Spicy Indian Chicken with a Cool Cucumber Salad

4 chicken breasts
Juice of one lemon
2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 garlic cloves, pressed
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp crushed pepper flakes
1 tsp salt

In a small bowl, combine lemon juice and the next 7 ingredients. Score tops of chicken breasts. In a zip lock bag, add chicken and yogurt mixture. Marinate overnight.

The next day, cook chicken by baking on 425 degrees for 15 minutes on each side, or grill over high heat for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink in the middle.

Plate over white long grained basmati rice cooked in chicken broth and tossed with freshly minced cilantro. Serve with a cool cucumber salad, below. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Cool Cucumber Salad

2 cucumbers, sliced thinly
½ small onion, sliced thinly
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1/8 cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup water
1 tsp sugar
Sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk EVOO and next 3 ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour over cucumbers and onions; let marinate for 1+ hours.

Spoon into a shallow bowl.

Chicken Tikka Masala

3 Servings

1 jar of Tikka Masla Sauce (You can find this in the international isle of the grocery store – my favorite brand, that doesn’t just taste like tomatoes, is Mr. Kook’s , found at Ralph’s.)
½ cup of cream (per the directions on the back of the jar)
2 chicken breasts, cut in bite sized chunks
¼ yellow onion, sliced
A dash or two of spicy seasoning (optional, just to turn up the heat)
1 cup of rice
2 cups of water
¼ cup of frozen petite peas
1 tsp of EVOO
Dash of coarse salt
Fresh parsley, minced, to garnish
Jalapeno flat bread

Add rice, water, EVOO and salt to rice cooker and cook. When it’s almost done, add frozen peas, mix in and cook until rice cooker is done.

Heat EVOO in skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and sauté. Add chicken and cook until almost done. Add Tikka Masala sauce, turn heat to low and cover for 5-10 minutes until chicken is cooked all the way through. Add cream to the chicken and sauce right before serving. Stir until it’s mixed throughout.

Heat a small skillet over high heat with just a touch of EVOO. Add flat bread, just to heat up and make a little crispy.

Serve the chicken in Tikka Masala over rice with a side of the bread. Garnish with parsley.