It took me years, but I have finally found a way to make Lighter Chicken Tikka Masala that tastes just as complex and creamy as it does at my favorite Indian restaurant! And even better–I was able to cut back on some of the richer ingredients to make this popular dish a little easier on the waistline.
I’ve tried so many variations of this recipe, but none of them quite get there. The curry either comes out too bland or too heavy on the tomato flavor. After lots of research and tons of failed attempts, I figured out some key steps to a better tikka masala at home.
How to make lighter chicken tikka masala
Step One: Marinate your chicken for at least two hours, but preferably overnight. This will tenderize the chicken breasts and impart a lot of flavor.
Step Two: Broil the chicken until you get a dark char. This will add a layer of flavor that you can’t mimic by just sauteing the pieces. If you must saute them in a skillet, make sure they get very dark around the edges, like this:
Step Three: Caramelize your onions, probably longer than you think you should. Notice all of those browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Those are going to add tons of flavor to the tomato sauce that we add next.
Another important part of this step is to add the ginger, garlic, and spices to the onions towards the end of cooking them. This way the spices will toast and release their flavor before adding the liquid.
I’ve also added an unconventional ingredient to add depth of flavor in a short amount of time–chili powder. The same stuff you’d add into a Mexican dish. It deepens the flavors even more!
Step Four: Reduce your tomato sauce A LOT. It should be almost the consistency of tomato paste before you add in your half and half.
This will make the curry taste like it has been cooking all day, but we’re only cooking it for 45 minutes, tops!
As for lightening up the recipe, I wanted to make sure this tasted as close to the restaurant version as possible, so I decided to use regular half and half instead of something that would cut the calories a lot more, like greek yogurt or fat free and half half. I’ve tried it with those ingredients and just don’t like how it comes out.
I think half and half is a good compromise, though, since most authentic recipes include heavy cream and a lot of butter. Half and half provides just the right amount of richness–I couldn’t even tell the difference without the butter.
This all might sound difficult at first, but I promise this is a very easy recipe to follow. These are just minor steps that will result in one of the best Chicken Tikka Masala dishes you’ve tasted!
Print Recipe
5 from 27 votes
Lighter Chicken Tikka Masala
A slightly lighter version of the classic dish that tastes just as good as any you’d get in an Indian restaurant!
2lbsboneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into one-inch cubes
1cupplain nonfat greek yogurt
3clovesgarlic, minced
1tbspginger paste (I find tubes of this in the produce section of my grocery store)
2tspgaram masala
1tspturmeric
1tspground cumin
1tspchili powder
1tspkosher salt
FOR THE MASALA
1largeonion, diced (about 2 1/2 cups)
3clovesgarlic, minced
1tbspginger paste
1 1/2tspgaram masala
1tspground cumin
1tspturmeric powder
1tspground coriander
1tspchili powder
1/4-1tspcayenne pepper, depending on how spicy you like your curry
15ozcan tomato sauce
1tspkosher salt
1 1/2cupshalf and half
1tspsugar
Instructions
Mix marinade ingredients in a medium bowl, then add chicken and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours, but preferably overnight.
On the day you want to cook, preheat your broiler and place marinated chicken on a lined cookie sheet, greased with nonstick spray. Broil chicken for 10-12 minutes, or until you see some charred bits (see recipes notes).
Spray a large pan with nonstick spray. Cook the onions until soft and lightly browned, about 7-10 minutes. Scrape up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan.
Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant, then add garam masala, cumin, turmeric, coriander, chili powder, and cayenne. Cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant, stirring constantly.
Pour in the tomato sauce and salt. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and deepens in color. It should be about the consistency of tomato paste.
Stir the half and half and sugar into the tomato reduction. Add the chicken and its juices back into the pan and simmer for an additional 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling.
Notes
Click hereto determine your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe (if you are logged in to your WW app, it should calculate for you automatically).
WW Green SmartPoints: 7 for 1 1/2 cups, or 5 for 1 1/4 cups
WW Blue SmartPoints: 4 for 1 1/2 cups of the recipe
WW Purple SmartPoints: 4 for 1 1/2 cups of the recipe
It's one of the most-ordered entrees at Indian joints. But like many Indian dishes that were originally low fat, the modern recipe for chicken tikka masala is anything but. An average portion has whopping 1,249 calories and 90.8 grams of fat. A lot of that comes from the ghee and heavy cream.
Let the Tikka Masala continue to simmer for 8-10 minutes. The sauce will be thick and bubbling. *If the sauce is too thick, add water to thin the sauce to the desired consistency. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with Basmati rice and Naan bread.
Depends on what taste you're trying to achieve with yogurt. If it is a sour taste you want, you can use tomatoes instead of yogurt. If you are looking to make the curry mildly spicy and creamy, you may use milk/cream instead. If you like to just make the curry mild, you may use coconut milk.
Is Chicken Tikka good for weight loss? Chicken Tikka's main ingredients are lean meat, spices, and yogurt, making it ideal for consumption even if you're on a weight-loss diet plan. To make it healthier with low-carb content, do away with extra oil and salt, and exclude heavy cream.
If you're eating for metabolic health, an ideal plate would be half vegetables and beans or lentils, such as palak paneer or chana masala, Ravula says. Divide the other half between a lean protein, such as tandoori chicken, and cucumber raita.
The spices used in Chicken Tikka Masala can help with gut health, skin conditions, irritable bowel syndrome, and oral health, making it a pretty healthy dish!
Chicken tikka masala is usually made with heavy cream, but I like to use coconut milk instead; its subtle sweetness works beautifully with the spices in the dish. Serve with steamed rice.
If you are blending the sauce as I recommend, it needs to be super smooth if it is going to be as good as curry house style chicken tikka masala. Just blend until it is really smooth and you will be very happy with the results!
Whole Milk Yogurt: We used greek yogurt. Onion: We used a yellow onion. Ginger: Just a nob of fresh ginger adds tons of flavor to the curry. Garlic: Let's just be honest, no savory recipe can ever be without garlic!
The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead of time, stored in the fridge. Cook the chicken and warm the sauce the day of serving. To Freeze: Freeze Chicken Tikka Masala in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and rewarm on the stove.
Any Indian curries that are tomato-based, like tandoori, madras, jalfrezi, rogan and bhuna, are the lowest in calories. They average around 200-300 calories. If you want an even healthier option, consider a sauce-free dish like fish tikka (which is only 180 calories). Can you lose weight by eating Indian food?
Saturated fat can drastically increase your risk for heart disease and raise your cholesterol levels. Each serving of chicken tikka masala contains 28 grams of saturated fat or a stunning 138 percent of the daily value! Chicken tikka also contains around 230mg of cholesterol per serving.
The potent anti-inflammatory property of khada masala helps in lowering cholesterol levels and maintain HDL cholesterol. Cardamom in garam masala aids in controlling blood pressure and lowers the risk of stroke. Reap the wellness incentives of garam masala by relishing masala tea to restore heart health.
Regarding nutrition, Butter Chicken and Tikka Masala are high in calories, fat, and sodium. Butter Chicken has more fat and calories than Tikka Masala due to the use of cream and butter in the sauce. However, Tikka Masala has more sodium than Butter Chicken due to the use of canned tomato puree.
Any Indian curries that are tomato-based, like tandoori, madras, jalfrezi, rogan and bhuna, are the lowest in calories. They average around 200-300 calories. If you want an even healthier option, consider a sauce-free dish like fish tikka (which is only 180 calories).
Saturated fat can increase your risk for heart disease and raise your cholesterol levels, and each serving of chicken tikka masala contains 28 grams of saturated fat, or 138 percent of the daily value.
Introduction: My name is Lidia Grady, I am a thankful, fine, glamorous, lucky, lively, pleasant, shiny person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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