Yak and Yeti Inspired Chicken Tikka Masala and Naan Recipe

#BakingThroughIsolation #Episode10

Chicken Tikka Masala and Naan Bread 

Inspired by the Chicken Tikka Masala found at Yak and Yeti in Disney's Animal Kingdom
No official recipe has been found or released. This is a loose interpretation.

Ingredients:

Chicken Marinade

• 3 deboned chicken thighs and 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

• 1/2 cup plain unsweetened yogurt

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 6 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon of minced ginger

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 2 teaspoons garam masala

• 2 teaspoons paprika

Sauce

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 2 tablespoons minced ginger

• 8 cloves of garlic, minced

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 2 teaspoons ground tumeric

• 2 teaspoons ground coriander

• 2 teaspoons paprika

• 2 teaspoons garam masala

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 2 dried red chilis

• 4 whole, dried, cardamom seeds

• 1-2 bay leaves

• 1 tablespoon tomato puree

• 3 cups tomato sauce

• 2-3 small tomatoes diced

• 1 bell pepper diced

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup heavy cream

• Jasmine Rice, cooked per package instructions

Naan

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1/2 cup warm water

• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (one envelope)

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon oil

• 3 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions:


Marinade:

1. Slice the chicken into bite-sized chunks. 
2. Combine the cubed chicken with the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, salt, cumin, garam masala, and paprika.
3. Stir until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.

Sauce:

1. In a large pot, saute the onions, peppers, ginger and garlic until tender but not browned.
2. Add the cumin, turmeric, coriander, paprika, chili powder, and garam masala and stir constantly for 30 seconds. 
3. Stir in tomato puree, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water. 
4. Remove from stove top and pour into large crock pot. Add chicken. Add cinnamon stick, dried chilis, cardamom seeds, and bay leaf (you will remove these later)
5.  Allow to cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Halfway through cooking, pour in cream and stir. Allow to continue cooking until chicken is fork tender.
6. While waiting, prepare your Naan bread.

Naan:

1. In a small bowl, add the sugar, warm water, and yeast together. Stir to combine well. Allow yeast to bloom for 10 minutes.
2. Transfer flour to a flat surface and make a well in the middle. Add the yeast mixture, yogurt, salt, and oil.
3. Knead the dough until the surface becomes smooth and shiny. This takes approximately 10 minutes.
4. Move dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. Alternatively, you can use the proof setting on your oven.
5. Once dough has doubled in size, divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Roll the dough into 8" circles using a rolling pin.
6. Heat up a skillet or flat griddle. Lightly grease surface to avoid dough sticking. Place dough on the skillet. When it puffs up and bubbles and dark spots appear, flip it over and cook the other side. Repeat with remaining dough circles.
7. Brush with melted butter and serve warm.

Plating:

1. Remove dry spices from crock pot.
2. In a wide bowl, place a large scoop of rice in the middle. Use a large spoon to scoop and place the Chicken Tikka Masala around the rice. Alternatively, you can serve your rice on the side.
3. Cut your 8" naan bread into 4 pieces. Serve on side for dipping purposes.