Chicken Tikka Masala Curry

By Natalie Curran

This is a recipe handed down to me from my mum, made easier for those game nights…

Recipe

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Prep time: 10 mins (overnight marinade if possible)

Cook time: 3-4 hours (oven/stove)

Ingredients

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• Chicken breast (4 large medium to large)
• Chicken stock (2 cubes/sachets)
• Garlic powder/fresh garlic (4 tbsp)
• Black pepper (4 tbsp)
• Curry powder (4 tbsp)
• Tandoori powder (4 tbsp)
• Chili powder (2 tbsp)
• Garam masala (4 tbsp)
• Turmeric (roughly cover chicken)
• Cumin (2 tbsp)
• Yogurt (5 tbsp)

Optional:

Adding a tomato pasta/sauce/paste – provides the richer tomato taste.

If you can’t get all the ingredients or want more sauce PATAKS range of sauce are amazing. For this dish I would use the Tikka Masala PASTE (or sauce if you want a thinner curry). You can usually get these sauces in a Safeway or Giant in the International foods isle.

Instructions

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1. Pre-heat oven to 400.
2. Add the Chicken breast to an oven dish (something like a Pyrex which can hold water to cover the chicken)
3. Roughly cover the chicken with the turmeric.
4. Add the stock, black pepper, garlic, curry powder, garam masala, cumin, and chili powder to the chicken. The cover with water and foil.
5. Place the dish in the oven and cook for 3-4 hours, checking on it periodically to stir. I leave until the chicken starts to fully break apart (this way when the curry’s made you get the perfect amount of sauce to chicken). The water may need to be topped up every so often, but as the cooking time nears the end you want to reduce the amount of water in the dish.
6. Once the cook time is nearly through, there should be a layer of flavorful water left. Here is where you make the decision to make the paste yourself or add the PATAKS sauce to the dish.
   1. If using PATAKS Chicken Tikka Masala, add 1-2 jars of paste at this time, thoroughly mix and leave to cook for another 20 mins.
   2. If making the past from scratch. Triple the amount of tandoori powder, cumin, garam masala, curry powder, chili powder and add to a pan with 2 tbsp of oil. Mix well on a low heat. Add some tomato sauce (pasta sauce). Reduce the water in the chicken further and then add to pan. Cook for 20 mins stirring constantly.
7. For the thicker, creamier taste add the yogurt here to finish off.
8. Serve with naan bread and rice.