Happy 2012 all! I love January, because even though I don’t believe in New Years resolutions, I love the re-set that comes with the beginning of the year. I also love this time of year in the kitchen; the stress fun of Christmas cookie baking is over and it’s all about warm, delicious comfort food.

For my birthday back in October, Barry treated me to lunch at an Indian buffet near our offices, where I proceeded to eat about three plates full of deliciousness. With Indian food I feel the buffet format is ideal because I can try a little bit of everything, whereas when I get take-out I usually only get one or two things. I don’t cook Indian very often at home because of the spice situation, but when I saw this recipe on Tasty Kitchen via Eat, Live, Run I was surprised that I had everything I needed in the cupboard: cumin, coriander, and garam masala. The fact that the whole thing is made in the slowcooker is a huge bonus too.

I made this for dinner when Nicole came over to do some cookie baking last month, and we ate it over basmati rice, and sprinkled it with cilantro. I would say it has a medium spice level from the jalapeno, so that could potentially be left out. The leftovers also froze really well. I can’t wait to make this again and attempt my own naan bread!

Slowcooker Chicken Tikka Masala

Source: Tasty Kitchen, with a few substitutions/modifications

Yield: I would say six servings, depending on how hungry you are

Ingredients

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes (original recipe uses chicken thighs)

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tbsp cumin

1 tsp kosher salt

1 cup plain yogurt

1 jalapeno, stem removed, pepper pierced several times with a sharp knife

1 large onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tbsp kosher salt

3 tbsp garam masala

1 piece fresh ginger (about 2-3″), peeled and grated

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 – 1 1/2 cup whipping cream (I used 1/2 cup, the original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups which is overkill in my opinion)

Directions

1. Put the chicken in a large bowl, sprinkle with coriander, cumin and salt, and stir in the yogurt until everything is evenly coated. Let sit for 10 minutes (or cover and stick in the fridge for a few hours).
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and brown the chicken in batches, then add to slowcooker (original recipe has you brown the chicken in 4 tbsp butter, which I also thought was unnecessary, so I just used non-stick spray). Throw the jalapeno on top of the chicken.
3. Make the sauce by adding the onions, garlic and salt to the same skillet, and sauteeing until the onions start to soften. Stir in the garam masala and ginger and let cook for a few minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes and sugar, stirring well, and scraping up all the brown bits. Pour sauce over chicken in the slowcooker. Cook on low for 5 hours.
5. When chicken is ready, stir the cornstarch into the cream, and add to the slowcooker. Stir until evenly mixed in, and let cook for 10-15 more minutes. Serve over rice, and sprinkle with cilantro if you like!