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Chicken Tikka Masala + Weekly Menu

I took Piper grocery shopping today. It was Shea’s nap time and since I was going to be gone most of the evening at my hockey game, I wanted to give Mr. Prevention some “free time”. And by “free time” I really mean time to train Harlie (our new bulldog), but…shhhh. Don’t let him know my ulterior motive.

Piper and I ran into lots of people at the grocery store — our old neighbors, a friend, and also a patient of mine. He was wandering the produce section and it finally hit me – he was looking for kohlrabi (his favorite vegetable). Only a dietitian would remember such a detail about someone, am I right?

I did a quick scan of my cart after seeing my patient – phew. It was filled with 100% healthy items, mostly produce. Had Mr. P been with us, that would’ve most certainly not been the case. It never fails that Lucky Charms, Twizzlers, cookies, or Drumsticks make it into the cart. Oh, or donuts (swoon).

One of his recent snacks has been wasabi peas and wouldn’t you know the 2-year-old is HOOKED on super spicy wasabi peas, too. It could be much worse and at least we know her proclamations of dinner being “too spicy” are a big fat fib. The girl LOVES spicy food.

We’re soooo onto you, kiddo.

When I leave it to Mr. Prevention to help plan the weekly menu, Indian food always makes the cut. And while I sometimes venture away from tikka masala, I’m always happy to return to the oldie but goodie. There’s so many varieties of the recipe, but I must say, this was in our top 2, if not #1.

Shea had no complaints about the heat, her issue was getting all the delicious tikka masala into the naan so that she could eat her Indian dinner just like daddy. Toddler problems, I tell ya. And while this meal certainly doesn’t need naan…naan tends to make everything better. Mmmm!


Chicken Tikka Masala
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 7 servings
 
Ingredients
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 tsp ginger, finely chopped
  • 4 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1½ cups whole-milk yogurt
  • 1¼ tsp kosher salt
  • 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise
  • 2 Tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 1 tsp cardamom
  • ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 2 cups half and half
  • ¾ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
  1. Combine garlic, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, and cumin in a small bowl.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, salt, and half of spice mixture until well-combined. Add chicken to the yogurt mixture and gently stir to coat chicken on all sides. Cover and chill at least 4-6 hours or up to 2 days. Cover and chill remaining spice mixture.
  3. Heat ghee in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add onion, tomato pasta, cardamom, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring often, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add remaining half of spice mixture and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
  4. Crush tomatoes one at a time over the skillet using hands. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 8-10 minutes, stirring often.
  5. Add half and half and chopped cilantro. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 30-40 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, preheat broiler to 500 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack on top. Mist wire rack with cooking spray and arrange chicken on rack. Broil chicken until blackened in spots (it will not be cooked through), about 10 minutes.
  7. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces, add to sauce, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, 8-10 minutes.
  8. Serve over rice and with additional cilantro, if desired.
Notes
Recipe ever so slightly adapted from Bon Appetit
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ~1⅓ cups Calories: 331 Fat: 15.7 Carbohydrates: 14.7 Sugar: 9.0 Sodium: 775 Fiber: 2.1 Protein: 30.4 Cholesterol: 111

Weekly Menu: April 23rd – 27th

Be well,

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2 Comments

  1. Nancy
    April 23, 2017 / 10:13 pm

    I love kohlrabi too! As well as chicken tikka masala

  2. Pingback: Curried Shrimp Biryani

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