feeling all warm and fuzzy tonight after a lovely dinner at my dear friends home: (super delicious and spicy) chicken tikka masala served with basmati rice and carefully prepared by the lovely layla and her mr. (thank you both), followed by a tremendous chocolate pot de creme (foolishly forgot pictures), and desserts from tartine bakery (yes, we did pay them a visit-you could probably tell just by looking at us)!! recipe for the chicken below, and the (d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s) pot de creme recipe coming soon. it's nice to have great (gourmet) friends...

this is a good recipe i found for chicken tikka masala on epicurious. my friends grilled their chicken inside on their oven grill (covered the bottom of the oven with foil) under the broiler, and it worked well, but it seemed to me like it was going to be hard to clean up!!
the ingredients you will need:

(my interpretation)

for the tikka:
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
sea salt to taste
2 lbs boneless, skinless (preferably organic) chicken breasts
1 cup plain (preferably european style organic) yogurt
2 tbsp safflower or grape seed oil
1-2 medium minced garlic cloves
a sliver of freshly grated ginger (about 1-2 tsp)

for the masala (sauce)
3 tbsp unrefined organic coconut oil (or other vegetable)
1 medium finely diced (or cubed) onion
freshly grated fresh ginger (2 tsp)
1-2 minced cloves of garlic
1 fresh seedless serrano chili, minced (chopped finely)
1 tbsp garam masala (indian spice mix)
1-2 tsp raw honey or agave syrup (or brown sugar)
about 1 1/2 cup stewed crushed tomatoes-preferably from a jar (not canned)
sea salt to taste
2/3 cup heavy organic cream
1/4 cup  (or a small bunch) fresh organic cilantro leaves

chicken: combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt and cover both sides of chicken with spice mixture, cover and refrigerate for about an hour. combine the yogurt with garlic, oil, and ginger and set aside.

masala sauce: heat the oil in a heavy pot, add onions and cook until golden brown, add garlic, ginger, chili pepper, and garam masala (spice mixture); cook and stir for 3-4 minutes. add tomatoes, raw honey, and sea salt,  stirring often, let it simmer for about 15 minutes, reduce the heat and let it cool off slightly, then stir in the cream and simmer for a few more minutes before removing it from the heat. set aside covered.

dip the chicken in the yogurt sauce (make sure it is fully coated, and discard the extra yogurt mixture) cook (grill) the chicken either on the grill (outside) or on a top rack of your oven under the broiler (on a wire rack sitting in a sheet pan) turning the chicken (flipping) midway to cook on each side. the chicken should be slightly charred when done, with the thickest part reading 160 degrees when fully cooked. let the chicken rest for 5-8 minutes, then cut in to pieces (small chunks) and mix in to the sauce (do not simmer them together). top with fresh cilantro leaves, and serve with steamed basmati rice (leaving out the spices and barberries from my recipe).