Chicken Tikka Masala

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this! I saw the recipe on The Sister's Cafe blog, but she got it from The Pioneer Woman. I thought it looked and sounded good, but must admit I was getting a little nervous while I was making it. It used large quantities of spices I wasn't very familiar with so I wasn't quite sure how it would taste in the end, but it was a hit!

Ingredients:
3-4 chicken breasts (I used 3 small ones)
1/2 c plain yogurt (I used FF sour cream)
6 Tb butter (divided)
cumin
coriander
kosher salt

1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 in. chunk fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 T. salt
3 T. Garam Masala
1 T. sugar
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 c heavy cream

2 c Basmati rice, uncooked
1 T ground turmeric
4 c. water

optional:
fresh cilantro
chili peppers (I used ground red pepper to give it some spice)
frozen peas

Directions:
Start by seasoning the chicken breasts with Kosher salt. Next sprinkle them on both sides with coriander and cumin. Then coat the chicken with the plain yogurt. Set the chicken on a metal cooling rack over a foil-lined cookie sheet and place it about 10-12 inches below a broiler for 5-7 minutes on each side. It should have slightly blackened edges. Remove from oven.

To a rice cooker add 2 cups Basmati rice, 4 Tb butter, 1 tsp salt, 1 Tb ground turmeric and 4 c water. Cover, turn on your rice cooker and walk away.

Next dice the onion and saute with 2 Tb butter over med-high heat until slightly browned. As the onions cook, mince your garlic and ginger. Add to onions with 1 Tb salt.
At this point add 3 Tb Garam Masala spice. If you like it hot, add a chili pepper or two. (I just used some ground red pepper) Add the tomatoes and continue cooking and stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Add about 1 Tb sugar and allow this mixture to simmer on medium for 5 minutes.

After the Tikka Masala sauce has had a chance to simmer for a bit, add in the 1 1/2 c heavy cream. Now chop up your chicken breasts into chunks and add them into the sauce.
A handful of chopped cilantro is a nice addition if you like cilantro. You can also throw some frozen peas into the cooked rice, give them a stir and allow the heat of the rice to cook the peas. (We aren't fans of peas around here but I did put in the cilantro and the added green made the dish prettier...and tastier of course)