Yesterday I felt like some chicken tikka masala, that creamy, spicy, delicious dish. I decided to make it from scratch because why not? The first thing I did was get all my ingredients together: boneless chicken thighs, yogurt, a bunch of spices like cumin, coriander, turmeric, and garam masala. Oh, and ginger, garlic, and lemon juice – can’t forget those.
I mixed the yogurt with all the spices, ginger, garlic, and lemon juice in a big bowl. Then, I chopped the chicken into bite-sized pieces and threw them into the marinade. I made sure every piece was nicely coated. After that, I covered the bowl and stuck it in the fridge. I read somewhere that letting it sit for about 12 hours makes the chicken super tender and flavorful, so that’s what I did.
While the chicken was marinating, I thought about what to serve with it. I mean, chicken tikka masala is great and all, but you need something on the side, right? Rice seemed like the obvious choice. I love how you can just scoop up that saucy goodness with a big spoonful of fluffy rice. I had some basmati rice at home, so I figured I’d use that.
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Basmati Rice
So, I cooked the basmati rice. It’s pretty straightforward – just boil water, add the rice, simmer, and wait. The result was perfect – light, fluffy, and it smelled amazing.
After the chicken had marinated for a good 12 hours, I took it out of the fridge. I wanted that charred, tandoori-like effect, so I cranked up my grill to high. I grilled the chicken pieces until they were cooked through and had those nice grill marks. It smelled heavenly.
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Garlic Naan
Then I remembered about garlic naan. I love that soft, garlicky bread with Indian food. I didn’t have any on hand, and I wasn’t about to make it from scratch – that’s a whole other project. So, I ran to the store and picked some up. It was totally worth it.
When everything was ready, I served up the chicken tikka masala over the basmati rice, with a piece of warm garlic naan on the side. It was so good! The chicken was tender and packed with flavor, the rice was perfect, and the naan added that extra bit of deliciousness. I also whipped up a quick kachumber salad with some onions and cucumbers because I saw someone mention it online and thought, why not? It added a nice, fresh crunch to the meal.
Honestly, it felt like a feast. And the best part? I had leftovers for lunch the next day. Win-win!
