Meal Monday
I've tried every fancy jar of "simmer sauce" and $7 spice packet in the store with no luck: my efforts at making a chicken tikka masala like you get in a restaurant have all failed... until now! The other night, using some tikka paste and a few things from the fridge, a.k.a. "cheating,"I made something surprisingly close!
You will need:
About 1/2 jar of tikka paste (In the Asian section of most grocery stores)
1 cup plain yogurt
4 boneless chicken breasts
2 T Butter
1/2 cup of your favorite jarred bolognese sauce
1/4 cup whole milk or light cream
Some minced cilantro, for garnish
1. Wake up, rested and refreshed from a night of blissful sleep. After your angelic children quickly dress themselves and bring you a steaming mug of coffee, stir together the yogurt and tikka paste while the kids pack their own lunches. Toss the chicken breasts in the marinade to coat, then toss them in the fridge (preferably in a container of some sort).
2. When you get home, pull the chicken out of the fridge and heat a broiler. Broil the chicken breasts about 5 minutes on each side. Don't wipe off the tikka paste - make sure that plenty of it is still clinging to the chicken.
3. Heat about 2 Tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a heavy skillet until foamy. Chop the broiled chicken into 1-inch chunks. Saute the chunks in butter for about 3 minutes, stirring and tapping with a wooden spoon to mix the tikka paste into the butter.
4. Add about 1/2 cup of bolognese sauce to the skillet and stir to mix. Bring back to a boil and simmer for about 3 minutes.
5. Add 1/4 cup milk or cream and stir, simmering for about a minute.
6. Remove from heat, pour into serving bowl, and sprinkle with minced cilantro. Serve over steamed basmati rice.
Photo by Stu Spivack from Wikimedia Commons. Not the actual thing I prepared. But surprisingly similar in appearance!
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