Surprises

A big part of the enjoyment Judy and I have had on our food journey is all of the surprises it has brought us. Judy and I alternate cooking on a weekly basis, so it's always fun, and surprising, to find out what the other has prepared or will prepare during their week.  It's also surprising where we find the recipes we'll make, and how good they taste. I have never been very courageous when it comes to trying new things. I have mostly been a meat and potatoes kind of guy.  So I've been surprised quite a number of  times when trying something new that I have never even thought of trying before.  Such was the case a few weeks ago.

I was watching the Bobby Flay show, "Throwdown"  on the Food Network, one of our favorite shows, on one of our favorite television networks.  The challenge for this particular show was a dish called, "Chicken Tikka Masala".  As the name would imply, this is a dish from India.  I've always like certain curry dishes, but have stayed away from most Indian food because I simply didn't know what was in it.  Watching "Throwdown" I was captivated by the dish that was being prepared.  It looked absolutely delicious.  I immediately knew that Chicken Tikka Masala was going to be the next recipe I would prepare.

I visited the Weight Watchers website and did a search for Chicken Tikka Masala.  The following recipe is what I found.  The photo on the right is the finished dish, plated and ready to eat.  This was one of the best things I've ever eaten. The flavors simply explode in your mouth.  Surprise!!!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients

2/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp ginger root, freshly grated
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp bl;ack pepper, to taste
1 pound uncooked bonless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 2 inch chunks
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 small jalapeno pepper, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
8 oz. canned tomato sauce
1 cup fat free evaporated milk
1/4 cup cilantro, fresh, chopped
2 cups cooked rice, (we use brown rice from Trader Joes), kept hot.

NOTE: Duplication of certain ingredients is not a mistake. There are several parts to this recipe

Instructions

To prepare the chicken. In a large bowl, whisk together the first seven (7) ingredients. Add chicken and toss to coat.  Cover the bowl and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

I  only marinated the chicken for an hour.  Next time I'll let it go for the full 24 hours.  Regardless of how long it marinated, it was absolutely delicious.

Preheat outdoor grill, stovetop grill or non-stick skillet.

Skewer chicken pieces onto 4 metal or wooden skewers. Grill or cook chicken skewers in a hot skillet until chicken is cooked through, turning frequently. about 5 - 7 minutes.  Make sure to soak wooden skewers in water for about 30 minutes to prevent charring.  I did and mine charred anyway.  No matter.

To make the sauce, heat oil in a large, high-sided skillet (or wide saucepan) over medium heat.  Add remaining minced garlic clove and jalapeno; cook stirring occasionally, 1 minute.

Add remaining teaspoon of cumin and paprika and stir to coat.  Add tomato sauce and evaporated milk, reduce heat to low and simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Serve over rice.

This dish has a Weight Watchers PointsPlus value of 9.  Preparation time is 30 minutes. Cooking time about 15 minutes.  This makes 4 servings and the difficulty level is moderate.

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