Chicken Tikka Masala

I haven't had a lot of experience with Indian food, but I saw a lot of people mention that Chicken Tikka Masala was their favorite, so I was curious to give it a try. This recipe is an old favorite now! We've made it many times & tweaked it along the way. Rich and creamy, this one is certainly not good for you, but worth it! (I even tried halving the heavy cream once, but it was definitely not as tasty, so go ahead and pour it all in.) If you don't have garam masala, you can use 2 tsp. ground cumin, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, and 2 tsp. cayenne pepper instead.



(For those of you counting calories, I've added the amount for each ingredient so you can easily make tweaks without having to re-calculate everything.)

1 cup yogurt (154)
1 tablespoon lemon juice (3)
5 teaspoons garam masala (30)
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper (10)
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (3)
1/2 teaspoon salt (0)
2 lb. chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (1088)

1 cup Basmati rice (190)
1.5 tsp. ground turmeric (10)
2 cups water (0)
1.5 cups frozen peas (140)

2 tablespoon butter (200)
2 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.) (0)
16oz. can tomato sauce (145)
2 cup heavy cream (1 pint) (1,642)
4 teaspoons ground cumin (0)
4 teaspoons paprika (24)
1 teaspoon salt (0)


1) In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, garam masala, black pepper, ginger, and salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight).

2) Combine the rice, tumeric, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and cover, cooking for 20 minutes. Stir in the peas and cover, letting the hot rice warm them.

3) Meanwhile, melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat then saute garlic for 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Season with cumin, paprika, and salt. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes (a splatter shield is highly recommended!).

4) Add the chicken to the sauce and raise the heat to medium, cooking for about 5 minutes, until cooked through. Serve over rice. Serves 6.

Calories - 606 for 1/6