Sep 24 2008
Lunch Tomorrow: Chicken Tikka Masala
I can do real damage at an Indian restaurant. The food tends to be simple, tasty and with a really good blend of spices that add flavor as well as heat. I do it more rarely now, as naan bread is far to addictive, but recently my wife and I were trying to figure out what to do with some chicken thighs we had in the freezer. We decided to try Indian food at home.
We used a mix that we found at our local organic/hippie grocery. It was an experiment and I’m happy to say that it turned out well. Here’s what we did:
1 packet Paramapa Chicken Tikka Masala mix
3 boneless chicken thighs
1 boneless chicken breast
8 oz plain yogurt
2 cups water
a little butter or olive oil for the pan
Following the directions on the pack, it took longer to go to the store for the yogurt than it did to prepare the meal. With a reasonable deck-of-cards side of rice as well as some peas and carrots it came out to about 45g carbs a serving or so, 30 of that coming from the rice.
I’m satisfied with the packeted spice mix. If you’re thinking you would prefer to mix it yourself, it seems less than complicated, but I can’t vouch for any individual recipe. They all seem to include pepper, ginger, tumeric, and garam masala (which can be found at Indian groceries and specialty food shops). There is some variation on other spices and flavorings invovled. I recommend some paitence and a good Google search.
Whether making it from scratch or cheating, this is a good and lo carb way to use chicken and is easy enough to be a spur of the moment decision (depending upon what spices you keep in the house). Plus it’s fun to say.
Chicken tikka masala, chicken tikka masala….
