used a Foreman-type grill and got better results. Give it a try!

Chicken Tikka Masala
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Serves 6

3-4 whole chicken breasts (I used 6 large tenderloins)
kosher salt
ground coriander
cumin
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbl. butter
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic (or 1 tsp. granulated)
3 Tbl. Garam Masala
1 Tbl. paprika (optional, for color)
1 Tbl. sugar
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
1 cup heavy cream

Season the chicken breasts with kosher salt, coriander, and cumin.  Coat with plain yogurt.  Cover and let marinate in refrigerator for about 2 hours.  Broil chicken for 5-7 minutes per side, until chicken has some charred, slightly blackened edges.  (You can also cook the chicken for about 7 minutes in a George Foremen grill)  Remove from oven and set aside.

Melt 2 Tablespoons butter in a large skillet and saute the onions over medium-high heat until slightly browned.  Add garlic, 1 Tablespoon salt, Garam Masala seasoning, paprika, sugar, and crushed tomatoes.  Stir well and let simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, chop the cooked chicken into 1-inch pieces.

Add heavy cream and chicken pieces to the pan.  Stir and allow to heat.  Serve over basmati rice.