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It was a cold weekend and I was craving Indian food- not just any old Indian food but proper restaurant food. By that I mean, something like chicken tikka masala, some kebabs and dal makhani. We were out for dinner the night before and I don’t feel right going out two nights in a row. So, what should I do. I decided to make it at home.

I ran to Trader Joes and got some chicken thighs and marinated them as soon as possible. The key to very flavor kebabs or tikkas is to marinate over night- ideally. Since I thought this up in the morning, I wanted to marinate quickly to get 3 to 4 hours for the chicken to sit in the yogurt mixture and get happy. For the first time ever I used food coloring- I wanted the authentic look – the tikkas have a red color to them and yes it does come from food coloring. Usually I make my tikkas au naturale and like them the way they are but somehow that day I needed for them to look exactly how they do in a restaurant. The other thing I did different was to use my broiling pan- do you use it?? I usually forget I have it. It is perfect to use when broiling things like chicken that have a lot of moisture. The excess moisture seeps down to the bottom tray and you are left with dry on the outside, juicy on the inside chicken.  To make it easier I used wooden skewers. It makes it a lot quicker to flip the pieces if they are on a skewer.

Well, it resulted in fabulous chicken tikkas- which is a great base for this classic curry available at Indian restaurants everywhere. The sauce is very easy to make. I made mine quite healthy with very little half and half. The one you get outside is laden with heavy cream- that is why it is so yummy. Mine is yummy as well with very little fat. One main flavor is dried fenugreek. It gives the dish a very distinct flavor- it is optional but I would highly recommend it. It is available at any Indian grocery store.

I served mine with dal makhani and homemade tandoori rotis- it was DElicious.

Next time you feel like eating Chicken Tikka Masala- do try my version- you may never eat out again!

• 2 pounds boneless skinless thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 5-6 wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least an hour

• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 inches fresh ginger

Process the garlic and ginger into a paste and add to a medium sized bowl.

• ½ cup non-fat greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons half and half
• 1 teaspoon red food coloring (optional)
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 3 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• ½ cup raw cashews, ground

Preheat broiler on high.

Add the yogurt, half and half, food coloring, lemon juice, coriander powder, salt, garam masala, cilantro and cashews into the bowl with the ginger and garlic. Mix well and add the chicken pieces. Marinate over night or at least two to three hours.
Take out the pieces out of the marinade and place them evenly onto the skewers. Broil on a broiling pan on high for 5 to 6 minutes on both sides or till the chicken is golden brown. Take the chicken out of the skewers and keep aside.

• 3 tablespoons extra light olive oil
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, toasted
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons minced ginger
• 2 cans (14 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup milk
• ¼ cup half and half
• Pinch of sugar
• Salt
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 3 tablespoons dried fenugreek
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the cumin seeds on medium high heat. Saute for a minute and add the ginger and garlic. Saute for another minute and add the tomato sauce. Add the milk, half and half, sugar, salt, coriander powder and garam masala. Mix well and add half of the chicken pieces (the rest can be used for another recipe). Bring the sauce to a boil and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Add the fenugreek and fresh coriander. Check for seasonings.