Saving Money Never Tasted So Good: Chicken Tikka Masala

Who here doesn’t like saving money?  Let me see a show of hands.  No one?  That’s what I thought.  I like saving money, and I have been called cheap, but even I have my limits.  I want to save money and have a rich, full life including eating delicious international cuisine.  If you find the right recipes, you can enjoy delicious food at home at a fraction of the cost of eating out.  Today, I’m going to show you my tried and true Chicken Tikka Masala recipe.

 

Before you say, “Whoa!  I can’t make that!”, let me assure you: this recipe is doable and delectably delicious!  You can find the spices at most grocery stores, but I HIGHLY recommend visiting an Indian market if you have one in your area (British markets often have them as well).  The Indian market near my home has the best prices on spices and blows Costco out of the water.   Enough of the preamble, let’s get to the good stuff!

 

Chicken Tikka Masala, Gobi Aloo, and Rice.

 

Chicken Tikka Masala

Adapted from a recipe on food.com found here

 

Marinade

1 1/2 c plain Greek yogurt

4 tablespoons lemon juice

4 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground red pepper (or more if you like it spicy up to 4 teaspoons)

4 teaspoons ground black pepper

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoon salt

1 piece ginger root 1 inch in length, minced or grated (you can use jarred fresh ginger or use 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger)

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 1 inch cubes (You can use chicken breast tenders and skip cutting the chicken)

 

Sauce

4 tablespoons butter (unsalted is best)

4 garlic cloves, minced or put through garlic press

1 jalapeno chile minced, optional (or more if you like it spicy)

4 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoon garam masala (McCormick makes garam masala, but it is much less expensive at an Indian market.)

1 teaspoon salt

24 ounces of tomato sauce (3 8-oz cans)

2 cup heavy whipping cream (You can use half and half, whole milk, fat free cream, or evaporated milk, but cream tastes the best!)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

 

Prepare marinade by combining all ingredients except chicken in a medium bowl.  Thread chicken on bamboo skewers, place skewers in a 9×13 casserole dish, and top with marinade.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (overnight is best).  After marinading meat, remove chicken from the fridge and discard marinade.  Grill or broil chicken until cooked through, about 8 minutes.

 

Prepare sauce by melting butter in a large, deep skillet or pot over medium heat.  Add garlic and jalapeno, optional.  Cook for one minute.  Stir in coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala, and salt.  Cook for 30 seconds.  Add tomato sauce and stir to combine.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir in cream and simmer until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.  Add cooked chicken to the sauce.  simmer 5 minutes.  Sprinkle with chopped cilantro, optional, and serve with rice, naan, or pita bread.

 

Here’s my photo step-by-step.  It’s not as detailed as it normally is, because I wasn’t planning to post this recipe.  However, my friend, Kristina (who wrote a guest post you can find here) said I should post it.  So, here it is.

 

Why in the world am I starting with this unattractive picture? It’s the first picture I took after I decided to post this recipe. It’s the leftover marinade after removing the chicken on bamboo skewers. Prior to taking this picture, I mixed all the spices into the yogurt, cut up the chicken, threaded it on skewers, poured the marinade over the chicken, and let the meat marinade for a few hours. Then, I removed the chicken from the marinade and put it under the broiler to cook.

 

This picture isn’t too hot either, but it’s the chicken cooking in the oven. No, that’s not smoke.  Well, maybe it is, but I promise I didn’t set the chicken or my oven on fire.

 

While the chicken was broiling, I started the sauce. First, I assembled the ingredients.

 

Then, I melted butter in a large saucepan and added my garlic. I don’t use both red pepper in the marinade and the jalapeno, because I don’t love *HOT* spicy foods. I like spicy flavorful foods, and using both puts it over the top for me.

 

After cooking the garlic for about 1 minute, I added the spices.

 

I let the spices cook for 30 seconds or so until they are aromatic.

 

Next, I added the tomato sauce and stirred to combine.  Then I let the tomato-spice mixture simmer for 15 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, my chicken finished cooking, and I removed it from the oven. When I want this to taste extra good, I put it on the grill, but I usually do not.

 

After simmering for 15 minutes, the tomato sauce mixture thickens. I slowly added the cream, stirring to combine.  If you don’t do dairy, I’m sure you can use coconut milk or another dairy substitute of your choice.

 

See? The sauce is coming together!

 

Rather than let the sauce simmer and thicken, I added the chicken immediately and let the mixture stew for about an hour on the stove.

 

Super Yum!

 

Dinner is served! In addition to the chicken, I served Gobi Aloo and homemade Naan. I’ll post those recipes soon.

 

Remember that I said this dish saves me money?  It’s a pricy dish, but it still loads less than buying it at a restaurant.  I doubled it, because we had guests over for dinner, so keep that in mind.  Here’s a breakdown of my costs:

 

Chicken – $13.14

Cream – $3.89

Greek Yogurt – $3.98

Butter – $0.63

Spices, lemon juice, ginger, and garlic – $3.00 (This is a generous estimate, because I don’t remember what I paid for some of the spices.  I think it’s actually a little under $2, but I didn’t want to underestimate.)

Tomato sauce – $1.50

 

Total cost for doubled recipe = $26.14

 

That’s a bit pricy for a home cooked main dish for dinner, so let’s look at the cost of the same dish at the local Indian restaurants.

 

Tandoori Grill – $12.95 per entree (need at least 6 to equal the amount of food I cooked) x 6 = $77.70

Karma – $14.95 per entree (need at least 6 to equal the amount of food I cooked) x 6 = $89.70

 

My cost ($26.14) versus the cost of a restaurant ($77.70-89.70).  I save $51.56 – $63.56! 

That’s a significant savings!  Granted, this is a time consuming dish, but saving 66% – 71% is totally worth it to me!

How about you? 

Do you have a favorite dish you make at home saving you tons of money? 

I’d love it if you would share it with my readers.

 

 

Laurel Laurie Staten Nguyen Newhall, CA

Phenomenal or Failure? It Depends On Who You Ask!

Last night, I experimented.  No, I didn’t create my own recipe, but I decided to make a new recipe which I found on the Internet last week while I was searching for dinner ideas.  It was super simple, and I had everything on hand.  It was easy to make, and I really liked it.

 

What’s the problem?  Only 2 out of the 5 people eating dinner considered it edible.  Not good… And it makes me wonder about my own taste level.  Do I like really weird or disgusting things?  I don’t think so, but OF COURSE I won’t think what I like is disgusting.

 

So I’m sharing this recipe with a warning.  I liked it, one of my sons liked it (he ate 3 pork chops!), but my husband and 2 of my sons thought it was inedible.  As much as I enjoyed it, I am not likely to make this dish again.

 

The not-so-popular with 3 family members pork chops.

 

Balsamic Pork Chops

 

Balsamic Vinegar

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Pork Chops or Pork Loin

 

Mix together equal parts of Balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Tenderize pork chops, if using.  If using pork loin, you can cut up the loin into “chops” or marinade the entire loin.  Let marinade for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle salt and pepper on the chops, to taste.  Cook over medium-high heat until cooked through.

 

Here’s my photo step-by-step.  But, remember, I warned you that this dish is not loved by all.

 

I started with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, putting 1/3 cup of each in a small pyrex casserole pan.

 

I used a whisk to combine the oil and vinegar.

 

I cut up a pork loin into “chops,” then I cut the fat on the edge to prevent the “chop” from curling as it was cooked.

 

I tenderized each “chop” and placed it in the marinade.

 

After tenderizing the chops and placing them in the marinade, I let them sit for 30 minutes. Then I sprinkled salt and pepper on the chops and preheated a non-stick skillet with a little olive oil on medium-high heat.

 

I placed the chops in the pan, ensuring there was enough space between them that they didn’t steam. I wanted a nice golden brown outside.

 

After a few minutes, I flipped the chops and let them cook on the other side until they were cooked through.

 

Then I served them with broccoli and jasmine rice. I thought it was yummy. My husband? Not so much.

 

There you have it.  Not quite an epic fail, but the best dinner experience for our family.  Oops!

 

Have you ever had a dinner like that?  Where some people loved dinner and other people hated it? 

I’d love it if you’d share your experiences with me!

Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken – Super YUM!

Do you have a “go-to” meal for busy days?  This is one of mine.  It is deliciously easy!  A tiny bit of prep, throw everything into the crockpot, turn it on, and leave it alone.  Of course, you’d never know it was so simple by tasting it.  This dish is so yummy!  Pictures don’t do it justice.  Even my husband likes it!  And he can be a bit picky when it comes to food that looks like Asian food, but isn’t.  This probably falls in the category of food that looks Asian, but isn’t.  I guess it’s kind of like Taco Bell saying they serve Mexican food.  They don’t, but you can still like Taco Bell as it’s own food genre.  This is not Asian food.  It is Asian inspired and good, but not Asian.  (Yes, I’ll stop rambling now.)

 

Want to know the secret of this not-Asian dish?  Here is the recipe.

 

Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken

 

Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken

Adapted from a recipe by Chef In Training (found here)

 

2 1/2 pounds of chicken (I usually use boneless chicken breast or tenders, but you can use whatever you have)

3/4 cup honey (I used raw honey, but I’ve used regular grocery store honey in the past)

1/2 cup soy sauce (I use La Choy)

2 tablespoons dried onion (or 1/2 onion diced)

1/2 cup ketchup (or a little more)

1  tablespoon oil (I prefer peanut oil, but I’ve used canola as well)

1 tablespoon sesame oil (you can use regular oil if you don’t have sesame oil, but the sesame oil adds a lovely flavor)

4 cloves garlic, minced or put through a garlic press

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons cornstarch

 

Prep chicken.  If using boneless chicken, cut into small-ish pieces (1 1/2 inches – 2 1/2 inches).  If using chicken tenders, there’s no need to cut up the chicken.  If using chicken with skin, brown first in a pan for best flavor, seasoning with salt and pepper.  Browning is optional, but it makes a difference in the overall flavor. Put chicken in crockpot.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over chicken (to taste).

 

Whisk together all ingredients except for chicken, water, and cornstarch.  Pour over chicken.  Put lid on crockpot and turn on to low heat.  Depending on the size of the chicken pieces, this is ready in 3-5 hours.  (If you have frozen chicken, you can put it in frozen and adjust the cooking time to ensure the chicken is thoroughly cooked.  This is a nice option if you’re going to be gone all day, because it takes longer to cook.)

 

When chicken is done, remove from the crockpot leaving the sauce.  Mix together water and cornstarch until smooth.  Pour cornstarch mixture into the crockpot and stir. Add the chicken back to the crockpot and let cook until the sauce begins to thicken.  Serve over rice.

 

Sounds easy, right?  It is.  Here’s my photo step-by-step, so you can see just how easy it is.

 

I started with a package of chicken breast and a package of drumsticks. I’ve always used chicken breast, so this was the first time I’d used chicken on the bone.

 

I lightly browned the drumsticks and seasoned them with salt and pepper.

 

I put the browned drumsticks into the crockpot and placed the chicken breast pieces on top. Then I sprinkled salt and pepper on top.

 

Next, I mixed together the honey, soy sauce, dried onion, ketchup, canola and sesame oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes.

 

I poured it over the chicken…

 

And I made sure each piece was coated with sauce. The I put the lid on, turned on the crockpot, and went to church.

 

When I arrived home a few hours later, the chicken was cooked through.

 

I removed most of the chicken from the crockpot, mixed together the cornstarch and water, and poured the cornstarch mixture into the crockpot.

 

I stirred the sauce, so the cornstarch mixture was well incorporated, then I put the chicken back into the crockpot. After 10 minutes, the sauce was thick and delicious, and everything was ready to serve!

 

I served the Honey Sesame Chicken over Jasmine Rice and sprinkled some sesame seeds on top for fun. It was delicious!

We can all use some easy go-to meals. 

Do you have one (or more) you’d like to share?

 

Laurel Laurie Staten Nguyen Newhall, CA