Coconut Chicken Tikka Masala

A few weeks back I was perusing my fave cookbook, Half Baked Harvest Super Simple {are you sick of hearing about this yet?} and found something that looked absolutely perfect for a cold day - Coconut Chicken Tikka Masala.  I love her variations on Indian food - the flavors are so good - and even though I used to be intimidated by recipes like this, she makes them super simple and easy to recreate with lots of ingredients I typically have on hand.  I love that the recipe made extra curry paste and since I'm home for quite awhile I anticipate using those leftovers to whip up another batch of this very soon.  Enjoy!

Coconut Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients
Curry Paste
1 medium yellow onion, quartered
1 shallot, halved
6 garlic cloves
2- 1inch pieces of fresh ginger, peeled
3 Tblsp garam masala
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Zest of 1 lemon

Chicken
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1/2 cup full fat plain Greek yogurt
1- 14oz can full fat coconut milk
1- 6oz can tomato paste
1/4 cup cilantro chopped, plus more for serving
Cooked rice

Instructions
1. Make curry paste.  In blender or food processor, combine onion, shallot, garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, salt, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest and pulse until smooth paste forms.
2. Make chicken.  In gallon size ziploc bag, combine 2 Tblsp curry paste, chicken, and yogurt.  Seal and massage mixture into the chicken to cover completely.  Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or refrigerate up to overnight.
3. Heat large high-sided skillet over medium heat.  Add 1/4 cup curry paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Stir in marinated chicken, coconut milk, and tomato paste.  Cover and cook until chicken is cooked through, 15-20 minutes.  Remove lid and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes more.
4. Stir in cilantro and serve over rice, topped with more cilantro if desired.

***Note - this will make extra curry paste that can be stored refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to 1 month or in the freezer for up to 4 months.  

Serves 4-6

adapted from half baked harvest