Moist and Flavorful Chicken Tikka

Chicken Tikka  is a chicken dish popular in Indian subcontinent and in many countries all over the world.  I've eaten this dish in many Indian restaurants and wanted to find a chicken tikka recipe for myself to create. After searching the web, Pinterest and asking a lot of questions of fellow culinary adventurists, I compiled all the information and found a recipe that suited my taste and that of my hubby's. 

You look at the picture above and think "that's really beige."  This meal is very beige in color, but colorful in flavor. Don't let the plain jane look of this dinner fool you. It was incredible!!

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

1/2 to 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

1 teaspoon garlic, grated

1/8 – 1 tsp red chili powder

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 large yellow onion, diced

1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced

 

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Directions

Preheat the oven to 350.  Prick the chicken well with a fork.  I stabbed the thing to death, lol. This will allow the sauce to get into the chicken and make it moister and delicious.

In a bowl combine the yogurt, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and spices.  I used Greek yogurt rather then regular plain since I love how thick it is. If you want a thinner sauce, then go with regular. As you can see above, I noted a range of measurements for the chili powder. Some people like their food spicier then others so I would say go with your taste on this one. I used 1/8 teaspoon since hubby does not like a lot of heat in his meals. I would have used 1/4 teaspoon if it were just for me. Place the chicken in the yogurt mixture, and let it marinate for one hour in the fridge. I let it marinate in the baking dish I planned to use. 

After the marinating is complete, bring the chicken out and let it sit for about 15 minutes. I like to cook my chicken, steak or other meats after sits since the chill wears off and it cooks more evenly. While it was sitting, I sauteed the mushrooms, garlic and onions in a small skillet until the onions were translucent. Drain any excess liquid and add 3/4 of the mix to the top of the chicken and sauce. 

Place the chicken in the oven and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes or until cooked through.

While the chicken was baking, I added some garlic naan I found at Sprouts in the frozen section and cooked it during the final 5 minutes (per package directions). I also cooked up some Indian rice. I cheated there and used a box mix. I added the remaining mushroom and onion mix to it for added flavor. 

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

This was very good. The chicken was fork tender and hardly needed a knife. I love the garlicky goodness of this and the mushrooms, although not traditional, really added something to it. I think the ginger taste is too strong at the full teaspoon, so when I make it next time, I'm going to halve it. If you love ginger then go for it!!  

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Crusted Chicken with Zesty Jalapeno Sauce

You know those days when you have just pulled chicken breasts from the fridge and now you're standing there wondering "what would go good with chicken tonight?"  or "baked chicken again? HELP!" There are so many recipes for chicken out there that it can make your head spin.

Well, help is here! I recently had this dilemma and after looking in the fridge so long that my ears started getting cold, I pulled out some leftovers and got to work. This recipe is adapted from Elly Says Opa's recipe but instead of using my popper ingredients as a stuffing, I changed it a bit and made it a sauce to put on top of my chicken. Then my husband said "Let's add bacon" and it went into the sauce as well.

5 strips of bacon
1 cup corn meal
1 egg, beaten
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut lengthwise
1 1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and diced
1 cup chicken broth
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1/4 cup chive & onion flavored cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup plain cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
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Cook the bacon until crispy. Set the bacon fat aside... You'll use it later. Chop the bacon and set it aside.

Heat another large deep skillet with olive oil. 

Put the egg and corn meal in two different coating trays. Dip the chicken pieces in the egg, then into the corn meal. Place the chicken in the skillet and cook over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crust is crispy and chicken is no longer pink on the inside. The best way is to use a food thermometer to ensure it is cooked all the way through.

Meanwhile, in the bacon skillet, heat the bacon fat. Add the jalapenos and cook until soft. Add the chicken broth and garlic, scraping the bottom of the pan to add more bacon flavor. Add both cream cheeses and stir until smooth. Add the cheddar cheese and blend until melted. 

Finally, add the chopped bacon and serve as a sauce over the chicken. 

The chicken turned out to be so very moist and tender with a crispy crust that was very flavorful in itself. The sauce was not as spicy as I thought it would be. Cooking it in the bacon toned down the heat while keeping the jalapeno flavor intact. And using two different cream cheeses gave the sauce a hint of onion and keeping it soft and creamy. 

Now, I cheated and used canned corn as a side dish. It was a "Fiesta Blend" that we found at Big Lots and I think the black beans and peppers added some zest to an otherwise boring side dish. 

So, next time you're standing there in front of the fridge, scratching your head to find a good recipe for chicken, give this one a try. It's juicy chicken with a jalapeno punch. 

This delicious recipe was featured at Sew-Licious Saturday Show-licious Craft Showcase #34

Also featured on JamHands Recipe Sharing Monday #52 

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