30-Minute Chicken Tikka Masala

30-Minute Chicken Tikka Masala

Adapted from Step-By-Step Indian Cooking

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

2 boneless “higher-welfare” chicken breasts

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons peeled and finely grated fresh ginger

1 medium onion, chopped

1 fully ripe tomato, chopped (or 2 canned tomatoes)

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¾ teaspoon fine grain sea salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon of honey (or brown sugar)

1 1-inch cinnamon stick

juice of ½ lime (or lemon)

1 container 6 oz / 170 gr plain yogurt (use heavy cream for a creamier texture)

water to thin (if needed)

Directions

Preheat oven to 450°F (220°C), line a baking sheet with tin foil and lightly brush with olive oil.

Cut the chicken into 1-inch (2.5cm) cubes and and thread onto skewers (if you don’t have skewers it’s not a big deal).

Place the skewers (or chicken cubes) onto the lined baking sheet. Place in the preheated oven on the center rack. Bake for 20 minutes, turning skewers over once at the 10 minute mark.

In the meantime, heat the olive oil into a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger and onion and saute’ until the onion is golden brown, stirring frequently, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add tomato, cover with a lid and let simmer for 5 minutes stirring every minute or so. The tomato should be combined with onion to form a coarse paste.

Add the cumin seeds, coriander, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt and honey (or sugar).

Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. This is the masala (spice mixture).

Transfer the masala (be careful is hot) to a blender (or using an immersion blender) and pulse until a dense and smooth paste is formed.

Return the paste to the saucepan, add cinnamon stick, lime juice and yogurt. Bring to rolling boil and immediately reduce the heat.

By now the chicken kebabs should be thoroughly cooked. With the help of a fork remove chicken cubes from skewers and add to the masala.

Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve hot!