Healthy Chicken Tikka Masala

5 from 26 votes

Healthy Chicken Tikka Masala

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.

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Marinating Time30

Total Time1 15

Course: Main

Cuisine: Indian

Servings:

Author: Brianna May

Equipment

Ingredients

Spices

2 Tablespoons garam masala*
2 teaspoons EACH Morton kosher salt, ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, & granulated sugar
1/4 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
1/2 cup plain full fat Greek yogurt
1/2 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 1/2 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 1/2 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 1/2 cup of water to be enough, but this depends on how thick or thin you like the sauce.

Nutrition