Recipe notes: Substitute the protein of your choice for the chicken. This is a smooth sauce, so the onion is removed before serving. If you prefer, dice the onion and leave it in the sauce or substitute a bit of onion powder.
Servings 4
Ingredients
1Tablespoon15 ml olive oil
46 oz / 170 g boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Salt to taste
Spice Blend:
1.5tablespoons20 ml garam masala seasoning
1teaspoon5 ml ground ginger
1/2teaspoon2 ml ground cinnamon
1/4teaspoon1 ml black pepper
Sauce:
4tablespoons60 ml butter1 large onion, cut in half pole to pole
2clovesgarlicminced
115-ounce/425 g can tomato sauce
⅓cup80 ml almond butter
⅓cup80 ml milk
½ to ¾cup120 to 180 ml chicken broth or water, more as needed
1cup240 ml frozen peas (optional)
Hot basmati rice for serving
Chopped parsleyoptional garnish
Sliced almondsoptional garnish
Instructions
Cook the chicken. If desired, pound chicken to ¼ inch (6 mm) thickness to promote even cooking. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Heat 1 teaspoon (5 ml) olive oil a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken; sauté 3 to 5 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Cook the chicken in 2 batches, adding more oil if needed for second batch. Dice chicken into bite-sized pieces; set aside on clean plate and keep warm.
Prepare spice blend. Stir garam masala, ginger, cinnamon, and pepper together in a small bowl. Set aside.
Melt the butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook gently for several minutes to infuse the butter with onion flavor. Keep the heat low to avoid burning the butter; a little color is fine. Add the spice blend and garlic and cook for 1 minute or till fragrant, stirring constantly. Add the tomato sauce, stir well, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Whisk in almond butter and milk until thoroughly combined with tomato sauce. The almond butter is thick so it takes a while to make a smooth sauce. Return to simmer. Add broth (or water) to sauce to reach desired consistency; return to simmer. Add more broth (or water) as needed to thin sauce as desired.
Remove onion from sauce and discard. Stir frozen peas (if using) into sauce. Transfer sliced chicken to sauce. Simmer gently for a few minutes until peas and chicken are heated through.
Serve chicken and sauce over rice. Garnish with chopped parsley and/or sliced almonds if desired.