My husband and I’s recent trip to Nashville inspired today’s recipe. While in Nashville we went to the circus at the Bridgestone Arena, saw Vince Gill perform at the Grand Ole Opry, did plenty of shopping, and ate lots of amazing food. We started to get hungry while shopping and began trying to look around the shopping center we were at for something semi-healthy to eat. We saw several people carrying food trays out of Whole Foods and everything smelled delicious. We are not lucky enough to have a Whole Foods near us so we were unaware of the amazing food they offer. We decided to stop in and check it out and boy am I glad that we did. They had an amazing breakfast selection as well as tons of other lunch options. We both zeroed in on the chicken tikka masala as it looked amazing and smelled divine. It was a definitely a good choice. We both devoured it quickly and already began discussing how we couldn’t wait to try to recreate the chicken tikka masala once we got home.

This recipe is a little time consuming but I assure you that it is well worth it. Start be combining 3 tbsp. of turmeric, 2 teaspoons of garam masala, 2 tsp of cumin, 2 tsp of grated ginger, 4 minced cloves of garlic, 2 tsp of ground coriander  into a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, add 1 cup of whole milk yogurt with 1/2 tbsp. of salt and half of the spice mixture that we just made. I used two chicken breast but recommend using 4 chicken breast and slicing then in half length-wise. Coat the chicken in the yogurt/spice mixture and allow the chicken to marinate in the mixture for 4 hours. Set the remaining spices aside to use later.

Dice one onion and add to a large pot with 1 tbsp. of olive oil on medium heat.  I love my Le Creuset Dutch Oven for this. I have both the large and the small size and use the small one for this recipe. Add 1/4 cup of tomato paste, 1/4 tsp of crushed cardamom, and 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes to the pot and stir for 5-7 minutes. Next, pour the rest of the spice mixture that we set aside earlier to the pot and stir. Cook mixture for another 5 minutes.

Add a can of whole peeled tomatoes to the pot and bring to a boil. Smash the tomatoes as you stir. Once mixture begins to boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in 1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream and 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro to the pot. Allow sauce to simmer for 30minutes, stirring occasionally.

Now we will start on the chicken. Preheat the broiler and add a wire rack to an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Place the chicken on the wire rack and place into the oven. Allow to cook for 15-20 minutes until chicken begins to blacken. Remove from the oven and slice the chicken. Add the chicken to the sauce and cook for another 10 minutes.

Now the recipe may seem a bit extensive but this chicken tikka masala is so delicious that it completely makes up for how time consuming the preparation is. Give it a try and let me know your thoughts below in the comment section!