Chicken Tikka Masala

Serves: 2 | Serving Size: 1/2 of dish

Ingredients:

This dish is one of our favorites! It has a very generous portion size for being on the lower side of calories and the flavor is incredible. The peppers add a nice little kick of spice, while the yogurt gives the sauce a rich creamy texture. The garam masala is a very mild flavor in this one. I highly recommend adding this to your weekly menu. Enjoy!

• Chicken:
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 (6 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
• Sauce:
  • 1 (14.5ounce) can crushed or diced tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 serrano peppers, seeded and minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/3 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
  • salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 cups brown rice cooked

Directions:

• For the Chicken:
  1. Make spice mixture by combining salt, garam masala and cayenne in bowl.
  2. Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels and season thoroughly with spice mixture. Let rest in refrigerate for up to one hour covered. Meanwhile, whisk yogurt, oil, garlic and grated ginger together, cover and refrigerate until needed.
  3. Adjust oven rack to top position, just below broiler, and heat broiler. Cover a wire rack with aluminum foil and place on a foil lined, rimmed, baking sheet. Dip chicken in yogurt mixture, being sure a thick layer is covering chicken, and place chicken on foiled wire rack (discard excess yogurt mixture).
  4. Broil chicken until charred in spots and chicken registers 165degrees, about 20 minutes, flipping chicken half way through.
• For the Sauce:
  1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat, add onion and cook until softened and browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in serrano peppers, tomato paste, garam masala, garlic and ginger, mix well. Stir in tomatoes, sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Once chicken registered 165 degrees, remove from oven, let rest for 5 minutes. While chicken rests, remove sauce mixture from heat and stir in 1/3cup yogurt, cover to keep warm.
• Cut rested chicken into 1 inch pieces and stir into sauce mixture. Season with salt as needed.
• To serve: 1 cup brown rice, topped with chicken mixture and cilantro for garnish. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information*:
Per serving: Calories: 479; Total Fat: 27g;  Cholesterol: 27mg; Sodium: 63mg; Total Carbohydrates: 21g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugars: 13g; Protein: 41g
Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 207mg; Vitamin A: 27%; Vitamin C: 47%; Calcium: 26%; Iron: 12%
*nutritional information does not include brown rice serving. For lower fat option, use less olive oil.

Adopted from: America’s Test Kitchen (2014). “Chicken Tikka Masala.” The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook. Boston: America’s Test Kitchen, 2014. 109. Print.