Chicken Tikka Masala

Well, winter in the northeast has certainly been a tough one.  We have not gone a week without one or sometimes two big storms.  The snow is everywhere and we are running out of places to put it all!  Well, on one of these very snowy days,  it was a day off from my job at the high school.  I wanted to make something warm and spicy, so this is what I made for all of us for lunch and…it hit the spot! Really good, full of spice and flavor and best of all,  just as good for lunch the next day!

INGREDIENTS
2 Tablespoons of butter
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons paprika
1 Tablespoon white sugar
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Jasmine rice (cooked)

DIRECTIONS
Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion to the melted butter and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in garlic stirring for about one minute. Stir in cumin, 1 teaspoon of salt, ginger, cayenne pepper, cinnamon and turmeric into the onion mixture, cooking until fragrant, about two minutes. Stir tomato sauce into onion mixture, bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer sauce for ten minutes, then mix in cream, paprika and one tablespoon of sugar. Bring sauce back to a simmer and cook stirring often until sauce thickens about 10-15 minutes.
Heat vegetable oil in a separate skillet over medium heat.  Stir chicken into the hot oil, sprinkle with curry powder and sear chicken lightly until browned, but still pink inside, about three minutes stirring often. Transfer chicken and any pan juices into the sauce. Simmer chicken in the sauce until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink, about 30 minutes. Check seasonings and adjust salt and sugar to taste if needed.
Serve warm over cooked Jasmine rice.

Enjoy,