Chicken Tiki Masala

Today’s recipe was inspired by a restaurant favorite Kevin enjoys at a family-owned place in California: Chicken Tiki Masala. We go there almost every time we visit his parents. It was here that I learned something called “saag” could be delicious!

At first glance you might get the idea that there are a lot of ingredients in this recipe. No lie, there are almost 20. But several of them are duplicate ingredients and show up in both the marinade and the sauce. Fear not.

Start off by combining the ingredients for the “marinade.” It’s rather thick, so marinade doesn’t quite fit the description.

Trim the chicken into bite-sized chunks and mix into the marinade. We usually refrigerate this combination for a few hours or so, though you could do it a day ahead too.

Once the chicken is all marinated and dinner is about 40 minutes away, heat up a large skillet (no need for oil) and dump in the chicken, marinade and all. The chicken and the marinade have become one; it cannot be drained.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce by sauteing the butter and spices together for 5-10 minutes until they toast a bit. Be careful not to burn them! Add in the tomato sauce and coconut milk and cook until the sauce thickens and reduces, about 15 minutes.

Pour the sauce into the cooked chicken and allow them to cook together until the sauce has reduced a bit more.

Serve over brown rice with a side of naan and a sprig of cilantro.

If you don’t have a taste for spicy food, you might want to cut back the cayenne and black pepper the first time you try this as it is quite spicy. My mother refers to it as “stingy chicken.”

One reason I love Indian food is that it is very easily made vegetarian or vegan. I have made this recipe for myself with garbanzo beans instead of chicken, and even the meat eaters in the family enjoyed it. Next time you are cooking for vegetarians, keep this delectable dish in mind!