I TAKE EVERY COOKING EVENT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN. This recipe was inspired by the lead chef with Niemann Harvest Market deli in Carmel, Indiana. I was showing him how to create my recipe for easy butter chicken using our jarred Tikka Masala sauce with 2 pounds of chicken. My specialty is perfecting homestyle recipes for taste and spice - while he is really good at scaling. And all of a sudden we were in a whirlwind prepping ingredients for 20 pounds of chicken. I was nervous - but in good hands. To successfully do that and get all the other food prepped for the day - the steps have to be easy and accessible. While at home we may grab a pan and cook on a stovetop, in a commercial space like that they use ovens to get it done. One dish goes in and while it's cooking another is being prepped. The pace is fast and so needs to be efficient. We baked the chicken, added the additional ingredients, and then baked again for a recipe that matched the taste of the stovetop version. I find collaboration in the kitchen purely exhilarating! And, if you are in area, head in and ask for Indian As Apple Pie butter chicken and saffron rice. It's now in the deli! This recipe below uses 2 pounds of chicken for the oven method, but know that you can use the steps to scale up for a large dinner party when needed. Another option is to cook your chicken trays for the initial 15 minutes ahead of time, add the additional ingredients, and set them aside to pop into the oven again just before serving dinner. More than one tray can go into the oven at a time without the stovetop mess. The key is our jarred Tikka Masala which makes everything as easy as pie ... Indian As Apple Pie! xoxo Anupy.
Oven: Sheet Pan Butter Chicken with Our Tikka Masala
1 tablespoon ghee
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon flour (all-purpose or gluten free)
2 teaspoons Indian As Apple Pie garam masala
2 teaspoons ground Indian As Apple Pie cumin seeds
1 teaspoon Indian As Apple Pie red chile powder
2 teaspoons paprika (unsmoked)
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup Indian As Apple Pie tikka masala
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons half-and-half or heavy cream (dairy or alternative)
1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and position the cooking rack in the second-from-the-top position.
2. Place the chicken and the ghee in a 9 1/2 x 13 inch baking tray with a rim. The size is perfect for this amount of chicken. If it is too big then the sauce will dry. If you scale this recipe up, use a larger tray. The rim is holds in all the sauce.
3. Place the tray in the oven and cook for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the tray and sprinkle/pour the remaining ingredients except the cream and cilantro evenly across the top of the chicken (flour, garam masala, cumin powder, red chile, paprika, brown sugar, salt, tikka masala, and water). Stir gently, return to the oven, and cook for another 15 minutes. To prepare this ahead of a dinner party or a weekday family meal, simply prepare it up to this point and then follow the remaining steps 15-20 minutes before serving.
5. Remove the tray from the oven and add the cream. Return the chicken to the oven and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Remove, garnish with the cilantro and serve with cumin rice, saffron rice, or Indian bread like roti or naan. All of the spices are edible. To be sure the chicken is cooked through use a meat thermometer - it should log an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit or above.
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