Chicken Tikka Masala
I’ll tell you right now that I absolutely LOVE Indian food.
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I was exposed to a lot of different ethnic cuisines, and Indian was one of my favorites.
In 2017, I spent two weeks in the Indian Himalaya and my love affair with the food of this amazing country grew even more.
It is AMAZING how vastly nuanced and different this cuisine is from region to region, town to town, and even family to family.
It is difficult to find a lot of these recipes because a lot of the Indian heritage is passed down by oral tradition.
If you’ve never tried Indian food, consider this tikka masala dish as dipping your pinky toe into the bath.
This is not a dish that I ate on my travels, but is considered one of the most well known and most eaten Indian dishes by non-Indians. In fact, the British have deemed this their national dish!
This is a quick and easy dish to whip up and I very much consider this a comfort food.
Whether you’ve tried Indian food or not, I hope that cooking this dish opens up the world of Indian cuisine to you!
I was so delighted by how different the food tasted from what I had known growing up. There was still a familiarity to the flavors, but many of the dishes were completely new!
What I came to learn was that most of the India cuisine that we have in the US comes from the Punjabi region in Northwest India.
Where I was near the Himalaya, the flavors were lighter, the sauces were thinner, and the dishes were very simple yet incredibly flavorful! We were also traveling in what is considered a sacred area so the entire region was also vegetarian and without alcohol or caffeine. The dishes we had on this trip were incredibly delicious and I found that I didn’t miss that meat at all!
I think people often feel that vegetarian dishes are bland or boring, but having these dishes in India was a great reminder of how utilizing and layering flavors and spices could completely change that perception!
I had so much appreciation for how much depth, richness, and nuance was in each of the dishes that we ate. Aside from the staggering beauty of this awe-inspiring place, it is also a food trip that I will never forget!
Chicken Tikka Masala
2 lbs local chicken thighs
1/2 C yogurt
16 oz heavy cream
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
2 C chicken broth
1 large onion
1 C peas
1 zucchini
4 Tbsp garam masala (I make pints of my own at a time, get the recipe here!)
1 Tbsp turmeric
3 Tbsp coconut oil
Salt to taste
Cut the chicken thighs into large bite sized pieces. Combine with the yogurt, 1 Tbsp of garam masala, 2 tsp of salt and set aside.
While the chicken is marinating, large dice the onion and zucchini.
In a medium to large dutch oven, heat the coconut oil on high until melted. Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned (about 5 minutes).
Add the onion, zucchini, garam masala, and turmeric and continue sautéing on high until the vegetables are mostly cooked through.
Add the cream, tomato sauce, and chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, the veggies are softened, and the sauce thickens slightly. Add the peas.
Season to taste and add more garam masala as needed. Enjoy with cumin rice pilaf, homemade naan, and raita.
Happy Eating!
Chereen