This Chicken Tikka Masala with Naan Bread is better than any restaurant Tikka Masala out there! It is a little time consuming, but so worth it. If you are new to Indian food, this is the one to try!
Course
Dinner
Cuisine
Indian
Keyword
Chicken, Indian, Naan, Tikka Masala
Prep Time30minutes
Cook Time20minutes
Resting Time1hour
Total Time50minutes
Servings6people
Ingredients
For the marinade:
1cupplain yogurt
1Tbsp.lemon juice
2tsp.ground cumin
1tsp.ground cinnamon
2tsp.cayenne pepper
2tsp.black pepper
1Tbspminced fresh ginger
2tsp.salt
3bonelessskinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
For the sauce:
1Tbsp.butter
1clovegarlicminced
1jalapeno pepperfinely chopped
2tsp.ground cumin
2tsp.paprika
1& 1/2 tsp saltor to taste
18oz. can tomato sauce
1cupheavy cream
For the naan:
1.25 oz. package active dry yeast
1cupwarm wateras hot as you can get it out of the tap
1/4cupwhite sugar
3Tbsp.milk
1eggbeaten
2tsp.salt
4cupsbread flour
2tsp.minced garlic
1/4cupbutter
Instructions
MARINADE: In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, black pepper, ginger, and salt.
Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for one hour.
NAAN: While chicken is marinating, in a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water - let stand about 5 minutes until is starts to bloom.
Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and flour.
Knead for 5-6 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth.
Place dough in a greased bowl and cover - let rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
After an hour, punch down dough and knead in garlic.
Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. (I usually get about 12 balls out of it.)
Place dough balls on a cookie sheet.
Cover and let rise again, until doubled in size. (About 30 minutes.)
SAUCE: In a large frying pan, pour in the marinated chicken (marinade and all) and cook until no longer pink inside - transfer to strainer, but do not rinse.
While chicken is cooking, melt butter in another large frying pan. (Sometimes, we just use a big pot.)
Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute.
Add cumin, paprika, and salt - combine well.
Stir in tomato sauce and cream - simmer on low heat until sauce thickens.
Add chicken and continue to simmer until desired thickness.
NAAN: After the second rising, preheat griddle to medium-high heat.
Roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle.
Grease griddle with butter and place dough on it - cook for 2-3 minutes or until puffy and golden brown.
Flip naan and cook another 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from griddle and repeat process until all the naan has been prepared.
Dish up some Chicken Tikka Masala, grab a piece of two of naan and eat up!