chicken tikka masala with pickled cucumbers

We love collecting cook books. This recipe is from one of our favorite cook books, The Feed Zone. The recipe is very (yes, VERY) easy to make. It's perfect when you feel lazy and tired! I added picked cucumbers to this dish for a refreshing kick.We made it few times and tweaked the recipe a bit. :) 

Ingredients:  

Chicken breasts - 3 (cut in bite size pieces)
Onion - 1/2 (thinly sliced)
Curry powder or paste - 2 TBS (I prefer curry paste)
Tomato sauce or ketchup - 1/4 cup (I use ketchup, since I don't always have tomato sauce around)
Plain yogurt - 3/4 cup
Garlic - 2 cloves (minced)
Ginger - 1 TBS (minced)

[Pickled cucumbers]
Cucumber - 1 English cucumber (Persian or Japanese cucumbers will work, too)  
Vinegar - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 3-4 TBS (try with 3 TBS first and add more if you like)
Salt - pinch

Prep:

1. Cut the chicken in bite-size pieces. Cut onion into thin slices. 
2. Put all the ingredients in big zip lock bag. Let it marinade in the fridge for one hour. 
3. [Pickled cucumbers] Cut the cucumbers into small pieces. Mix vinegar, sugar and salt. Adjust the taste to your liking.

 Cook:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Transfer chicken in marinade to a oven-proof dish. Cover with foil. Bake until chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 1 hour (cook it for about 45 minutes and check and cook for another 10-15 minutes) 

Serve:

1. Serve with Pratha (prata), roti, rice or bread. (see TIPS)
2. Sprinkle pickled cucumbers on top, or serve it on the side. 
3. Add salad or fried garlic green beans for more greens. :)

  

TIPS

• Paratha (or prata) is Indian (can be found in Singapore or Malaysia, too) flat-bread. You can usually find it in Asian market or Trader Joe's frozen section. My husband likes to eat the paratha with sugar, too.