Tikki Masala

A few weeks ago I was browsing the spice aisle at Wal-Mart and ran across some pre-packaged seasonings for some very easy meals. I picked up three of them. One was Chicken Tikki Masala. I hadn't made it in quite a while and it just sounded good. Talk about a quick, easy meal. This doesn't quite measure up to a full-blown put-it-together-yourself Tikki Masala, but it weren't bad!!!! Plus, this recipe (which serves 6) only uses 1/3 cup of cream, much less than the recipes I've used before.

I served this over Jasmine rice, with some whole-grain Naan bread I found in the grocery store (quite good) and some steamed asparagus. This is the recipe that came on the card, although the spices were included and already pre-measured:

CHICKEN TIKKI MASALA

Package included:

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp Garam Masala

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

You will need:

2 Tbsp butter

1 to 1 1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 can (14-15 oz) petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 c heavy cream

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

Melt butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken, onion, and lemon juice and stir 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Add all of the spices except crushed red pepper, cook and stir one minute.

Stir in tomatoes until well mixed. Stir cream into cornstarch and salt until smooth. Gradually stir into skillet. Stir in crushed red pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, stirring frequently, simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Serves: 6