Kitchen Cats: Chicken Tikka Masala on the grill

Chicken Tikka Masala sauce

Grilled chicken skewers

Hubby turned on the Food Network today and saw my very favorite celebrity food star Alton Brown making this: Lamb Tikka Masala, and he knew he wanted to try it. Except he tends to dislike lamb (calls it freezer-burned meat) and I tend not to eat lamb, so we did chicken instead.

I have an older chicken tikka masala recipe from Cooks Illustrated that I first made back in December 2009 (it was so good, I posted it on facebook then). That recipe called for chicken breasts to broil under high heat. This one calls for chicken to be cubed, skewered, and cooked on the grill -- much easier for hot summer weather.

This recipe also calls for freshly made garam masala. When we decided last minute to make this recipe, I was so relieved that I had about 2 Tbsp of fresh garam masala left over from a many months ago, when we made a recipe from (of all places) a Diabetes cookbook.

This recipe was delicious, of course, and my hubby was pleased that we had two "homerun" dinners 2 nights in a row. :)

Garam Masala (from previous recipe)
1 Tbsp cardamom seeds
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp whole cloves
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Place the cardamom, coriander, cumin, peppercorns, and cloves in a small skillet and cook over low heat until fragrant. Cool and grind in a spice grinder. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg. Store in an airtight container.
Note: months later when I went to use this spice, it still smelled so fresh. So much better than pre-made spices blends.

Chicken Tikka Masala
2 tablespoons garam masala, divided
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon toasted, ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon toasted, ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds chicken, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup plain yogurt

olive oil for saute pan
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 medium jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup coconut milk
(note: I used 3 14-oz cans of diced tomatoes and 1 full can of coconut milk)

Combine 1-2 Tbsp garam masala and spices in a bowl. Add chicken and turn to coat. Add 1 cup of yogurt and stir to coat the chicken. Allow chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Thread chicken onto skewers and grill until done.

In a sautepan or wok, add olive oil and saute onions until soft and starting to brown. Add garlic and continue to saute. Add remaining garam masala. Add tomatoes and cook (stirring occasionally) until slightly reduced and darker in color (15 minutes). Add coconut milk to the tomato mixture and combine.

Add the chicken from the skewers to the sauce and serve.