The past few nights, I’ve been late getting home from work. Not LATE, but later than I’d like given that I work a 32 hour week. Mr. P has been working late, too, so the evening duty with the baby has been all on me. Normally, Shea goes down around 8pm but the past few nights she has all but begged to go to bed…before 7pm.
Around 6:30 she has been getting irritable and she wants to nurse and then, BOOM…she’s out. Tonight I even changed her and put her in PJ’s without her even opening her eyes. The girl is exhausted. Growth spurt? Sadly, she has her 4 month appointment tomorrow (!) and another round of shots 🙁
Without Mr. P around the past few nights, most of my dinners have been pulled from the freezer. Even though I’ve had the time with the baby going down early, I have no desire to cook for one. I mean, one night I had yogurt for dinner…not even a freezer meal came to be.
Since we’re not quite on a schedule with the baby yet, I’ve reserved more labor intensive and time-consuming recipes for the weekend when we’re around in the evenings…and when I have time to enjoy cooking and appreciate all the more a delicious, home-cooked meal.
I’ve made Chicken Tikka Masala a LOT of times. I even introduced the menu item to my co-workers by way of the cafeteria at work and it is a popular dish, no doubt. Rich with Indian flavor and a creamy yet not-so-sinful base, this dish is an Indian favorite.
I’ve never before broiled the chicken to obtain that beautiful char but wow, it makes a huge, delicious difference in how this dish turns out. I love that the chicken can marinade over night and so much of the cook time is hands-off. While this dish is a “weekend dish” for us, it is a frequently requested entree and one of my favorite versions of this Indian classic.
- 6 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1½ Tbsp peeled ginger, finely grated
- 4 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1½ cups 2% plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups whole milk
- ¾ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Combine garlic, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, and cumin in a small bowl; set aside.
- Whisk yogurt, salt, and half of spice mixture in a medium bowl; add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and chill 4-6 hours or over night. Cover and chill remaining spice mixture.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, tomato paste, cardamom, and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring often, until tomato paste has darkened and onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add remaining half of spice mixture and cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown, about 4 minutes.
- Add tomatoes with juices and bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often until sauce thickens, 8-10 minutes.
- Add milk and chopped cilantro. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, 30-40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a wire rack inside sheet. Arrange chicken on rack in a single layer. Broil until chicken starts to blacken in spots (it will not be cooked through), about 10 minutes.
- Cut chicken into bite-size pieces, add to sauce, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Serve with rice, if desired.
our indian chef makes it with full cream, i would love for him to try this at our cafeteria and see how people respond.
Shea is about the age that my son was when he started to go to bed at 7pm and sleep (not straight through then of course!) until about 6 am. He’s 15 months now and still has the same bedtime (and sleeps straight through now, yay!). Before that we were trying to keep him up so he’d sleep longer in the morning but it was kind of counterproductive. Our friends recommended an earlier bedtime and it worked. Just food for thought. Love your site!
thanks for this recipe. I love this dish.
Simon