Chicken Tikka Masala

Travis and Britt Peterson shared this recipe with us for Dan's suprise birthday party.  It was so good and with only 1/8 tsp cayenne, even all the kids loved it.  

Marinade:
1 cup yogurt
1 TB lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne peppper (or to taste)
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 TB minced fresh ginger
2 tsp salt
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

Sauce:
1 onion, diced
1 TB butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1 8z can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro


DIRECTIONS:
Prepare:
In a large bowl or ziplock bag, combine yougurt, lemon juice, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and salt.  Stir in chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.  The longer, the better.

Cooking the Meat :
Preheat a grill for high heat or set oven to broil.
Lightly oil the grill grate.  If grilling thread teh chicken on to skewers and discard marinade.  Grill or broil until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.

Sauce and Simmer:
Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.  Saute onions until carmelized, add garlic and chopped jalapeno and sautee for 1 more minute.  Season with cumin, paprika and 2 tsp salt.  Stir in tomato sauce and cream.  Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes.  Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes.  Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with fresh cilantro.