Chicken Tikka masala

Chicken Tikka is one common dish which most of us order when we go to restaurants as its time consuming to make at home. One of my close friends who loves to eat out was disappointed when they tried out this dish in one of the famous restaurants here in LA. So I promised them to prepare it at home along with wheat naan for dinner one night. The traditional dish is made rich with butter and cream, but I used only little olive oil and milk instead .They just loved the my healthy version of the dish and couldn’t differentiate it from the hotel version.

Ingredients

Chicken tikka

1-2 pounds- chicken breast cubed
1-2 bell pepper(cut in big chunks)
1- onion cubed(cut in big chunks)
1 cup- yogurt
2 tsp- ginger garlic paste
½ tsp – turmeric powder
1 tsp- dried methi leaves crushed
1 tsp- chilli powder
½ tsp- garam masala powder
½ tsp- cumin powder
1-2 tsp- lime juice
¼ tsp- food coloring(optional)
salt to taste
4 – 6 wooden skewers(optional)

Gravy

½ onion- finely chopped
1-2cups – tomato puree
1-2 tsp- ginger garlic paste
10 -cashew
½ – 1 cup milk(acc to thickness)
½ tsp tumeric powder
1-2 tsp- chilli powder
½ tsp- coriander powder
½ tsp- garam masala powder
1 cardamon, clove,small cinnamon stick
1 tsp- dried methi leaves(kastoori methi)
2-3 tsp- olive oil
salt to taste
Chopped coriander leaves

Directions

Chicken tikka

Cut the chicken , bell pepper and onions such that they are in same size(small blocks) .
In a large bowl , add the ingredients under chicken tikka( except the wooden skewers) and mix well.
Allow the mixture to marinate overnight (12-24hrs). More the marinating, softer and tastier the chicken.
Now soak the skewers in water for min 15 mins so it does not get burned while grilling.
Now thread the bell-peppers, chicken and onions on the skewers, alternating .(such arrangements on skewers helps the moisture from bellpepper and onions to keep the chicken juicy and from drying out )
Now grill it an outdoor grill ,oven or on griddle at home .Preheat your oven or grill to medium high 400F.
Place the skewers on the grill racks in your oven .
Roast till the chicken is browned on all sides and tender. Keep aside( chicken breast cooks very fast – max 10-15 mins).
Allow it to rest for 10 mins before you add to the gravy.

Gravy

Heat the oil in a pan on a medium flame and add the cardamon, clove,cinnamon stick.
Then add the chopped onions and fry till it turns brown.
Add the ginger garlic paste to it and keep stirring till the raw smell goes.
Stir in the tomato puree and allow to cook in medium flame for 5 minutes.
Now add the turmeric,chilli, cumin and coriander powder along with salt,methi leaves and cook over medium heat for another 5 minutes.
Now in a blender , grind the cashew nuts with little milk or water till its comes to fine paste.
Pour this paste to the boiling sauce and add milk as per the thickness needed.
Allow t he sauce to thicken for another 5-10 minutes.
Now stir in the grilled chicken, onions and bellpepper to sauce for another 2-5 min.(dont allow the chicken breast to cook again, else will get dry and tough).
Finally add some garam masala to the sauce and turn off the heat.
Sprinkle some chopped coriander leaves and its ready to be served with rice, naan or rotis.

Benefits of bell pepper

Brightly colored bell peppers, whether green, red, orange or yellow, are rich sources of some of the best nutrients available.
As peppers are excellent sources of vitamin C and vitamin A , two very powerful antioxidants. These antioxidants work together to effectively neutralize free radicals, which can travel through the body causing huge amounts of damage to cells.
Bell peppers have also been shown to prevent blood clot formation and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes
It also appear to have a protective effect against cataracts, possibly due to their vitamin C and beta-carotene content.