CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA MARINADE

1 1/2 lb chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 c. plain yogurt
2 TB lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground red pepper
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 piece minced ginger

Combine all ingredients and marinate chicken for at least an hour. I modified my own a bit because of the ingredients I usually have on hand. I don't usually have plain yogurt, so I subbed in sour cream and used closer to 1/2 c. and I don't usually have fresh ginger, so I used 1 tsp ground ginger. I marinated mine for probably about 2-3 hours (because I finally remembered to get it done a head of time!).
The original recipe skewers the chicken, I didn't. I just cooked it like I cook chicken for a stir-fry in my skillet.  The recipe says to discard the marinade, to that I say, Don't Do It!! It made the sauce sooo yummy!
I also didn't actually make the sauce from this recipe, I intend to, but it's one of those not-having-the-ingredients thing. I happened upon a jar of tikka masala at Walmart for about $3.50, next to all the Asian and Thai cuisine.  Given I don't have to slave over the stove any longer, or buy all the extra ingredients, I think it's totally worth it! I dumped the whole jar into the same skillet once my chicken was cooked. The extra marinade from the chicken had already made its own little sauce and mixed perfectly with the jarred sauce. I won't have the jarred sauce by itself now, that's how good it is!
Here's a link to the original recipe on food.com http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-tikka-masala-25587