Chicken Tikka Masala

I have always loved to experiment with food. I'm always finding new recipes to try and share with all of our faithful readers. I'm sure you have wondered some time or another, "Do they eat like this every day?" The answer is no. Like everyone else we have some simple cheap things we eat on an almost weekly basis. We must eat spaghetti at least once a week if not more. Another super cheap, super easy Coats dinner staple is Chicken Tikka Masala. Don't be fooled by this fancy sounding curry, it is a 30 minute life saver. We bought an easy curries cook book way back in the day at Ross. Holli brought up the point that this is the first recipe in the book and the only one we have made. Haha, maybe I will have to try another one some day.

Photo by Holli Coats

You would think this lovely curry comes from India or some place nearby, but you would be wrong guv'na! This dish is brought to you by Jolly ol' England. Just think, William and Kate could be eating this as we speak... maybe not. I was shocked when I found this out! England isn't known for their culinary achievements. It is the most popular dish in England and has been called the "true national dish." Who knew?!

This recipe is a lot more basic than other chicken tikka masala recipes I have seen, but oh so good! You may just have to add this to your list of go-to recipes. Holli made this for us last night and took these pictures. She's da' bomb! And of course she is working on something crafty as we speak.

Photo by Holli Coats

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients 
4 Tbsp of vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 fresh red chile, seeded and chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
14 oz can diced tomatoes
10 fl oz heavy cream
2 chicken breasts
salt and pepper

Directions
 Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet and cut up chicken into 1 in cubes. Salt and pepper chicken and add to the pan. Cook chicken on medium high heat until there is no pink in the middle and set aside. (You could also cut up pieces of a rotisserie chicken).

Heat the rest of the oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add garlic and chile stir for about 1 minute. Stir in cumin, paprika and salt and pepper to taste and continue stirring for about 30 seconds. Next, stir in the tomatoes with their juice and the cream into the pan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low and let sauce simmer for about 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently until it reduces and thickens. Adjust seasoning to sauce if necessary (Matt's note: I use a lot of salt, and we always end up saying...it needs more salt. Don't add too much at once, but add it little by little and taste until it's where you like it). Add Chicken, cover, and let simmer for 3-5 minutes until the chicken is heated through. Eat over rice.