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Healthy Chicken Tikka Masala with Brown Basmati Rice

A British curry-house classic, without the cream and ghee. The chicken is marinated in spiced yogurt and charred under a hot grill, and slow-cooked onions give the sauce its body. Stir the last of the yogurt in off the heat so it does not split.

Dinner

60

Serves 4

Bowl of chicken tikka masala in a rich tomato sauce with spinach, served with brown basmati rice and fresh coriander

Ingredients

  • For the chicken
  • 4 skinless chicken breasts (about 600g), cut into large chunks
  • 150g 0% fat Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp mild chilli powder
  • 2 cloves garlic and a thumb of ginger, grated
  • For the sauce
  • 1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
  • 2 medium onions (about 300g), finely chopped
  • 1 red pepper, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic and a thumb of ginger, grated
  • 2 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp ground coriander and half a tsp chilli powder
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 100g baby spinach
  • 100g 0% fat Greek yogurt, to finish
  • To serve
  • 280g brown basmati rice (uncooked weight)
  • A handful of coriander and lemon wedges

Method

  1. Mix the chicken with the 150g of yogurt, the lemon juice, spices, garlic and ginger. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours.
  2. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and pepper with a pinch of salt and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until soft and golden. This is where the sauce gets its sweetness and body.
  3. Rinse the rice and cook it in plenty of boiling water for 25 to 30 minutes, until tender, then drain.
  4. Add the garlic, ginger and spices to the onions and stir for 1 minute. Add the tomato puree, then the tinned tomatoes and 150ml water. Simmer for 15 minutes, then blend until smooth with a stick blender, if you like.
  5. Meanwhile, heat the grill to high. Spread the chicken out on a lined tray and grill for 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, until charred at the edges.
  6. Add the chicken to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes, until it is cooked through with no pink meat. Stir in the spinach until wilted.
  7. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the 100g of yogurt. Season to taste and serve with the rice, coriander and lemon wedges.

Why it works

A serving has about 51g of protein and under 10g of fat. Most of the protein comes from the chicken, with a useful amount from the Greek yogurt in the marinade and sauce.

Where the fat goes. Restaurant tikka masala is usually finished with cream and cooked in ghee or plenty of oil. Here the creaminess comes from yogurt, and the whole pot uses one tablespoon of oil. Grilling the chicken gives the smoky, charred flavour without frying.

Why yogurt goes in off the heat. Low-fat yogurt splits if it boils. Stirring it in at the end keeps the sauce smooth.

Brown basmati rather than white. It has more fibre, which slows how quickly the carbohydrate is digested. That, plus the protein, is why this is tagged for blood sugar. The portion is 70g of uncooked rice each; if you train hard, you may want more.

Rice needs care with leftovers. The NHS advises cooling leftover rice quickly, within an hour, keeping it in the fridge and eating it within a day. Reheat it until steaming hot, and only once.

Check your spice blends are gluten-free if you need them to be. For a vegetarian curry, try the red lentil dal with spinach. To set your protein target, use our protein intake calculator.