Chicken Tikka Masala
Straight forward (and healthy!) Tikka Masala with the colour and taste you expect!
This makes for a medium-hot curry in terms of spiciness. If doubling up to serve four people, you probably don’t need to double the spices. To make a mild-medium variant, half the spices (it’ll still be flavoursome).
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into large bitesize chunks
- 3 tbsp 0%-fat natural yogurt
- 2 tbsp tikka spice blend
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- Half an onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1tbsp of ginger, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil (vegetable oil will be fine)
- 2tbsp tomato puree
- 200g chopped tomatoes
- 150ml cold water
- 200g spinach
Method
Tip: cooking is much more enjoyable if you prepare all the ingredients first.
1. In a bowl, mix together 1 tbsp of the tikka spice blend, 1 tsp of the cayenne pepper, and 2 tbsp of the yogurt. Then add the chunks of chicken and mix together so that the chicken is well covered by the spiced yogurt marinade. Put to one side.
2. Add a couple splashes of oil to a large frying pan (suitable for a curry) and bring to a low-medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger, and cook for 10 minutes or until the onions starts to crisp at the edges. Transfer into a bowl and put to the side.
3. Bring the frying pan up to a medium-high heat, and add the marinaded chicken breast chunks. Fry for 5 minutes or so until the chicken has browned. Add the remaining tbsp of tikka spice blend, and tsp of cayenne pepper and fry for another minute.
4. Add the onion mixture back to the pan, followed by the tomato purée, chopped tomatoes and the water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to a consistency you think a curry ought to be.
5. Stir in the spinach and cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Finally, add the remaining tbsp of yogurt and serve with a portion of basmati rice.