Chicken Tikka Masala with Naan

When my friend called to ask us over for dinner and wanted to know what our thoughts were on Indian food, I'll be honest, I was a little hesitant. The only time I'd eaten Indian food was at a little restaurant in Logan, UT and I was less than impressed. This was definitely not the case this time though. Chicken Tikka Masala has to be the best meal I've ever had, hands down. I really don't know how I've gone my whole life without it. You have got to try it at least once!

{Recipe found at allrecipes.com}

The original recipe was super heavy on the salt and we didn't use a barbecue, so I've kind of tailored this recipe to what we did:

Ingredients

Marinade:

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Heat a large frying pan on medium heat.
3. Pour the marinated chicken {marinade and all} in the frying pan and cook the chicken until no longer pink inside.
4. Transfer chicken to a strainer and drain all marinade; set aside.
5. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt.
6. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes.
7. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Now for the naan. Naan is and Indian flatbread and goes perfectly with Chicken Tikka Masala. The recipe we used is from allrecipes.com as well. Again, we didn't use a grill, so I've changed it to what we did:

Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
2. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3. During the second rising, preheat griddle to medium high heat.
4. Roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly grease griddle. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

When all is said and done, we like to dip the naan in the chicken tikka sauce, but you can eat it however you want. Hope you enjoy it!

-Sarah