Name: Chicken Tikka Masala Curry
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp Walnut oil; 4 chicken breasts chopped into 2 cm pieces; 3 tsp of tikka masala paste; 2 Onions chopped into 2cm chunks; 1 red bell pepper chopped into 2cm chunks; 1 yellow bell pepper chopped into 2cm chunks; 1 large garlic clove finely chopped; Handful of fresh coriander (including the stems); 1 red chilli seeds removed and finely chopped; 1 tsp turmeric; 1 tsp ground coriander; 3 average sized tomatoes roughly chopped; 40 g ground almonds; 1 tin chopped tomatoes; 1 tbsp tomato puree; 100 g Greek style natural yogurt (0% fat)

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An easy homemade chicken tikka masala, with homemade curry paste and healthy side dishes

Healthy homemade tikka masala curry

Most of the time I feel bad about a mid week chicken tikka masala, as it usually means I end up in my local curry takeaway. However, when its homemade chicken tikka masala from scratch and I know exactly whats gone in it; I can enjoy a wonderful curry, full of flavour with less that 500 calories, and only 2.2g of saturates! – I declare it shall be curry night every night!! 🙂

Curry side dishes

Now the other issue tends to be the side orders; ranging from mushroom fried rice to huge naan breads. Oh and don’t forget the deep fried samosas. But, never fear as I also have a lovely pilau rice recipe and wholemeal roti breads, which go perfectly with this dish and help to keep it somewhere in the region of healthy. Obviously it bumps up the calories a bit but it keeps the fat down and the fibre high. So if your after a full on curry night that isn’t soaked in oil, and won’t make you feel too fat and guilty; then read on 🙂

In my opinion the best way to cut down on fat and saturates in a curry is to reduce the oil (or ghee) and replace things like coconut milk with fat free yogurt.

In this recipe I have used fat free yogurt and ground almonds, which adds a bit of creaminess and minimises saturate fats whilst boosting the “good fat” content.

Homemade tikka masala paste

In addition I like to make my own homemade tikka masala paste from scratch, so I know exactly what has gone into this dish from start to finish. The paste is also really easy to make and can be stored in jars in the fridge for up to a month. This same approach can also be taken with a Thai green curry, Thai red curry, or Massaman curry by blending together chillies and Thai herbs and spices to create a Thai red curry paste, Thai green curry paste, or Massaman curry paste.

How can I make my curry more spicy?

If you like your chicken tikka curry super hot then increase the chilli content or sprinkle in some hot chilli powder or Tabasco sauce.

Can I use an alternative to chicken?

And if Chicken isn’t your thing when it comes to curry then you can replace it with lamb or beef or even take out the meat completely and use courgettes, aubergines and sweet potatoes instead to make a wonderful veggie curry.

OTHER CURRY RECIPES:

For more recipe ideas for a cosy night in have a look at my romantic dinner recipes post.