Tender marinated chicken pieces charred and then simmered in a heavenly creamy, rich and moderately spicy sauce.

Sometimes your tastebuds need (and deserve) a trip around the world.

When I set out to prepare a well-known dish such as Chicken Tikka Masala, I spend a good bit of time reading, recreating and recording the process.

As I researched the history of this delightful dish it became clear that the aromatics and the spices were the stars.

What I’ve also found is that there are really two recipes within one….the marinade and the sauce. And both include the same key ingredients.

So for my recipe breakdown below, you’ll see I added a Spice Blend first. This allows you to measure once and use twice and also keeps the ingredients list far less intimidating.

The Marinade

Chicken Tikka Masala begins by marinating chicken pieces in yogurt, aromatics and spices. I used chicken thighs because they love to quickly take on a punchy marinade and remain nice and juicy when cooked. I recommend a minimum of 30 minutes to marinate but an hour or two will nicely intensify the flavors.

The Method

Working in batches, the marinated chicken pieces are pan seared in a smoking hot skillet with ghee until nicely charred, about 2 minutes per side.

Reserve the chicken, wipe the pan to remove any black bits and begin to build the curry sauce.

The Sauce

The sauce begins with sautéed diced onion and freshly grated ginger, followed by minced garlic, a generous amount of spices, and tomato puree.

At this point the aromas wafting through your house will be incredible, fortunately you’re only 15 minutes away from serving!

The sauce is simmered and then pureed in the blender (or remove to a bowl and use an immersion blender).

Return the sauce to the skillet, swirl in the cream and ghee (or butter), and return the charred chicken pieces to the sauce to heat through.

Just like that you’ve recreated Chicken Tikka Masala at home.

Serve Chicken Tikka Masala over basmati rice or with naan bread and a generous sprinkle of fresh cilantro.

This dish is comfort in a bowl. Warm spices, creamy sauce, tender chicken all beautifully balanced. I hope you’ll give this recipe a try and share a comment below.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
Libby

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Chicken Tikka Masala

Warm spices, creamy sauce, tender chicken all beautifully balanced in this flavorful dish.

Course Entree

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Marinade Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Spice Blend

• 2 Tablespoons garam masala
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 Tablespoon turmeric
• 1 Tablespoon paprika not smoked
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more for extra spicy flavor

For the Marinade

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1" pieces
• 1 cup plain full fat yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 Tablespoon fresh minced garlic about 3 cloves
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons Spice Blend see above

For the Sauce

• 4 Tablespoons ghee divided
• 1 large onion fine diced
• 2 Tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 2 Tablespoon fresh minced garlic about 6 cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 Tablespoons Spice Blend see above
• 1 14 ounce can tomato puree
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 cup water if needed

To Serve

• 1 1/2 cups Basmati Rice
• 1 handful fresh cilantro leaves chopped
• naan bread optional

Instructions

For the Spice Blend

• Combine ground spices in a jar with a lid and shake to combine.

For the Marinade

• In a large bowl, combine 1 cup yogurt with 1 Tbl. freshly grated ginger and 1 Tbl. freshly minced garlic. Add 2 1/2 Tbl. of Spice Blend, stir to combine. Add chicken pieces and stir to thoroughly coat all pieces. Cover bowl and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes but up to 3 hours.
• Heat a large cast iron or heavy skillet over high heat. Add 1 Tbl. of ghee, heat until smoking. Working in batches, sear the chicken pieces in a single layer, about 2 minutes per side. They should become blackened and charred. Remove pieces to a plate. Add more ghee and sear another batch. Repeat until all chicken has been charred on both sides. Reserve.

For the Sauce

• Wipe the skillet to remove any black bits. Heat skillet over medium heat, add 1 Tbl. ghee and sauté onion and ginger, stirring constantly until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic and salt and cook an additional minute. Sprinkle in remaining spice blend, stir to coat onions and sauté for 1 minute. Stir in tomato puree, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Transfer sauce to a blender and puree until smooth or transfer to a bowl and use an immersion blender. Return sauce to pan, stir in cream, 1 Tbl. ghee or butter. Add water, up to 1/2 cup, to achieve desired thickness. Bring to a low simmer, return charred chicken pieces to sauce to heat through.

To Serve

• While making the sauce, prepare basmati rice according to package instructions. To serve, place a serving of rice in each bowl, with 1/4th of the chicken tikka masala. Sprinkle with a generous amount of chopped fresh cilantro. Serve with side of naan bread (optional). Enjoy!

The post Chicken Tikka Masala appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

My husband’s ancestors also have roots in Catania! Lucky for me it’s where we visited on a dream vacation a few years back.

Catania, Sicily

One day I’ll share more about our trip to Italy, one of the most marvelous adventures I’ve had the privilege to experience!

Nick’s grandfather immigrated from Sicily to Boston in the 1930s. We researched and discovered that the Zappalà family name is still prevalent in the Catania region of Sicily. We were fortunate to be invited to tour the Zappalà cheese factory outside of Catania and sample their outstanding products :) <3

Pasta alla Norma

Eggplant is the star ingredient in Pasta alla Norma, which can be pan fried or oven roasted – which is what I prefer. The oven method was much easier than pan frying and yielded a nice golden brown batch of eggplant.

For the sauce I make a simple Pasta Sauce that begins with sautéed onion and garlic. Then I give a can of San Marzano tomatoes a whirl in the blender and add those to the pan, along with dried seasonings (basil, oregano, parsley, and crushed red pepper flakes). Season with salt & pepper and simmer for 15 minutes.

Recipe note: Do you dry your own herbs? Oregano is one of my favorites to dry. Check out this easy method.

The Sauce

The result is a nice rich pasta sauce that comes together in under 30 minutes but taste like it’s been on the stove all day!

To Build the Dish

To build the Pasta alla Norma, the roasted eggplant is added to the pasta sauce. Then the al dente pasta is folded in along with 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, coating each piece in the silky sauce.

A generous sprinkling of pecorino Romano (or classically Ricotta Salata) and a handful of fresh basil finishes the dish.

Pasta alla Norma deserves its spot among the top classic Italian pasta dishes. The simplest of ingredients quickly come together to deliver a hearty vegetarian dish that even your meat lovers will savor.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Pasta alla Norma

Pasta alla Norma deserves its spot among the top classic Italian pasta dishes. The simplest of ingredients quickly come together to deliver a hearty vegetarian dish that even your meat lovers will savor.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

For the eggplant

• 2 pounds eggplant (about 2 medium) cut into 1" cubes
• 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the sauce

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes blended
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

To serve

• 1 pound pasta (like rigatoni, penne or rotini) cooked al dente
• 1/4 cup pasta cooking water
• fresh basil leaves
• pecorino Romano (classically Ricotta Salata) grated

Instructions

For the eggplant

• Preheat oven to 450° F. Cut eggplant into 1" cubes. Toss with olive oil, salt & pepper and spread in a single layer on parchment lined baking sheet. Roast in oven for 15 minutes, then flip and roast another 10 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

For the sauce

• While eggplant is roasting, heat olive oil In a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent, add garlic and saute another minute. Pour in blended tomatoes, dried herbs, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Fold in roasted eggplant.

To serve

• While sauce is cooking, boil pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup pasta cooking water. Add pasta and 1/4 cup cooking liquid to pasta sauce. Toss pasta well to coat.
• Divide eggplant pasta into bowls. Sprinkle with fresh basil and grated pecorino Romano cheese. Buon appetito!

The post Pasta alla Norma {Eggplant Pasta} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Perhaps the dish I remember most from my childhood is Beefaroni.  Not the canned type, but Homemade Beefaroni, that I think we had every week.  It’s affordable, easy to prepare, family friendly, and so delicious.  For that reason I consider this a comfort food recipe.

I made One Pot Homemade Beefaroni on Sunday and have been enjoying it for lunch this week.  This recipe makes 12 servings so it’s a great family meal or pot luck dish to share.

The above step-by-step pictures basically illustrate just how easy this dish is to prepare. I must be honest and tell you that I have admired “One-Pot” dishes for months on Pinterest.  This was my first attempt.  I found the key to even cooking of the elbows was to stir a couple times during the simmering process, other than that….ONE POT people!! Bam!!

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One Pot Homemade Beefaroni

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 193kcal

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 Tbl. butter
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms sliced
• 1 onion diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 28- ounce crushed tomatoes preferably no salt added
• 1 14.5- ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes preferably no salt added
• 1 cup chicken or beef broth
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper to taste
• 5 ounces elbow macaroni
• grated parmesan cheese to serve

Instructions

• Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add mushroom slices and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring once. Add diced onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes, until onions are tender. Add in garlic and ground beef. Use wooden spoon to break up beef; cook until meat is no longer pink. Drain off any liquid.
• Add tomatoes, broth and seasonings. Bring to a simmer. Stir in macaroni, making sure it is completely covered with sauce. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until pasta is tender.
• Serve with a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Notes

Each serving = 5 WW Pts+

The post One Pot Homemade Beefaroni appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Homemade Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce.

We just completed our ‘Secret Santa Week’ at work and wrapped it up with a fabulous party on Saturday night.  I say this often, but not often enough.  I work with the most amazing group of passionate people.  Plan a Tacky Sweater Party and watch a room of adults transform and embrace the theme.  WOW!!

Secret Santa, for those of you who may not be familiar, is when a group of people each choose a name and then acting as Santa hide gifts for their person throughout the week.  It’s a long standing tradition at Delaney.  To make it a little easier on Santa, we each fill out a questionnaire about ourselves….listing our favorites and any special items we would enjoy receiving.

We play for three days leading up to the big revealing at the Christmas Party. Day #1 is a gift of words. I wrote a playful poem for my person (who is conveniently named Nick) to go with his new dancing Santa Hat….he’s such a good sport!  On Day #2 we give the gift of sweets.  You may recall last year, when I spread JOY with Homemade Chocolate Covered Almond Coconut Candy Bars.  This year I gave Nick his favorite snack…..Pickles.  On the 3rd day we give a gift that is a clue about us.  Since Nick listed Rum & Dr. Pepper as his ‘drinks’ of choice….that seemed like the perfect stocking stuffer.  And that is where I got the idea to make him Homemade Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce.

Since Nick also likes to cook I knew he’d appreciate this homemade gift.  I Googled around the web in search of the perfect recipe and decided to incorporate bits of this RECIPE and parts of this RECIPE and then add a bit of my own to the mix.

I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to make Homemade Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce.  I sautéed the onion in butter until it was translucent, added in the minced garlic for a quick stir, then in went the remaining ingredients.  I brought the mixture to a boil and allowed a slow boil for about 10 minutes before reducing to a simmer.  From there I let her go, only stirring occasionally until the mixture had thickened and reduced by almost half, 35 – 40 minutes.  I allowed it to cool before blending until smooth.

I think Nick was pleased with his gift.  It went nicely with the basting brush and ‘Virtual’ Boston Butt Pork Roast I wrapped along with it.  It seemed a bit strange to bring a real Boston Butt Roast to the Christmas Party so I improvised.

‘Virtual’ Boston Butt Roast you say?  Take a picture of a Boston Butt Roast and print it in color.  Wrap it over a Styrofoam meat tray stuffed with tissue paper, then seal in plastic wrap.  Attach a grocery store gift card to the bottom.  Voila!

I’d like to give a special shout out to my Secret Santa whose ‘words’ touched my heart on the first day of giving and her thoughtfulness continued throughout the week.  xo TM

“Make Thyme to Live, Laugh and Love.”

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Homemade Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 2 Tbl. butter
• 1 onion minced
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 16.9 ounces Dr. Pepper
• 2 cups or 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 Tbl. Worcestershire
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• Sauté onion in butter until translucent. Add in minced garlic and sauté another minutes. Add in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Continue cooking with a low boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking 35 – 40 minutes until mixture has thickened and is reduced by almost half. Allow to cool slightly.
• Blend mixture until smooth. Cool completely. Store in air tight jar in refrigerator for up to two weeks.
• Yield: about 3 cups

The post Homemade Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce {in Secret Santa Style} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.