Chicken & Potatoes in Tomato Masala Sauce
There is so much to love about Chicken & Potatoes in Tomato Masala Sauce. It is made with simple ingredients, yet has complex layers of flavor. The sauce is rich with tomato, ginger, garlic, onion and a little heat from peppers. Chicken and potatoes become perfectly tender and soak up the seasonings and spices in the gluten free Tomato Masala Sauce. A little cream drizzled on top helps to temper the heat from the peppers and adds some richness. An easy & quick pickling of thinly sliced onion enhances this dish in an unexpectedly wonderful way. Pour the Chicken & Potatoes in Tomato Masala Sauce over a bed of rice and it will be a completely filling meal and utterly satisfying.
The Back Story
My friend Mona knows how much I love Indian food. The layers of flavor in Indian dishes fascinates me. While eating at friends’ houses or out at restaurants, I ask myself, “Where is all of that flavor and spice coming from and how can I make this myself?” The chutneys, dals, curries and all of the wonderful spices and herbs literally keep me up at night dreaming of dishes I would love to make. However, making Indian food seems like a secret form of art passed down from generation to generation that I just don’t have access to.
Luckily, I have been fortunate enough to have a few friends show me some of their family’s cooking techniques. As a result, I’ve become fairly competent making a few dishes, but it is a work in progress for sure! I would never claim to be an expert with Indian cuisine… but I am going to keep at it!
On to this recipe for Chicken & Potatoes in Tomato Masala Sauce!
Mona sent me a recipe for Baked Rajma, which is a Punjabi style red bean and cream dish. She made the recipe and her family loved it. So she passed it on to me, knowing that I would probably love it too.
Boy was she right! I made it the following day and my family demolished the whole pot it in one sitting. Then they asked for more! As much as I loved (truly LOVED) the dish as it was, I wanted to create a version that was a bit heartier. Truth be told, I was also having a little issue with beans at the time too (no need to expand on that), but let’s just say that my family really appreciated this version with chicken. I also added potatoes to make it more filling if we didn’t want to make rice with it.
Tomato Masala Sauce
What is “masala?” Google dictionary says, “any number of spice mixtures ground into a paste or powder for use in Indian cooking.” In this recipe, the “masala” is the mixture of ginger, garlic, onions and peppers that are pureed into a smooth paste then slowly cooked down, almost caramelized, to create the base of the sauce. It is important to take your time with this step to develop the flavors.
Helpful note! You will be using your blender/food processor 2 times during this recipe and there’s no need to clean it between steps. Just wanted to give you a heads up because I imagine you don’t like to clean any more than I do!
Once the masala has been cooked down and has browned a little, the pureed tomato mixture and potatoes are added into the pot. Cover the pot and let it cook for about 15 minutes. This will bring the potatoes up to the same temperature as the sauce. Add the chicken to the mixture and drizzle heavy cream on top. The whole thing goes in the oven, uncovered, to complete the cooking process.
Getting it Just Right
When I am working on a recipe post, I usually make a few variations of the dish. Sometimes I make changes just because I like to play around with ingredients. But with this recipe, the challenge was making sure the potatoes and chicken were cooked properly. No one wants to eat them under cooked. And over cooked isn’t very appealing either!
My solution for getting the chicken and potatoes cooked perfectly came down to two things. First, was cutting the potatoes to a ½ inch dice and the chicken into bite sized chunks. Second, was adding the potatoes to the sauce mixture while it was still on the stove, but waiting to add the chicken until it went into the oven. This allowed the potatoes to cook an extra 15 minutes. Ultimately, this resulted in perfectly cooked potatoes and chicken! Yay!
Did You Say Pickled Onion?
Oh yes I did! This is such an easy step and it absolutely makes a difference in the dish. Even if you don’t like onions or raw onions, I beg you to give this a try. The onion’s flavor and texture changes quickly through the pickling process. Between the vinegar, salt and sugar, just a small amount of this quick condiment balances the flavors and ingredients in the Chicken & Potatoes in Tomato Masala Sauce perfectly.
Purple/red and sweet yellow onions work great with this recipe. The purple or red onions and the pickling liquid will turn pink, however, the yellow onions won’t. If this matters to you, choose your onion accordingly but don’t worry about it changing the quality of the taste. It will be delicious either way!
More Recipes You Might Enjoy
Perfect Thyme Chicken, Cilantro Awesome Sauce, Cumin and Lime Marinated Flank Steak, Parsley Awesome Sauce, Crockpot Irish Beef Stew and Sweet and Spicy Chicken.
Chicken & Potatoes in Tomato Masala Sauce
Click Stars to Rate Recipe:Ingredients
- 2 large sweet onions, divided (red/purple/yellow onions all work)
- 2 large poblano peppers (stem removes, seeded & roughly chopped)
- 8 cloves fresh garlic (peeled)
- 3 inch fresh ginger (peeled)
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 tsp kosher salt (less if using fine salt)
- 56 oz diced tomatoes (2 28oz cans)
- 1/2-1 tsp red chili powder (adjust based on your desired heat level)
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite sized pieces)
- 1 ½ Lbs gold or red potatoes (rinsed & cut into 1/2" dice (approx. 3 cups))
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup fresh cilantro (stems trimmed, roughly chopped)
Pickled Onion
- ½ cup water
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp sugar
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Trim and quarter the onions. Thinly slice 3/4 of one onion for pickling.
- Combine water, sugar and salt in a microwavable dish. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Add the sliced onions to the mixture and pour the vinegar on top. Let sit uncovered until ready to serve.
- Place the remaining onion, peppers, garlic and ginger in a food processor or blender and grind until it becomes a fairly smooth puree.
- Heat oil in the bottom of an oven safe pot or large pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and allow them to brown a little and become fragrant. About 2-3 minutes.
- Add the onion mixture to the pan and allow to cook until the liquid evaporates and it begins to brown. Be careful not to let it burn! **No need to clean the blender/processor yet, you’ll use it in the next step.
- While the onion mixture is cooking, blend the tomatoes, salt, chili powder and garam masala in the food processor/blender.
- Add the tomato mixture and the potatoes to the onion mixture and allow it to heat through on a medium heat. Cover and let cook on a medium low heat for 15 minutes.
- Add the chicken to the mixture. Stir to combine. Drizzle with heavy cream and place in the oven, uncovered for approximately 45 minutes (check a potato for doneness).
- Remove from the oven, scatter most or all of the pickled onion and cilantro on top. Serve with rice and enjoy!
