Punjabi Chicken Tikka Masala - cooking recipe

Ingredients

rawspicebar's tandoori spices
rawspicebar's punjabi garam masala
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken
2 onions
6 garlic cloves
1 inch piece gingerroot
24 ounces canned whole tomatoes
2 tablespoons vegetable canola oil
2 cups thick yogurt (we love using greek yogurt)
salt & pepper
rice or naan bread, for serving

Preparation

For the chicken tikka marinade:
1. Whisk the yogurt in a large bowl. Stick to a thicker yogurt if you can- we love using greek yogurt for tons of flavor and thickness without the fat otherwise a full fat or semi fat yogurt will do.
2. Chop or crush 3-4 garlic cloves and 1/2 inch ginger in a mortar pestle, food processor or with the back of your knife. Add half of this ginger garlic paste to the yogurt.
3. Add in RawSpiceBar's tandoori spice blend and blend all ingredients.
4. Cut and cube chicken, about 1 inch thick. Season generously with salt, and pepper if preferred. Add all cubed chicken, to the yogurt mixture and coat well. Refrigerate and allow to marinate for at least one hour and up to 5 hours.
5. When the chicken is ready to be cooked, fire up the grill, grill pan or broiler to high heat. Thread the chicken cubes on bamboo or metal skewers and add to very high heat, about 10 minutes until the chicken starts to brown and char. Leave the chicken slightly undercooked in the center, as the chicken will simmer in the sauce under low heat for another 15 minutes and will cook through.
For the masala sauce:
1. Heat oil or butter in a large dutch oven over medium high heat until hot. Add 1 chopped onion and allow to brown until golden, about 10 minutes.
2. Add in chopped tomatoes (without the juice).
3. Add the remaining garlic ginger paste until the raw aroma is gone, about 2 minutes.
4. Add RawSpiceBar's masala spice blend and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
5. Add in remaining tomato juice and reduce heat to medium low.Allow to simmer for 20 minutes until tomatoes cook down. Stir in cream (if using).
6. Add charred chicken to the sauce and bring to medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add a splash of lemon juice and cilantro to finish. Serve alongside rice or naan.