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.
Hi! I made this last night for the first time and it was AMAZING! My husband was also a big fan 🙂 There are no Indian restaurants close to where we currently live, so this definitely satisfied our craving. This is definitely going to be added into my regular rotation.
I made this tonight and was in literal heaven! I find I am often adding extra of this or that to Indian “fake” away recipes to try to make it taste right, but this is a rare recipe I followed every measurement exactly and would not change a thing!!! Also the tip to broil the chicken instead of sauteeing – brilliant! I see myself using that technique in other ways! Thank you for an amazing recipe 😍
Love hearing this, Danya! Thank you so much for the thoughtful comment. 🙂
It has taken me so long to make this recipe because 1) I thought it would be too time consuming, 2) I thought this would not be as good as regular chicken tikka masala. I finally made this today and wow was I missing out or what! This delivers on flavor, and tastes as good as the stuff you get at Indian restaurants. Absolutely delicious, you have done it again! Another lightened up recipe that does not compromise on flavor! You are talented and have a gift!
I’ve been meaning to leave a comment on this recipe for like a year and a half. I’ve made this probably 10 times and it NEVER disappoints. I’ve tried many tikka masala recipes Many not even WW friendly and this is by far my favorite. It is so flavorful especially considering that it’s lower fat and relatively quick for Indian cuisine. I could sing praises about this recipe and often do. I love to add in a bag of frozen peas to make it even more filling. So delicious!
Wow, that you so much, Roxy!! This means the world to me.
I found your site 2 weeks ago and have already made this twice. The first time, I took a chance and doubled the sauce (less the cream). I froze half of it so I could make this meal quickly the following week. I can’t get over just how good this recipe is. It’s just amazing. I have traveled to India over a dozen times so my husband thinks I’m picky and a little over the top when I review Indian food. Well, he might be right but I have to tell you, this is soooooo gooood! Thank you for this delicious recipe!
So happy you found my page and are enjoying the recipes so far. Welcome!
Absolutely delicious! Loved every last bite.. I added some garbanzo beans to my final pot, I just like the texture and addition of them in tikka masala. Thanks!! Will make again for sure!
I have never had tikka masala before but I thought why not give it a try. I am getting burned out on quarantine cooking at this point, this was AMAZING!!! I could have eaten the whole dang pot.
The chicken itself was delish and then combined with that sauce, YUM YUM.
It’s such a satisfying meal!
Sorry but what do you mean by half and half?
Half and half is sold here on its own, but it’s half heavy cream and half whole milk. A slightly lighter version of whipping cream.
This was excellent! I made this for dinner tonight and my family raved about it. Thank you!
I made this for the second time today. It’s so delicious I don’t know why I did have it again sooner.
This was absolutely amazing! I never leave comments, but this was so good, that I had to! Wow! Absolutely delicious!
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! I really appreciate it.
I’ve been a little intimidated to try this recipe but I finally made it tonight and it was absolutely delicious! The whole family loved it. I paired it with some fresh homemade naan (using Biz’s skinny pizza dough) and cucumber raita and we all gobbled it up. The instructions for this recipe are so easy to follow that it makes this a no fail recipe. Will definitely make it again. Thanks for creating this lightened up version of a classic!
Love this recipe and can’t wait to make it again this weekend! Do you think I could sub out some of the half and half for coconut milk? I have half a cup sitting in my fridge that I’d like to use up. Thanks for all of your awesome recipes!
Absolutely! Coconut milk will be fab in this recipe.
All time favorite recipe in our house! I usually make it with fat free half and half because that’s all I can find at the commissary. I don’t think it affects the dish at all and cuts a few points.
Sooooo good!!! Cooked this this past weekend and it was soo good. I used chicken thighs instead of breast since I prefer thighs. Made some naan bread and rice to go with it and it was an awesome Sunday dinner with my parents. Thank you!!
This is so good! I’ve made this recipe probably 30 times over the last couple of years. It’s a staple in my house now for sure. I typically follow the recipe exactly, but I’ve also made some keto-friendly switches (sub heavy cream, erythritol, cauli rice) and it’s amazing that way too. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Thank you, Jessica, for the glowing review and tips for making it keto-friendly! It’s one of my favorite recipes, so I love hearing that you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂
So dang good! My husband requests this often. Better than our usual Indian food takeout restaurant!
Thank you! It’s one of my all-time favorite dishes so I was determined to make a version that was just as delicious as the original and I think this one delivers 🙂