Date Night Eats!!

Last night was date night in my house.  For date night, I try to take our taste buds on an adventure.  This week this adventure went to India.  I had never had this dish, but I must say it was wonderful atop rice and peas.  I mixed in about a cup of frozen peas into the rice and my hsuband and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner that tased as if it were from a great restaurant.  The great news is I get to eat more of it today for lunch.  I have leftover pita's and I am going to heat up some of the chicken and rice and eat it as a sandwich.  Yum!!!




CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp table salt
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
juice of half a lime
MASALA SAUCE
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced fine (about 1-1/4 cups)
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 tsp)
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 fresh serrano chili, ribs and seeds removed, flesh minced
1 can tomato soup
1 tbsp garam masala
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp table salt
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves


For the chicken: Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, cinnamon and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate 60 minutes. In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, lime juice, and  ginger;
set aside.

For the sauce: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, chili, tomato soup, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.

While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil chicken until thickest parts register 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.

Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve. Serve with basmati rice and pita bread wedges. Serves 4 to 6.