Crockpot Chicken Tikka Masala

I think some of my friends and family are amused by the fact that I really (and I mean really) appreciate getting kitchen gadgets and goodies as gifts. For Christmas, my lovely friend, Cheryl, gave me a Silpin. I just about fell over with glee. Some girls like make up or accessories. I like microplane graters. What can I say?!

One of my most prized kitchen gadgets is a crockpot. I am certain that my crockpot got me through law school--otherwise I would have starved or relied on an obscene amount of candy bars at the library.  I would throw a bunch of stuff in it in the morning and hurry off to spend my day in classes, meetings, classes, and countless hours at the library.  I would come home in the late evening weary-eyed and completely exhausted and, lo and behold, there was something magical, warm and yummy waiting to comfort me in my ragged state.  It's not a pretty or uplifting scenario, I know, but it's the truth...

The law school part of my life is over, but I haven't forgotten about my trusty friend.  I think that the trickiest part about delicious crockpotting is understanding liquid ratios.  Like how much liquid certain vegetables might contribute to the whole thing or how much liquid (usually stock, soup, cream, or water) you need to have in total.  You don't want to put a bunch of stuff in it and then you forget that the vegetables you added tend to cook down and add a lot of liquid so the whole thing overflows.  No, that would not be good.  And you definitely don't want to put a bunch of stuff in the crockpot and not put enough liquid and actually you picked vegetables that soak up a lot of liquid and suddenly the whole thing is dried up and burning.  No, that would not be good either.  You want to aim for a happy medium so you have enough sauce to match whatever you put in...

This is one of my favorite crockpot recipes, because I loooove a good chicken tikka masala! After stewing away for hours, the chicken just melts away into a rich, spiced tomato cream sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

* 1.5 pounds of mixed boneless/skinless chicken breast and thighs, rinsed and cubed

* 3 inch piece of ginger, grated finely

* 5 cloves of garlic, grated finely

* 1-2 red chilies, finely chopped (optional if you like a little heat)

* 1 Tbsp. yellow mustard seeds, lightly toasted

* 1 Tbsp. paprika

* 2 tsp. ground cumin

* 2 tsp. ground coriander

* 2 Tbsp. garam masala

* 3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt

* 1 Tbsp. canola oil

* 2 small or 1 large onion, thinly sliced

* 3 Tbsp. tomato paste

* 1.5 cups water (or chicken broth if preferred but then omit the salt)

* 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

* 1/2 cup ground cashews

* 1 tsp. kosher salt

* 1/2 cup half & half (or heavy cream)

* a few sprigs of cilantro (optional garnish)

DIRECTIONS:

* Mix the garlic, ginger, (chilies), mustard seeds, paprika, cumin, coriander, and garam masala in a bowl.  Put half of this mixture in a large mixing bowl and set the rest aside.

* Add the yogurt to the mixing bowl and mix it in with the spices and add in the chicken cubes.

* Let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours if your schedule allows it.

* In another mixing bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, tomato sauce and water.

* Heat the oil in a skillet on medium heat and, when hot, add the onions and the remaining spice mixture and let the onions soften gently for about 5 minutes.

* Add into the crockpot: chicken mixture, onion mixture, tomato sauce mixture, cashews and salt.  Stir until all combined.

* Simmer on low for about 4-5 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.  This will thicken the liquid and the chicken will melt into tender shreds.

* Stir in the half & half or cream towards the end when there is only about 20 more minutes of cooking.

* Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Serve with brown basmati rice and naan.