Pseudo Chicken Tikka Masala (No Tomatoes)

Thanks to my husband, I have discovered the deliciousness that is Indian food. I am slowly learning proper technique by reading Madhur Jaffrey's cookbooks. However, I have noticed a large portion of recipes call for tomatoes. While I love tomatoes, my husband cannot abide them. I find myself changing recipes around to accommodate his tastes, with fantastic results.  I have created my version of Chicken Tikka Masala, with no tomatoes. While I am sure it tastes nothing like what you would find in a restaurant, it is still very good. Enjoy!
Ingredients for the chicken

  • 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 – 1 ½ lbs total)
  • 1 TBS veg/canola/peanut oil
  • 1/3 C plain Greek yogurt
  • 3 cloves of garlic – chopped finely
  • 1 lemon - juiced
  • Pinch of kosher salt

Tip: After chopping the garlic, your fingers will smell like garlic. If you don’t enjoy this, juice the lemon by cutting it in half, holding it cut side up and squeezing. The juice will wash away the garlic oil and keeping the cut side up will stop any seeds from falling into the bowl.

Marinate the chicken

  • In a medium bowl, mix up the oil, yogurt, garlic, lemon juice and the salt.
  • Put the chicken between two pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap. This will keep it from sticking to your counter and whacking device.
  • Pound out the chicken to ½ inch thickness with the flat side of a meat mallet or a rolling pin.
  • Add the chicken to the bowl and coat the pieces evenly with the marinade.
  • Set it aside.

Ingredients for the sauce

  • 1 large onion
  • 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled
  • ¼ C Harissa sauce*
  • ¾ C Half and Half
  • ½ C water
  • 1 TBS ground coriander
  • 1 TBS ground cumin
  • 1 ½ TBS paprika
  • 1 TSP ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp ground green cardamom (5 pods crushed and shells removed)
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (less if you don’t like it hot, more if you do)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 TBS ghee or unsalted butter
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/3 C plain Greek yogurt

*Harissa is a spicy red pepper sauce that can be found in the ethnic foods isle of your grocery store, by the Indian or Middle Eastern condiments. If you are unable to find if or if you prefer less spicy food, just puree up some jarred roasted red peppers instead. You can also substitute tomato sauce.


Cooking the sauce

  •  Mix the spices into a small bowl.
  •  Puree the onion and ginger with a little bit of water in a blender until smooth.
  •  Melt ghee in the bottom of a large (4 Quart) heavy bottom pot over medium high heat.
  •  Add the onion and ginger puree to the hot ghee. Avert your face, it will splatter.
  • Stir and fry until onions start to brown.
  • Push the mixture to the side of the pot and add the bay leaf to the bottom of the pan.
  • When the bay leaf starts to toast up (1 minute), add the remaining spices to the dry side of the pan.
  • After 30 seconds, the spices should be fragrant and toasted, stir them in to the onion and ginger.
  • Reduce the heat to medium.
  • Add the water and stir to get the browned bits off the bottom.
  • Add the half and half and red pepper sauce.
  • Stir, taste and add salt if desired.
  • Increase the heat and bring the sauce to a simmer.
  • Reduce heat to low and simmer while you cook the chicken.

Cooking the chicken

  • Heat 2-3 TBS of vegetable oil in a non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
  • When the oil is hot, add one chicken breast and fry for 6-8 minutes, turning halfway through.
  • The chicken should be browned and no longer pink in the center.
  • Remove the cooked chicken to a cutting board.
  • Fry the remaining two pieces in the same manner.

When all the chicken is done, cut it into bite size pieces and add it to the sauce.
Stir in 1/3 C yogurt to finish the sauce.
Serve over rice or with flat bread.

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