Chicken Tikka Masala

My dad was a pilot in the Air Force and remains a commercial pilot to this day. With his career he has had the opportunity to travel the world and he has always been all about the local eats. I remember growing up how  he would get home from a trip or deployment/assignment and would start recreating the cuisine at home. Some culinary phases lasted longer than others. I bemoan the day he quit searching for the perfect steak and to this day feel a full gag reflex kicking in when I smell miso-glazed salmon (I swear that and miso soup is all we ate for months). As an adult I am very grateful for his experimentation as it taught me to be open minded to food and try everything twice. This open mindedness has led me to many great finds such as lengua and several not so great (in my own personal opinion) discoveries like poi. I have developed quite a fondness for Indian food *cough cough chicken tikka masala cough* over the years but it is one of those cuisines I just didn't think I was capable of recreating at home until now...

Mind you I am not claiming this recipe is the real deal but it is pretty darn good and you can crock pot it!

Marinade:

• 1.5-2 lb chicken cubed (I used thighs)
• 1 C plain yogurt
• 1 t salt
• 1 T coriander
• 1 T cumin
• 1 t cinnamon

Combine spices and sprinkle over cubed chicken. Coat chicken in the yogurt and let sit while chopping veggies for sauce then melt 2 T butter in pan over medium high heat or crank on that broiler, you choose. Brown chicken on stove or lightly broil ~4-5 minutes. Place chicken in crock pot.

Sauce:

• 2 T butter
• 1 large onion (minced)
• 5 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 green bell pepper (minced)
• 1 ginger root ~2in (peeled and grated)
• 1 serrano (minced) **use a jalapeno if your not big on spicy dishes**
• 1 t salt
• 3 T garam masala (spice found at Whole Foods)
• 4 C crushed tomatoes
• 1 T sugar

Melt 2 T butter over medium high heat and saute diced onion, diced bell pepper, and minced garlic. Then add grated ginger, minced pepper, 1 t salt, and 3 T garam masala. Increase the heat and stir in 4 C of crushed tomatoes and 1 T sugar. Simmer for several minutes and pour over chicken. Place lid on crock pot and cook on low for ~ 5 hrs.

Serve over rice and enjoy!