Spice up your life with Chicken Tikka

I'm a big fan of Indian food. My favorite are curries of all colors: green, red, yellow and I like them spicy, loaded with all kinds of veggies. During the colder months of the year they're especially warming, comforting, filling and nutritious. 

My friend Laura recently launched a beautiful natural foods blog called Laura Lea Balanced. She sent me her Chicken Tikka recipe. It's so easy to make and is absolutely delicious. I've seen a number of other recipes I"ll be trying out, but first comes the chicken and here's Laura: 

CHICKEN TIKKA WITH CUCUMBER RAITA

Over the course of my year in culinary school, I fell increasingly in love with ethnic food. Foreign spices, vegetables and cooking methods not only create delicious food but, they reinvigorate my appetite for life.

When I enjoy a well-prepared Thai or Ethiopian dish, I’m reminded of how little I know about the world, and I am thankful—I hope always to find wonder in each day and be gloriously overwhelmed by new information.

And my body is thankful as well! Delighting and surprising our tastebuds with unfamiliar flavors actually stimulates metabolism, and thus has a cleansing effect. Pungent spices in particular, such as turmeric, peppers and cardamom will boost the circulatory system and aid in detoxification.

This recipe for Chicken Tikka, created and eaten in community during my Indian Cooking Class, had such a profound effect on me. It is a relatively simple recipe, but until that day, I had never seen, smelled or tasted fresh curry leaves. Curry powder is actually a blend of several spices and is no substitution for the complex, earthy, intoxicating flavor of fresh curry leaves.

Last week, I found myself saddled with a craving for this dish, and I couldn’t have been more thrilled to discover fresh curry leaves at an Indian supermarket in Nashville. My family and I enjoyed our Chicken Tikka for last week’s Sunday night dinner (my sweet mama did most of the cooking), and it was truly a transformative experience for all.

Chicken Tikka

[adapted from the Natural Gourmet Institute’s Indian Cooking Class]

Yield: 12-16 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 organic chickens, each cut into 8 pieces, skinned (You can also buy a combination of 8 thighs and breasts)
• 1/2 ounce fresh curry leaves
• 3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled (approximately 3 ounces)
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 Thai bird green chili (sold at most Whole Foods)
• 1/2 cup canola or coconut oil
• 1/4 shoyu, tamari or soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 cup plain yogurt (we used Greek)

Procedure:

1. Place chicken pieces in 1-2 baking dishes in one layer.
2. In a blender or food processor, combine curry leaves through cumin and blend to a smooth puree. Place in a bowl and add yogurt. Mix to incorporate.
3. Pour tikka mixture over chicken and marinate, refrigerated and covered, for 12 hours.
4. Bring chicken to room temperature when ready to cook. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Take out of marinade and season with salt. Place chicken pieces on a rack on a sheet pan.
5. Roast in the oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until done. Chicken should have a slight char around the edges.

Add some cucumber raitia to it. The creaminess makes the spice even more appealing. Here's the recipe.