Biz from My Bizzy Kitchen has been taunting me with her chicken tikka masala for months.  And months.  It’s my favorite Indian dish of those I’ve had the opportunity to try at restaurants, so I’ve been meaning to make it at home for quite some time.  When Biz changed her recipe to lighten it up, replacing the heavy whipping cream with Greek yogurt, I knew it was time.  And I could not believe that it was even better than what I’ve had at restaurants!  Just like with the dal makhani, it was so good I couldn’t move on and had to bring it back to our menu a second week in a row.  Except this recipe is actually better than the dal makhani, IMHO.  Thank you so much, Biz, for sharing your wonderful recipe with us.  I’m paying it forward to you, my readers, so that you can enjoy it as well.  And you will–it’s simply divine!

Lighter Chicken Tikka Masala

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3/4 cup (6 oz) nonfat, plain Greek yogurt, divided
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 teaspoons ground cumin, divided
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 small jalapeno, cut in half, seeded and chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
6 dried red chili peppers
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon sriracha chili sauce (I use a full teaspoon for more heat)

Mix half the yogurt the chicken, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper. Refrigerate and marinate for one hour. Melt butter in a skillet and add jalapeno pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons ground cumin, garlic, paprika, curry powder, sriracha sauce and stir for 2 minutes, until nice and fragrant. Add chicken and cook for five minutes, turning pieces half way through. Add tomato sauce and dried chiles and simmer for 15 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.  Remove from heat, stir in remaining 3 ounces of Greek yogurt. Serve over brown rice and garnish with cilantro.

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 205 calories; 2.5 g fat; 13.7 g carb; 3 g fiber; 29 g protein

Recipe source: barely tweaked from My Bizzy Kitchen