Chicken Tikka Masala

Recipe of the week……….Chicken Tikka Masala

As far as my knowledge goes about Chicken Tikka Masala is that it is known as the national dish of Britain and came about into existence through a gentleman that used to frequent an Indian restaurant and always ate the same chicken Tikka dish but always complained to the chef that it needed a sauce of sorts to go with it as it is dry, so eventually the chef had had enough and went back to the kitchen, put some tomatoes and spices into a pot cooked it up quickly and pour it over the chicken Tikka and the rest is history……

Difficulty: Medium

Serves 4-6

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cooking Time 2 hours

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients:

For marinade:

500ml thick Greek yoghurt

1/2 Cup Chopped Coriander

¼ Cup Chopped Ginger

¼ Cup Crushed Garlic

½ Cup Garam Masala

¼ Cup Crushed Chilli’s or 2 fresh red chilli’s finely chopped with seeds

¼ Cup Lemon Juice

2 kg Chicken Breast Fillet cut into chunks, or chicken thighs (chicken on the bone with skin on to me makes much tastier curry)

For the sauce:

1 Onion finely chopped

2 TBSP crushed Garlic

2 TBSP Ground Cardomom

2 Tins Whole peeled tomatoes

¼ Cup Garam Masala

2 tsp cayenne pepper (if you like it hot add more)

¼ cup brown sugar

500ml cream

Salt to taste

½ cup flaked almonds

Preparation:

blitz the chopped coriander and all other marinade ingredients (except the yoghurt) to a smooth paste in a food processor.

Pour the above mix into a large bowl and add yoghurt. Mix well. Add the chicken and mix well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate. Allow to marinate overnight.

Preheat your oven to 220˚c. Place the chicken onto a roasting tray and roast until cooked through.

To make the sauce: Heat the oil in a deep pan on a medium heat and add the onion. Cook till soft.

then add the cardamom and the garlic. Fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add the garam masala, brown sugar, tinned tomatoes, almonds and mix well. Cook for around 1 to 2 hours on a low heat.

Add the grilled Chicken Tikkas (chunks/ pieces) and stir. Cook for 10 minutes.

Add the cream and mix well. Turn off the flame.

Garnish the dish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot naan breads, sambals and chutney.