Chicken Tikka Masala

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Simple Chicken Tikka Masala recipe that's healthy enough for the 17 Day Diet

One of my favorite dishes is a savory Chicken Tikka Masala. This is a healthy version of the classic favorite, so you can enjoy this dish, even if you’re losing weight with the 17 Day Diet.

I featured this healthy version in both my Spring C1 Challenge as well as in my monthly meal planning service, Simply17.

In previous years, I’ve always relied on jarred sauces and flavor packets to help me make dinner.

It wasn’t until I started paying attention to the ingredients that I decided I wanted to feed my family healthier.

In this healthy Chicken Tikka Masala, I wanted to create my own blend of spices. Hints of cinnamon, cumin and coriander bring in a combination of warm and bright flavors.

A combination of warm and bright spices make this dish very flavorful!

Here’s Judy’s Tikka Masala cooking away on the stove. Judy is a master at presentation. Her photos on this blog post are perfection!

Enjoy a simple, yet yummy Chicken Tikka Masala dinner entree for the 17 Day Diet
All photos courtesy of Judy H., a member of my 17DD Blog Community

You can serve this chicken dish over roasted veggies (carrots and cauliflower is usually how I serve this), or if you’re in a later cycle, you can serve over rice or roasted spaghetti squash like you see community member, Judy, did in her photo below.

YUM! A chicken tikka masala that's not only easy to make, but tastes great, too!

Don’t be intimidated by this Chicken Tikka Masala dish – it’s super easy to prepare.

So say goodbye to jarred sauce that has too much sugar and artificial ingredients, and say hello to a lovely homemade and healthy meal!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala

Yield: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Say goodbye to jarred sauces and say hello to warm and bright flavors with this homemade dish.

Ingredients

For the Garam Masala Spice Blend:

  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the ginger, onion and garlic mixture:

  • 1 1/2-inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated OR 3 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1/2 large yellow onion, finely diced

For the Remaining Recipe:

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1-inch cubes
  • Garam Masala spice blend, divided (see above)
  • Salt
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Mix all Garam Masala spices together and set aside.
  2. Combine ginger, garlic and onion in a small bowl and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, add chicken, 1 ½ teaspoons of the Garam Masala spice blend and 1 teaspoon salt and thoroughly coat chicken.
  4. Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in large pan on medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook on all sides until thoroughly cooked, about 6 to 8 minutes.
  5. Transfer chicken to plate and cover with foil. Set aside.
  6. In the same pan, add remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil on medium-high heat. Add ginger, garlic and onion mixture to pan and cook until onions are soft.
  7. Next, add tomato paste, remaining Garam Masala spice blend, paprika and cayenne pepper to onion mixture and cook until well combined. Add crushed tomatoes and season with salt.
  8. Bring tomato mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes uncovered. If mixture is too thin, simmer until it reaches a desired consistency. Add water if it’s too thick.
  9. Add chicken to tomato mixture and heat through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and add in Greek yogurt and lemon juice.

Notes

Approved for all cycles.

Serve over roasted vegetables. If you're on Cycle 2 or 3, serve over brown or basmati rice or roasted spaghetti squash.

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Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment/review below or tag me at @17ddblog on IG so I can see your yummy creation!

5 thoughts on “Chicken Tikka Masala”

  1. I used Garam Masala from the spice rack instead of making it with all of these ingredients and it made the recipe much easier and still tastes great. The individual ingredients above add up to 4.5 tsp.

    Reply
      • Hi Torey. In the recipe above, can you add a divider between the ingredients used for the Garam Masala mix and the rest of the recipe? It would make it easier to read. Thanks!

        Reply
        • Hi Chad, thanks for the suggestion. I actually had the Garam Masala ingredients in their own section, but for some reason the recipe card I use decided to completely mix up the order. I’ve gone ahead and fixed it up (I’m somewhat limited on the way it looks), so hopefully it’s easier to read now.

          Reply

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