British · Authentic-ish British
Chicken Tikka Masala
301 kcal a serving, against 497 for the traditional version. That is 196 kcal off, or 39%, with 41.5g of protein. Serves 4. 1 hour 10 minutes.
What the traditional version is
The original is marinated chicken thigh, cooked in a tandoor or grill until smoky, then simmered in a tomato-based sauce heavy with double cream and ground almonds.
What changed, and what each change costs
Chicken thigh to chicken breast
Chicken thigh is forgiving and hard to dry out, but it's higher in fat.
What it costs you. A bit less juiciness and flavour, especially if you overcook it. Thigh will always win on texture, but breast is how you get the numbers moving in the right direction.
Full-fat Greek yoghurt to fat-free Greek yoghurt
Full-fat yoghurt makes the marinade rich and keeps the chicken tender. Fat-free Greek yoghurt is impressively thick, but far less lush.
What it costs you. The tang's still there but the sauce doesn't have the same silky finish. If you're honest, you'll need to handle the chicken gently or it'll dry out faster.
Double cream and ground almonds to pureed onion and fat-free Greek yoghurt
Cream and nuts are doing all the heavy lifting for calories. Pureed onion gives body, while a spoon of Greek yoghurt at the end adds some creaminess.
What it costs you. You definitely lose the mouth-coating feel and the sweet, nutty depth. The sauce has a tendency to split if you rush it, so go gentle with the heat.
Use less oil
You don't need the extra richness from oil in the marinade if you're not roasting in a tandoor. A tiny drizzle in the pan is enough.
What it costs you. Browning isn't as even, so the onions and chicken come out paler. You gain nothing there except a less greasy kitchen.
Sweetness from sugar to extra tomato
A bit of sugar balances the acidity, but pureeing extra onions and using ripe tomatoes naturally sweetens things up.
What it costs you. The sauce leans a little sharper and less rounded. You might want to stir in half a teaspoon of sugar if you're really missing it, but I can't endorse that in the recipe.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 497 | 301 |
| Protein | 38.5g | 41.5g |
| Fat | 29.8g | 7.2g |
| Saturated fat | 10.6g | 1.3g |
| Carbohydrate | 20g | 17.4g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 7.8g | 13.8g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish British prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. milk.
The method is in the book
This is honest comfort food for anyone who's ever claimed to eat "only mild curries". The sauce isn't as voluptuous as the restaurant version, and you'll absolutely notice the missing cream and almonds. It's lighter, thinner, and doesn't coat the spoon in quite the same way. But it's got solid tomato flavour, plenty of spice, and actual chunks of chicken rather than the disintegrating bits you sometimes get. If you demand that classic, butter-slicked finish, you'll have to bribe your cardiologist and just make the proper stuff. But if you want tikka masala on a weeknight and also want to stand up afterwards, this is the way. You won't mistake it for the takeaway, but you might just finish the lot anyway.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish British, along with 57 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.