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!
Lighter Chicken Tikka Masala
Ingredients
FOR THE MARINADE
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into one-inch cubes
- 1 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger paste (I find tubes of this in the produce section of my grocery store)
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
FOR THE MASALA
- 1 large onion, diced (about 2 1/2 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4-1 tsp cayenne pepper, depending on how spicy you like your curry
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups half and half
- 1 tsp sugar
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.
This was SO good! Even my daughter loved it!
Awesome! So happy it was a hit!
This recipe is AMAZING and is a new favorite!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing. I’m eating leftovers for lunch now and it tastes just as good reheated. THANK YOU!
You’re so welcome! Thank you for the comment. 🙂
Thanks for sharing thus recipe. I’ve been looking fora ww friendly chicken took a dish. It looks tasty. What did you serve it with? Are there recipes for the sides?
Hi there! I just ate it with some jasmine rice and sauteed spinach on the side.
Hi Geri! Do you use regular half and half or fat free? Thanks!
Hi, Rebekah! Definitely use regular. It makes the curry ultra rich.
Do you make your own garam marsala or do you buy it? If so, what is the brand you use?
I use McCormick Organics, which I find at just about any grocery store.
Just made this tonight and it was deeelish!!
Awesome!
Second time making this. Just realized I forgot the sugar, but it wasn’t necessary. I followed all the steps, as recommended, got lots of good char. Also, my herbs were fresh from Oaktown Spice, which made a huge difference. So good! Thanks for the recipe, it’s really well done. 🙂
Yay! So good to hear that this is on repeat for you.
I have made several WW friendly recipes and this is BY FAR my favorite thing to make. My husband requests it for his birthday dinner and my 4 year old LOVES it.
Awww that just made my night, Amanda. Thank you for the kind review!
This was absolutely delicious! I don’t think anyone would guess it was a lightened up version. Thanks so much for sharing this!!
You’re welcome!! I love that the recipe turned out so well for you.
So so good!!! Loved it!!
Yay!! So happy to hear that.
After a trip to India, I came home and knew I needed to find some lighter recipes for some of my favorites. This did not disappoint! I like to pair it with a piece of naan.
I’ve always wanted to go to India. I’m humbled to hear that my recipe stands up to what you had out there!
My boyfriend and I LOVED this! We are living in AUstria right now and I couldn’t find half and half, but I used soy milk and it gave it a nice thick texture and the spice level was perfect for us (spice lovers!!!)! Thanks for this amazing lighter alternative. We are trying to cook more at home and this made me feel like we were at an Indian restaurant
I’ll have to try it with soy milk instead! That would reduce the points even more, too. Thank you for the suggestion!
This was DELICIOUS!! The chicken was so tender, and the sauce was amazing!! Thanks so much!
I’m so happy you liked it! Definitely one of my favs.
Life changing recipe. Seriously. This has become a nearly weekly menu item in our house. Nothing about it seems light or diet-friendly. So rich and flavorful. Probably the best weight watchers-friendly recipe I have in my arsenal.
Woooow what a compliment! Thank you SO MUCH. I feel the same way about this one. It’s my all-time favorite recipe.
This is sooooooo good!! We only got about 3.5 (1.5 cups) servings out of it though. I used measuring cups and everything. Not sure how I over served myself so drastically. Selective memory, maybe. 😉
Haha could be! Your secret is safe with me.
One of the most a Amazing dishes I have ever made. I subbed NF 1/2&1/2 to make it even more healthy.
Wow, what a compliment! Thank you. I”m so happy you enjoyed it.
This was fantastic! The only thing I did in addition was puree the sauce with an immersion blender. It gave it more of an orange color, which was fine. I’ve made several different versions of tikka masala, and this was by far the simplest and best tasting. Nothing about this tastes light, which is a huge plus! Will definitely add this into the rotation.
Wow, thank you for the glowing review! I’ll have to try the immersion blender technique next time.
Hi, Can I substitute curry powder for the spices? Is so how much would you suggest?
Hi, Vicki! You could do that, but I don’t think ti would tastes like authentic Tikka Masala. It would be a delicious creamy curry, though! Let me know if you try that out.