As I said before, Aaron and I love Indian food. This is one of our favorite ways to cook chicken. I am lucky in that Topeka has an Indian import shop where I can buy all kinds of Indian spices and curry pastes. I often use the tandoori past to rub on the chicken before I grill it. I usually buy boneless thighs, rub with tandoori paste and let marinate about an hour or so before grilling. Then I cut it into bite sized pieces to use in this recipe. Oh, and technically speaking chicken tikka masala isn't a true Indian dish, but it is an adaptation of Indian cooking techniques that has become quite popular all over the world, even in India now!
2 pounds cooked chicken, skin and bone removed, cut into bite size pieces (I grilled the chicken especially for this, first cutting slits in the meat and rubbing with a hot curry paste before cooking)
2 tbsp. oil or butter
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. paprika
1 heaping tablespoon hot curry paste (optional)
1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
chopped cilantro
Heat the butter or oil in a heavy dutch oven. Add the garlic, jalapeno and onion and fry for about a minute. Then add the cumin and paprika and fry for about another minute or so. Add the curry paste if using, tomatoes and cream to the pan, turn the heat down to low and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to keep from sticking. Finally, add the cooked chicken and continue to simmer until the chicken is heated through. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed. Spoon onto serving dish and top with chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
