Chicken Tikka Masala. This is a super easy, full of short cuts and cheats version inspired by a wonderful recipe by Grace Parisi. It is absolutely loved by my pre-schooler, she will lick the plate clean!  I use ready made tandoori chicken masala (dry spice rub which I found at our local whole foods). This is a staple in our freezer too since it freezes so well.

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, two tablespoons of tandoori chicken masala and set aside.Using a sharp knife, make a few shallow slashes in each piece of chicken. Add the chicken to the marinade, turn to coat and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat the broiler (HI) and position a rack about 8 inches from the heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade; scrape off as much of the marinade as possible and then sprinkle a little more tandoori chicken masala on the side up. Season the chicken with salt, a little oil and place on a baking sheet. Broil the chicken, turn it over and sprinkle tandoori chicken masala on the other side and broil till cooked and slightly charred. Transfer to a cutting board and cut it into 2-inch pieces.

To make the masala heat 1-2 tablespoons of  oil. Add the onion, garlic and ginger paste and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until translucent and fragrant,about 5-7 minutes. Add the garam masala, cumin, coriander powder, cayenne, cardamom and tandoori chicken masala frying, for 1 – 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices and the sugar and salt to season. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 10-15 minutes. Take it off the heat and blend with a hand blender until fairly smooth. Return to heat and add the cream,cooking over low heat till combined. Stir in the chicken; simmer gently for 10 minutes and serve with basmati rice or naan.

I always make extra tandoori chicken for chicken tikka pizza, sandwiches, rolls….