Name: Sweet and Spicy Indian Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs; 2 tablespoons plain yogurt; 1 tablespoon garam masala; 1 tablespoon red curry paste; 1 tablespoon roasted red chili paste (*you can omit if you don’t have and just use an additional tablespoon of the red curry paste instead); 1 teaspoon curry powder; 1/2 teaspoon coriander; 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 tablespoon coconut oil; 1/4 cup maple syrup; juice of 1/2 a lemon

This sweet and spicy Indian chicken is marinated in yogurt and spices and finished with a sweet and sticky maple syrup glaze. It's outrageously delicious and will easily become your go-to chicken dinner.

A couple of weeks ago I went to the spa for the afternoon with a friend, we left as one always does after a massage and spa day, looking like greased rats.

Now, I’m all for essential oils (actually just ordered my starter kit and am getting into this whole oil thing!) and I do love a good rub down (um, who doesn’t?) but when they get all up in your head and neck area there’s just no avoiding the fact that you’re going to leave the place looking like you either took a grease shower or spent the whole day in bed with sex hair.

Don’t act like you don’t know what that looks like.

So, we emerge back into the real world in this greased state and although no one should ever be seen in public in a condition such as we were in, we decided we needed food.

Like asap too because instead of eating lunch we got pampered all afternoon and our stomachs were making obscene noises.

This sweet and spicy Indian chicken is marinated in yogurt and spices and finished with a sweet and sticky maple syrup glaze.

The options were Thai, BBQ or Indian and we went with Indian because I couldn’t even remember the last time I had Indian food not from the frozen food aisle of Trader Joes.

An hour later (gotta love how fast an Indian joint is), we walked back out into the cold now as greased rats who smelled like curry from head to toe.

Quite the sight (and smell).

While I drove home as fast as possible, the shower calling my name, I decided Indian food needed to be recreated, specially some Indian chicken.

There’s no reason to leave it up to Trader Joes chana masala when getting the flavors of Indian food is no more difficult than raiding your spice cabinet.

A little garam masala and curry powder go a long way when it comes to Indian chicken recipes.

This sweet and spicy Indian chicken is marinated in yogurt and spices and finished with a sweet and sticky maple syrup glaze will easily become your go-to chicken dinner.

I could go on and on about how freakin’ delicious this Indian chicken dish is but I think it says it all when I say that between Ulysses and I, we polished off the entire 1.5 pounds of it for LUNCH.

Not even dinner, lunch. We actually did the same with this chicken saag recipe so maybe there’s just something about us and Indian food for lunch?

It’s just amazingly spicy, sweet and sticky and I guarantee if you make it, it’ll become your new go-to chicken recipe for eternity.

I realize that’s a bold statement so I’ll throw another recipe out there that might challenge it – maple miso chicken. Try them both and decide for yourself!

Just beware, your house will smell like curry. It’s inevitable. Embrace it and maybe throw in some greased hair for the full effect.

It’s reminiscent of my favorite Thai chicken just with a little Indian flare. Serve it with some rice and a vegetable for a simple meal or these perfectly spiced masala fries. I also recommend this curry cauliflower rice which pairs really nicely with the Indian spices of the chicken.

Indian food has always been one of my favorite cuisines thanks to all the delicious spices used.

Doesn’t matter if it’s a drier tandoori dish, a sticky sweet and spicy dish like this Indian chicken, a saucy tomato base like butter chicken or one of my all time favorites, lamb korma, I’ll take them all!