Quick Chicken Tikka Masala

A macro-friendly chicken curry with 61g protein made in less than 30 minutes

Jan 13, 2024

Winter is coming.

Or if you live in a rather snowy place like I do, it’s already arrived.

This means you’re probably going to be getting less sunlight and more red noses. It could also mean that you’ll be getting less exercise.

Why?

Mainly because that lack of sunlight plus the outdoors feeling like Antarctica only motivates us to crawl under a warm blanket, eat some good food, and take a big long nap.

Even as I write this, it has taken me around 4 hours after waking up to find the motivation to just go outside and walk in the snow.

This isn’t the most ideal behavior for shedding body fat, but we can compensate for the lack of movement by turning to some quick high-protein meals.

Ideally, we need meals that are just as easy and comforting as having hot chocolate and pizza in your pajamas.

That meal for me this week has been this Quick Chicken Tikka Masala.

It’s one of my favorite chicken curries that’s sure to warm you up during this cold season with its creamy tomato sauce and tender chicken. Paired with a nice serving of cooked basmati rice you can’t beat how good this is, considering it only takes less than 30 minutes to make. No marination needed!

So regardless of where your motivation is at on any given winter day, you can fight back those blues with this delicious curry!

Let’s talk about some substitutions and notes for the recipe:

Substitute the coriander with additional garam masala if you don’t have it
If you don’t have ghee, use a mix of avocado oil and butter.
Total calories include a serving of curry and around one cup of cooked rice.

61G Protein Per Serving | 538 Calories | 25-30 Minutes | 4 Servings

RECIPE

Ingredient List

1 1/2 lbs chicken breast, chopped into cubes
1 (14 oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup chicken bone broth
1/2 cup half & half
1 onion, finely chopped
3 tsp ghee
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
2-3 tbsp garam masala
1-2 tbsp zero-calorie sweetener
1 tbsp coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt (and more to taste)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

For Serving

4 cups cooked basmati rice (1 1/3 cups uncooked)
Freshly chopped cilantro

Cooking Instructions

Prep Chicken 🐓

Add 1 tsp of ghee to a pan and preheat to medium-high heat.
Season the chicken with the 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Add to the preheated pan.
Cook for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown and remove from the pan.

Make The Curry Sauce 🥘

Toss in the rest of the ghee to the pan then add the chopped onion to saute for 3 minutes.
Add the ginger, garlic, garam masala, coriander, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper to cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the tomato sauce and bone broth. Stir and add the zero-calorie sweetener. Let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in the half & half then add the chicken back in. Taste the sauce for salt.
Top with cilantro and serve with cooked basmati rice.