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Chicken Tikka Masala

Though it is not traditionally an Indian side dish consider serving Chicken Tikka Masala with a side green vegetable making it a more nutritious option for your family.

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon curry powder or garam masala if you prefer

Onions

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion finely chopped

Spice Mixture

  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 T freshly grated ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper more if you like the heat

Cream

  • 2 cups passata or crushed tomatoes (500 ml)
  • 1 cup heavy cream (35%)
  • 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions

  • In a small bowl prepare garlic and measure out spice mixture, set aside. In another small bowl put finely chopped onions. Now chop your chicken into bite sized pieces.
  • In your non-stick 12 inch skillet heat oil over medium high heat.
  • Add 1/2 chicken and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon curry powder. Cook chicken until it is a nice caramel colour - approximately 5 minutes, stirring when needed. Chicken does not need to be cooked through at this point. Remove, set aside on a plate and repeat with remaining chicken.
  • In the same pan melt 2 tablespoons butter. Saute onions for approximately 5 minutes until transulcent and soft. Turn heat down to medium if onions are browning quickly.
  • To the onion mixture add garlic and spices. Continue stirring until garlic is cooked and spices are fragrant about 2 minutes.
  • Stir in tomato passata and reserved chicken and simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Add all remaining ingredients; cream paprika and sugar and simmer the sauce for 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened. Taste and add an additional 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt and/or 1 teaspoon sugar if required.