Chicken Tikka Masala and Naan

In Lawrence, we ate at the Indian Palace buffet. Their food is fabulous, down to the Indian tea which is piping hot and has just the right spices and sweetness. We all loved the chicken tikka masala and were lamenting the fact that there is no Indian Palace in Wichita to satisfy our cravings. So, I set out to try to duplicate at least the naan and chicken tikka masala.

While there seemed to be common themes in recipes, per Wikipedia, "Chicken Tikka Masala is a westernized Indian dish...There is no standard recipe...a survey found that of 48 different recipes the only common ingredient was chicken."

So, I made lots of adjustments from a base recipe and ended up with what I think is pretty close to what we had in Lawrence. If you'd like to try it...

Chicken Tikka Masala - Melody's imitation of Indian Palace
1 cup plain yogurt
1 T lemon juice
1 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or equivalent in thighs, tenderloins, etc)

1 T butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup (or so) onion, diced
3 T sugar
2 t ground paprika
1 t ground cumin
1 t salt
1/4 t ground ginger
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/8 t cayenne pepper
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped, optional, for garnish

1. In a bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 1 t salt, and black pepper. Stir in chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (Or several days, if you don't get to it). Or, if you don't marinate, sprinkle salt, pepper and lemon juice on chicken before cooking.
2. Lightly oil grill grate. Grill chicken until juices run clear, approximately 5 minutes per side. (Until it reaches an internal temp of 165*).  (Or roast in 375 degree oven until internal temp reaches 165 degrees). Let rest five minutes, then cut into bite-sized pieces.
4. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion until onion is translucent. Add spices and saute briefly. (I let the sugar get liquidy/start to caramelize). Add tomato sauce and cream. Stir to combine. Add chicken and heat through. Simmer until slightly thickened. If it becomes too thick, may add extra water. Garnish with cilantro, if desired. Serve over rice.

Naan - Manjula
3/4 cup warm water
1 t yeast
2 t sugar
2 cups flour
1 t salt
1/8 t baking soda
2 T oil
2 1/2 T plain yogurt

1. Mix yeast, water and sugar and stir to dissolve. Meanwhile, combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add oil and yogurt and mix well. Add yeast water and knead to make a very sticky dough. (I use my stand mixer). Oil the dough, place in medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for four hours.
(You may form into 6-10 balls at this point and freeze. Remove from freezer several hours before baking).
2. Preheat the oven and baking stone to broil/500 degrees for 20 minutes. Oil hands and divide dough into 6-10 balls. Roll balls in flour. Using a rolling pin, roll to 1/4 inch thick. Wet hands and place naan on baking stone. Bake for 3 minutes. Remove from oven. Brush with melted butter (or ghee - clarified butter).

Enjoy!