Growing up in the midwest, I never tasted Indian food. Actually, for almost my entire adult life, I rarely ate Indian food. My husband loves chicken masala and we have gone to a couple of Indian restaurants, but it wasn’t until recently that I attempted to make it myself – thanks to a new neighbor who shared some secrets – and some spices – with me.
In our military life, we meet a lot of people. Living on a military base, families are always moving in and out and we rarely have the same neighbors for an entire assignment. About 7 months ago, we got new neighbors across the street from us and we lucked out – mom is Indian.
I was writing an article on golden milk quite a few months ago and I asked our neighbor if I could get some facts straight from the source and she was so kind in saying yes. In that visit, she loaded me up with bags of Indian spices, I couldn’t have been happier.
Fast forward a couple of months and their daughter brought over some chicken masala for us to eat – heaven! I immediately asked for her recipe. Like all good cooks, she uses a little of this and a little of that. I took all those suggestions and adjusted the heat level to my children’s likings and folks, we have a winner.
I have not been so pleased with a dish like this in a long time. I am working on so many projects, sometimes I forget to just stop and enjoy cooking. Not only will this blow your socks off in flavor, it is so enjoyable to make. During each step of the recipe, there is time to get the next step ready, that doesn’t always happen. It’s also a heartwarming dish with the cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and turmeric. Yum.
I hope you try this and love it as much as we do!
Enjoy!
Chicken Masala
Author: Sarah Pflugradt
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 1 hour 30 mins
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- Marinade
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small yellow onion, about 1/2 cup diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, about 2 tablespoons minced
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 cup tomato sauce, or diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup 2% milk
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- Fresh chopped cilantro for garnish
- 2-3 cups white rice
- Naan bread for dipping
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients for the marinade in a shallow dish
- Cut chicken into small 1/2″ pieces and coat in the marinade
- Marinate chicken in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, up to 4 hours
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon canola oil and chicken and cook until chicken is no longer pink and the internal temperature reaches 165°F, about 5-7 minutes
- Remove chicken from skillet and set aside
- With the skillet on medium heat, add butter and onions
- Sauté until onions are soft, about 3-4 minutes, stirring often
- Add garlic and ginger – sauté for 1 minute
- Add coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric, garam masala, salt, and tomato sauce
- In a small bowl, add cream, milk, and flour – whisk until combined
- Bring sauce to a simmer and add milk and cream
- Turn heat to low, add chicken back to sauce and allow it to thicken
- Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro