Chicken Tikka Masala recipe

I'm stoked about the weather in Portland today - gorgeous, clear blue skies, and a temperature that has to be at least in the 60's. I went on a walk with Onyx today wearing jeans and a t-shirt - first time this year without a jacket! He was a bit of a stinker on the walk; he kept trying to eat everything on the ground - wrappers, cigarette butts, flowers - but even that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the weather!

Last night for dinner I made an amazing Indian dish called Chicken Tikka Masala.

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I'll definitely make it again in the future, because not only was it delicious, it was also super easy to make. Here's the recipe, which I got from Good Housekeeping magazine:

Chicken Tikka Masala
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp. grated, peeled fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp. Indian curry paste
1 1/4 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch chunks
salt and pepper
1 cup crushed tomato (from 15-oz. can)
1/2 cup half-and-half or light cream
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium 1 minute. Add onion and cook 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Add ginger, garlic, and curry paste; cook 3 minutes longer. Add chicken, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper and cook 2 minutes or until no longer pink on the outside, stirring occasionally. Add tomato; cover and cook 3 to 4 minutes longer or until chicken just loses its pink color throughout. Uncover and stir in half-and-half and cilantro.

Notes:
*You don't need to find an Indian store to get the curry paste; it should be available at any regular grocery store.
*Ginger root can be found in the produce section of the grocery store.
*You don't need to use the precise amount of chicken listed above; just add however much you want. I used two large chicken breasts, and that was enough.
*Don't skip the cilantro! When I was a beginning cook, ingredients that I had never used before - like cilantro - scared me, and so I never used them, but now I know that my recipes will turn out even better if I use every ingredient listed. Plus, you can get a huge bunch of cilantro for less than a dollar.
*This dish is delicious served with basmati rice or naan bread!