Comforting Chicken Tikka Masala

The Enthusiastic Kitchen Elf was a little bit grumpy today. First, he was not allowed to go with Daddy and R on the class camping trip. "Ummmm...you're not invited. You're in 6th grade and it's an 8th grade class trip." 

But we always go camping as a family, he bellowed. 

Second, he was a little saddened about a grade he and his partner received today on a project. We worked so hard...I thought we would do better! 

"Well, it's not always about how hard you worked. If your teacher thinks there's room for improvement, you should listen to him. Listen to what he thought was missing or could have been done better."

So, I decided to cheer him up with a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-Dinner. No surprise, he picked Chicken Tikka Masala with Naan. It's definitely his comfort food.

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/4 C organic whole milk yogurt
• 2 T walnut oil
• 2 t freshly squeeze lemon juice
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 T ground coriander
• 2 t ground cumin
• 1/2 t ground cardamom
• 1/2 t ground nutmeg
• 1 t ground sweet paprika
• 1 t ground smoked paprika
• 1 t ground turmeric
• dash of ground cayenne

Sauce

• 4 T butter or ghee
• 1/4 C chopped shallots
• 1" knob of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 T ground coriander
• 2 t ground cumin
• 1/2 t ground cardamom
• 1/2 t ground nutmeg
• 1 t ground sweet paprika
• 1 t ground smoked paprika
• 1 t ground turmeric
• dash of ground cayenne
• 1 C organic whole milk yogurt
• 1 C tomato purée
• freshly ground salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro 

For Serving

• Naan
• steamed jasmine turmeric rice (recipe to come)
• jeera aloo (recipe to come)

Procedure

Chicken

Place the chicken thighs in a large mixing bowl. Massage the spices into the chicken. Stir in the yogurt, oil, lemon juice, and garlic. Set the chicken aside while you make the sauce.

Sauce

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

In a large, flat-bottom pan or a Dutch oven, melt the butter or ghee. Add the shallots, ginger, and garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and caramelized, approximately 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and stir in the spices. Add the chicken and stir until fully-cooked. Add the tomato purée and yogurt. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, until slightly thickened, approximately 10 minutes. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the cilantro just before serving.

To Serve
Spoon onto individual plates with a side of naan, rice, and jeera aloo.