CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

I love Indian seasonings. They are sweet, yet spicy and taste oh so yummy. When my husband told me today that he's put on a few pounds since I started this blog and cooking like crazy, I thought I could make a lowfat dish for dinner. Here's my lowfat take on Chicken Tikka Masala.

Everything you'll need to make this yummy dish.

Chop up the onions

Peel the ginger and slice it thinly.

Peel the garlic and chop both the garlic and ginger together until very finely chopped.

Heat 1 T olive oil in a pan

Saute the onions until soft. 2-3 minutes.

Add both cans of tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until it starts to thicken.

Measure out all the seasonings. It's my favorite part. I love putting this much spice into things when I cook, it's fun!

Add seasonings to the sauce.

I thought the tomatoes were a little chunky, so I used an immersion blender to smooth things out a bit.

After the seasonings get a chance to simmer for a bit, add the garlic and ginger.

Simmer for a few minutes more, then add the yogurt.

Blend it in nicely with a whisk. Only cook about a minute longer.

Add some salt and honey if you choose to. I skip the salt, but I love to draw pretty designs with the honey. Oh so yummy!

The sauce is done and ready for some chicken!

Cut the chicken into about 1" squares.

Heat up 1 T of olive oil and sear all sides of the chicken. The idea isn't to cook it all the way through, but just get it going.

Then add the chicken to the sauce. Simmer for another 7-8 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

This turned out a little too sauce, but I didn't have as much chicken as I thought and couldn't have used twice as much. I scooped out a bunch of sauce to freeze and use again another time. Love it!

Serve with some brown rice and steamed veggies. Enjoy!!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Print version 

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
• 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 6 oz can of tomato paste
• 1 cup fat free plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup red onion
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice (approx from one small lemon)
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger root
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 T ground cumin
• 1 T coriander powder
• 1 T paprika
• 2 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1 T honey (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions

Chop the onions into small pieces. Peel, grate and finely chop the ginger. Chop or smash the garlic. Cut the chicken into 1 inch squares and set aside.

Heat 1T olive oil in a skillet. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes, then add the can of diced tomatoes and the tomato paste. Stir together with a whisk.

Cook for a few minutes, and then add ground cumin, coriander, paprika and cayenne.

Continue cooking until it looks like it will be done in a few minutes.

Then add the garlic and ginger. Keep stirring and continue to cook for a few more minutes.

Then add the yogurt. Mix it in with a whisk, just until all incorporated, about a minute.

Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice, salt and honey to taste.

If you have another large skillet, just set the sauce aside. If you need to use this one for the chicken, transfer the sauce to another bowl.

Heat 1T olive oil and sear the chicken over med/high flame for just a couple of minutes. Combine with the sauce mixture and continue to cook for another 7 or 8 minutes over low/medium heat until the chicken is fully cooked.

I like to serve this over brown rice with a side of steamed carrots or other veggies.