July 21, 2008

Chicken tikka masala


Chicken tikka masala is probably the most popular Indian dish in the Western countries. For me it is definitely not surprising that perfectly grilled chicken cubes slathered with a rich and delicious sauce of almonds and tomatoes are well-loved and in demand. The tomatoes make the curry mild for those who dont have a fiery palate and the almonds lend their rich nutty flavor to make it all the more irresistible. I have always loved the tandoori dishes be it naan or tikkas or tikka masalas. So it was taken that when we grill the tikkas, I would make Chicken tikka masala with it. The recipe I used was perfect, with the spices and the tomato gravy balanced well to make a decadent rich curry. We enjoyed it very well with hot naan. The recipe starts with marinating and grilling the chicken cubes to make chicken tikkas. I have given the recipe for the marinade and grilling instructions in a previous post. Hope you all would enjoy this delicious chicken tikka masala. Have a great day!!


Recipe (Serves 6) :

Oil - 1 tbsp
Onion - 1, finely chopped
Cardamom pods - 2
Garlic cloves - 2, crushed
Chopped tomatoes - 14 oz, can
Ground cinnamon - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tbsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Jaggery or soft brown sugar - 1 tsp
Cream - 1 1/4 cups
Ground almonds - 1 tbsp
Chicken tikka - 1 recipe
Chopped cilantro - 1 tbsp




Method:

Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over low heat.

Add the onion and cardamom pods and fry until the onion is soft and starting to brown.

Add the garlic to the pan, cook for 1 minute and then add the tomatoes.

Cook until the paste is thick.

Add the cinnamon, garam masala, chilli powder and sugar to the pan.

Cook for a minute.

Stir in the cream and almonds.

Add the cooked chicken tikka pieces.

Gently simmer for 5 minutes or until the chicken is heated through.

Garnish with chopped cilantro/coriander.

Source: The Food Of India by Priya Wickramasinghe.




I am sending this yummy curry to "Eat Healthy-Protein Rich" event at Sangeeth's Art of Cooking Indian Food. My other entries include:

Noodles with Peanut Sauce

Stir-fried Chicken with Mango
Baked Buffalo Wings
Chicken tikka
Diced Chicken with Vegetables
Hot and Sour Pork with Celery
Sweet and Sour Chickpeas

23 comments:

ranji said...

DELICIOUS jz..my all time fav...the grilled chicken tikas give out a nice smoky flavor to the dish...i also make it similarly :)..

ST said...

Chicken tikka masala is drooling.....Love the color...

Sherin said...

good colour da..... and looks yummy...didu get the full tandoor effect with 400F in oven?

Cham said...

I love tikka masala, looks so inviting ur dish!

Laavanya said...

Nice colour.. i make something similar with paneer tikkas and slather it on pizza dough.

Illatharasi said...

Awesome colour:) will try you recipe.... cant stop myself ;)

Trupti said...

Chicken tikka masala.... yuuuuuuummmmyyyy..nice color. You have lot of Protein Rich recipes..

Sonia said...

Hey J, hope u r doing well. You have just marvelous collection for drinks and desserts...!I did read all and bookmarked:)
Well, Can you please tell me what is "Half-and-half" which u have used in many drinks-shakes...?
Thanks.
Take care.
Sonu:)

A_and_N said...

This is one dish that I feel really jealous of because i am a vegetarian :) But I think I can substitute the chicken with oaneer. After all, Paneer tikka masala is pretty popular too :D
Great recipe!

amna said...

lovely dish! i love chicken dishes :)

@the_whisk_affair said...

Thanks Ranji, Sireesha and Sherin!!

Sherin, yes, the chicken gets perfectly cooked in the oven itself..

Thanks Cham and Laavanya! Laavs, i'm sure the paneer tikkas taste wonderful too!! :-)

Thanks Vani and Trupti!! :-)

Thanks a lot Sonu. I really appreciate your comments, I'm so glad that you love my blog a lot! I am honored and would be happy to keep on sharing more wonderful recipes with you all...

Abt ur query on half and half - its actually half milk, half cream. Its also called single cream, and is not the whipping cream that can be beat to form whipped cream. Half n' half gives the cream flavor without being too calorie laden!

I agree with u a & n, paneer tikka is awesome!! :-)

Thanks Nags, I love them too ;-)

Aditi..............:) said...

hey its deliccious!! What a colour.....this is my next sunday recipe!! My husband is fond of chicken....so i will make him happy with this recipe!!

Indian Khana said...

Lovely dish...looks just yummm and the picture is worth of drooling over..

Sonia said...

Thank you dear ur help. did u check ur gmail? I have written you a mail to you. hope u have got it.
Sonu:)

bha said...

so finally the tikka masala thing is on the board....:)

the color is lovely

Rachel said...

Another good dish!
made ur stir-fry beef....it's become a regular at home now....

Sangeeth said...

Yummy Tikka JZ....so we both had our fav tikkas last week hmmm interesting :)

Chef Jeena said...

JZ I love chicken tikka masala and yours looks so so fabulous! I am so hungry looking at your curry, the pics are beautiful. :-)

Sum Raj said...

delicious....love the colour

Unknown said...

OMG...just had dinner.but wish i cud have that bowl...
Now a days your white bowls are cming to mind when i am hungry...

Dori said...

Yum, I'll take a HUGE serving for dinner!!! Looks too good!

vandana rajesh said...

Yummy jz its my first choice when I go out for dinner. Made this last night at home too. Like the color I didn't end up getting mine with such good color. great pics as usual:)

@the_whisk_affair said...

Thanks Aditi, Priti, Sonu and Bhags!

Rachel, its great to hear that you all love the stir-fried beef!!

Thanks Sangeeth, Jeena and Suma!!

Thanks a lot for the beautiful comment Maheswari! I'm glad you remember my bowls ;-).

Thanks Meeso..You can have a biiig helping!

Great Vandana, the color I guess is from the canned tomato puree...Anyways, it mustve tasted awesome! :-)