This easy Healthy Chicken Tikka Masala features tender marinated chicken, chickpeas, spinach, creamy coconut milk, and a spice tomato sauce. It is a great weeknight dinner that is loaded with fiber and made with simple ingredients.
What Is in Chicken Tikka Masala?
This Indian dish starts with bite-sized pieces of chicken thighs or breasts marinated in lots of dry spices (like garam masala, coriander, chili powder, or cumin) and Greek yogurt.
The chicken is then seared over high heat or broiled until charred.
The curry is made of tomato puree, tomato paste, or crushed tomatoes. It is flavored with the same spices as the chicken, onion, fresh garlic, and ginger. To add some creaminess and richness, heavy creamy or full-fat coconut milk is added at the end.
It is usually served over rice with naan.
My healthier chicken tikka masala with coconut milk might not be authentic, like what you will find at good Indian restaurants, but it is loaded with veggies and a little simpler to make. It still has authentic flavors.
This is a dish I make every couple of weeks when I am craving something hearty and healthy. I discovered adding spinach and chickpeas doesn’t alter the flavor of the dish, but adds lots of fiber.
If you like non-traditional Indian food, try my Butter Chicken Pasta.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A little spicy - Since this recipe is heavy on the spices, it has a little kick. You can leave out the cayenne pepper to make it a little milder.
- Rich tomato curry - Crushed tomatoes and coconut milk are the base for this curry.
- Full of ginger & garlic - We are talking 12 full cloves of garlic!
- Creamy - Canned coconut milk makes the curry super creamy without adding any heavy cream.
- Tender chunks of chicken - The Greek yogurt not only tenderizes the chicken, it also gives it a great flavor.
- Great for meal prep - Leftover tikka masala reheats great. Store leftovers in an airtight container. So I like to make this at the beginning of the week to heat up for a quick and hearty lunch.
- Full of fiber - This recipe is loaded with spinach and chickpeas.
- No Instant Pot or slow cooker needed - This recipe is made all in one skillet on the stove.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Butter: Butter or ghee are preferred. You can also use a neutral oil, like canola or avocado oil. I do not recommend olive oil. The flavor does not pair well with the Indian spices in this dish.
- Garam Masala: This is an Indian spice that you can find on the spice aisle of most larger grocery stores. It is imperative to give this dish its flavor. You can also order it on Amazon.
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
- Coconut Milk: Full-fat canned coconut milk must be used or the sauce will lack richness.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
How to Make Healthy Chicken Tikka Masala
Quick Overview
- Make spice blend.
- Marinate chicken.
- Sear chicken.
- Make curry.
- Simmer.
- Stir in spinach & coconut cream.
Step by Step Instructions
Sear the chicken so it is brown on all sides.
Step 1: In a small bowl, stir together the garam masala, salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, sugar, and cayenne.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, combine the chicken, HALF of the garlic & ginger, yogurt, 2 ½ Tablespoons of the spice mixture, and lemon juice. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.
Step 3: Once the chicken has finished marinating, in a large heavy skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat.
Step 4: Sear the chicken on all sides until it is almost cooked through. It will finish cooking in the curry.
Step 5: Remove the chicken from the pan and reduce the heat to medium heat.
Step 6: Deglaze the pan with the coconut water, scraping any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. (Canned coconut milk is usually separated. Poke a butter knife through the thick white cream later on top. Carefully pour the water from below the cream layer directly from the can into the pan. Reserve the cream for the end.)
Simmer the chicken in the curry so the flavors can deepen.
Step 7: Add the onion and shallot. Sauté until softened for 5-7 minutes.
Step 8: Add the remaining spice mixture, garlic, and ginger. Satué for 2-3 minutes.
Step 9: Add the crushed tomatoes & water, chicken, and chickpeas. Bring to a light boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 10: Stir in the spinach.
Step 11: Once it has reduced in volume by about half, stir in coconut cream. Taste and add salt if needed.
Step 12: Simmer until spinach is completely wilted. Serve over steamed basmati rice with chopped cilantro.
Recipe Serving Suggestions
Most curries are begging to be served over a big bed of rice. I always make my Instant Pot Basmatic Rice to serve with this healthy chicken tikka masala recipe.
You can also serve it with steamed brown rice or cauliflower rice for a lower carb option.
I also like to serve it with naan. Homemade or store-bought both work. I love the roasted garlic naan bread from 365 at Whole Foods.
Other than that, this recipe is already full of veggies and protein so no need to make any other sides. This is one of my favorite parts about making a big pot of tikka masala.
Need more side dish ideas? Learn What To Serve With Chicken Tikka Masala.
Expert Tips & Variations
- Marinate the chicken. I know sometimes time does not always allow for this, but if you can I recommend marinating the chicken for at least 3 hours. This gives the flavors longer to infuse. If you only have 30 minutes to marinate it, the recipe will still be delicious.
- Chop the veggies in the food processor. Traditionally, the tikka masala sauce is blended in a blender or using an emersion blender. You can do this before you add the chicken and chickpeas. To make this recipe a little easier, I just use my mini food processor to chop the veggies (garlic, ginger, onion, & shallot) extremely fine before cooking. This way you don’t really need to blend the sauce after cooking and it is faster than chopping with a knife.
- Add water if needed. If the curry seems too thick or it simmered too long, you can always add a splash of water to loosen it. I find ½ cup of water to be enough, but this depends on how thick or thin you like the sauce.
Recipe FAQs
The chicken pieces have a tangy charred flavor from yogurt and being seared. The curry has notes of tomato, garlic, ginger, cloves, and cumin. It is spicy, nutty, creamy, and full of bold flavors.
While these dishes are made with similar spices, they are not the same. Tikka masala has a much more tomato and spice-forward curry, while butter chicken is more of a creamy tomato sauce.
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Healthy Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients:
Spices
- 2 Tablespoons garam masala*
- 2 teaspoons EACH Morton kosher salt, ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, & granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 12 cloves garlic, minced, divided
- 2 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger, divided
- ½ cup plain full fat Greek yogurt
- ½ lemon, juiced
Curry
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee*
- 1 13.5- ounce can full fat coconut milk*
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced or grated
- 1 shallot, finely diced or grated
- 1 15- ounce can crushed tomatoes, plus ½ cup water to remove excess from the can
- 1 15- ounce can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
- 1 5- ounce clamshell fresh baby spinach or kale
For Serving
- chopped cilantro, basmati rice, & naan
Instructions:
- In a small bowl, stir together the garam masala, salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, sugar, and cayenne.
- In a separate bowl, combine the chicken, HALF of the garlic & ginger, yogurt, 2 ½ Tablespoons of the spice mixture, and lemon juice. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.
- Once the chicken has finished marinating, in a large heavy skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat.
- Sear the chicken on all sides until it is almost cooked through. It will finish cooking in the curry.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and reduce the heat to medium heat.
- Deglaze the pan with the coconut water, scraping any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. (Canned coconut milk is usually separated. Poke a butter knife through the thick white cream later on top. Carefully pour the water from below the cream layer directly from the can into the pan. Reserve the cream for the end.)
- Add the onion and shallot. Sauté until softened for 5-7 minutes.
- Add the remaining spice mixture, garlic, and ginger. Satué for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes & water, chicken, and chickpeas. Bring to a light boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach.
- Once it has reduced in volume by about half, stir in coconut cream. Taste and add salt if needed.
- Simmer until spinach is completely wilted. Serve over steamed basmati rice with chopped cilantro.
Notes:
- Butter: Butter or ghee are preferred. You can also use a neutral oil, like canola or avocado oil. I do not recommend olive oil. The flavor does not pair well with the Indian spices in this dish.
- Garam Masala: This is an Indian spice that you can find on the spice aisle of most larger grocery stores. It is imperative to give this dish its flavor. You can also order it on Amazon.
- Kosher Salt: All of my recipes are tested with Morton kosher salt unless noted otherwise. It is the best salt for everyday cooking because of its size and flavor. If using table salt, the amount should be reduced. I highly recommend picking up some kosher next time you are at the store!
- Coconut Milk: Full-fat canned coconut milk must be used or the sauce will lack richness.
- Marinate the chicken. I know sometimes time does not always allow for this, but if you can I recommend marinating the chicken for at least 3 hours. This gives the flavors longer to infuse. If you only have 30 minutes to marinate it, the recipe will still be delicious.
- Chop the veggies in the food processor. Traditionally, the tikka masala sauce is blended in a blender or using an emersion blender. You can do this before you add the chicken and chickpeas. To make this recipe a little easier, I just use my mini food processor to chop the veggies (garlic, ginger, onion, & shallot) extremely fine before cooking. This way you don’t really need to blend the sauce after cooking and it is faster than chopping with a knife.
- Add water if needed. If the curry seems too thick or it simmered too long, you can always add a splash of water to loosen it. I find ½ cup of water to be enough, but this depends on how thick or thin you like the sauce.
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