One Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

Photo Courtesy: Dr. Debarshi Chatterji

Craving for some succulent chicken? How about a creamy delicious bowl of hot Chicken Tikka Masala? Imagine the smoky aroma of the tandoor with the delightful flavors of heavy cream, ghee and mild tomato sauce yum! This dish is a must have on the list of many foodies and I wont be surprised to know if you have tried preparing this dish at home. After all that’s what we do, try to recreate our favorite recipes. What stopped you? Was it the extra calories? Or the grilling/ broiling part? What if I tell you that I have discovered a low calorie recipe of Chicken Tikka Masala? A one pot recipe which will be prepared with very less oil and still taste amazing! Have guests coming over for dinner? No worries, just change the low calorie ingredients with the real stuff, grill the Chicken to infuse the charred aroma and serve your guests a bowl of mouth watering Tikka Masala.

These days Debarshi and I are doing some diet control (Durga Poojo is coming and we want to loose some weight) and that means we have to cut back on all these delicious, decadent dishes. Let me tell you, it is quite difficult to prepare a low calorie delicious Tikka Masala and I faced this challenge while looking for the perfect recipe. Nevertheless, after much research and improvisations, I created the perfect low calorie recipe and today I am going to share it with you.

Traditionally Chicken Tikka Masala is prepared by first marinating the chicken in yogurt, ginger, garlic and spices and then grilling it in the tandoor (clay oven). However, I decided to prepare this as a one pot dish so you don’t have to worry about going outside and firing up the grill (no need for the broiler as well). There is just one step which you need to do as a part of the preparation which is, marinate the chicken before hand. This will help the chicken pieces to absorb all the wonderful flavor and aroma of the spices and the yogurt will get a lot of time to tenderize the meat. Personally I love one pot dishes, they are quick to cook and there is less to wash. 

Needless to say, good ingredients bring more flavor in the food so make sure you are using good quality chicken and vegetables. Also, I would recommend to go for an extra mile and prepare the Garam Masala from scratch for this recipe as it will play a vital role in the overall taste of the dish.

Before serving this to guests, keep in mind their palate. If they do not like hot dishes, skip the Black Pepper and the Crushed Red Pepper. However, for those who love bold flavors in their food, this dish could be a marvelous new addition in their menu.

Serve it with plain roti (for a low calorie dinner) or Naan / Pulao (for a dinner fit to be served to royals).

Ingredients (this recipe serves two):

• Garlic – 3 cloves (of elephant garlic, otherwise 5-6 small cloves), finely grated
• Ginger - 1 inch, peeled and finely grated 
• Turmeric - 1 teaspoon
• Kashmiri Mirch - 1 teaspoon 
• Garam Masala - 1 teaspoon 
• Chicken Tikka Masala – 2-3 teaspoons 
• Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon
• Cumin Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Plain Yogurt – ½ and ¼ cups (use no fat)
• Salt – to taste (about ½ teaspoon)
• Black Pepper Powder – ½ teaspoon 
• Chicken - 1 pound (skinless, boneless breasts or any type of pieces you like, cut into bite size cubes)
• Oil – 1 and ½ tablespoons 
• Red Onion – ½ of a big onion, thinly sliced
• Tomato Ketchup - 2 tablespoons 
• Cardamom Pods - 3, crushed (remove skins)
• Crushed Red Pepper - 1 tablespoon 
• Tomato - 1 big, cut into medium size cubes
• Milk - ½ cup (I used 2%)
• Cilantro – a handful, washed and cut for garnish

Let’s do some preparations:

• Combine the Garlic, Ginger, Turmeric, Kashmiri Mirch, Garam Masala, Chicken Tikka Masala, Coriander powder and Cumin Powder in a small bowl. 
• Divide the mixture into two parts.
• Take a big bowl (do not use a metal container) and whisk the Plain Yogurt, Salt and Black Pepper Powder. 
• Add one part of the spice mixture in the yogurt.
• Make sure the Chicken has been properly thawed. Wash it and pat it dry.
• Transfer it to the bowl and turn the chicken pieces to coat the marinade properly.
• If you are cooking straightaway, you can keep it outside, otherwise it is best to cover it with a plastic wrap and refrigerate. 
• Take the Tomatoes and put them in a small pan. Fill it with water just enough to cover the tomatoes. Cover and boil it over high heat for 2-3 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it cool.

Photo shows: Onion thinly sliced

Directions:

• Heat a wok over high heat. 
• Add Oil in it, wait a few seconds then add the Onion slices.
• Stir till the Onion turns golden then add the Cardamom powder.
• Stir to mix then add the Crushed Red Pepper.
• Reduce the heat to medium high and cook for about 30 seconds then add the Tomato Ketchup.
• Stir to mix, it will darken quickly (you may want to turn on the vent at this time). Reduce the heat to medium. When the onion softens, add the remaining half of the spice mixture and cook, stirring often, until the bottom of the pot begins to brown.
• Now add the tomatoes with all the juice. Stir to mix.
• When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and continue to stir and scrap the browned bits from the bottom of the pot, until the sauce thickens.
• Add the chicken with the yogurt mix and increase the heat to high (Tip: Use splatter screen).
• Stir and cook till the yogurt reduces to just a little bit of thick gravy. When it starts sticking on the bottom again, turn down the heat to low and add the Milk.
• Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with rice or roti.

When serving Chicken Tikka Masala in a party:

• Substitute the Oil with Ghee to make it more flavorful (remember flavor comes with calories).
• Substitute the Milk with Heavy Cream
• Like it mild? Skip the Crushed Red Pepper and Black Pepper. Also keep in mind the taste and preference of the guests you will be serving. 
• Use Mortar Pestle to crush the Cardamoms 
• Go for an extra mile by grilling/ broiling the Chicken pieces. Refer to my article on Tandoori Chicken
• Use food chopper to mince the garlic, ginger and cilantro

Recommended reading:

• Garam Masala
• Mortar and Pestle
• Make Cumin Powder at Home
• Tandoori Chicken
• Food Chopper and its Importance in Our Kitchen
• Tandoori Roti
• Indian Salad
• Chicken Masala
• Easy Homemade Naan
• Jeera Rice (Rice flavored with Cumin Seeds)
• Top 10 Spices to keep in your kitchen
• Debarshi’s Garlic Chicken
• Handling Raw Meat with Safety
• Chicken Kosha (Bengali Style Hot Chicken Gravy)
• Kashmiri Rogan Josh (Slow cooked mutton in red curry)
• Pan Fried Chicken with a Cheesy Mushroom Loaded Gravy
• Spice Up Your Weeknight with Red Hot Baked Chicken

Recommended reading for Low Carb (Keto) diet:

• Keto Garlic Naan
• Low Carb Ajwain Paratha with Coconut Flour