Chicken Tikka Masala Curry
This Chicken Tikka Masala Curry is the perfect slimming friendly Indian Fakeaway whether you're calorie counting or following a diet plan like Weight Watchers.
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories359
- Carbs17g
- Protein31g
- Fat3g
- Saturates1g
- Sugars7g
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For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!
Our slimming friendly Chicken Tikka Masala Curry is much lower on Points and calories than the one that you’d pick up at your local takeaway – and we think it tastes even better too!
We’ve used red peppers in our Chicken Tikka Masala Curry, but you can add pretty much whatever vegetables you want and you can also adjust the spice level by adding more or less chilli powder. We like quite a kick to our food, but if you don’t want a hot and spicy curry then you can even just leave the chilli powder out completely – the other spices add flavour, not heat!
What diets is this Chicken Tikka Masala Curry suitable for?
This recipe is suitable if you’re gluten free!
You can make this Chicken Tikka Masala Curry suitable for dairy free diets by swapping out the following ingredients for dairy free alternatives;
- Fat free Greek yoghurt
Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Chicken Tikka Masala Curry?
There are no fancy ingredients in this recipe – you’ll be able to pick up everything you need at the supermarket.
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How many calories are in this Chicken Tikka Masala Curry ?
There are 359 calories in each portion of our slimming friendly Chicken Tikka Masala Curry which means it falls into our Everyday Light recipe category.
This recipe is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
Add the yogurt, lemon juice and marinade spices into a large bowl. Dice the chicken and add to the marinade. Cover and pop in the fridge for around 2-4 hours.
Step 2
Once the chicken has marinated, heat a large frying pan on a moderate heat. Spray with low calorie cooking spray and cook the onion until soft – this will take around 5 minutes.
Step 3
Add the tomato puree to the onions and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the crushed garlic, and garam masala, cook for another couple of minutes and stir in the tinned tomatoes. Keep on a low heat.
Step 4
Take the chicken pieces out of the marinade, setting the remaining yoghurt and spice mix aside. Add the chicken to a separate frying pan. Once the chicken has browned slightly on the outside, add to the tomato sauce. Mix to combine and leave to cook on a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 5
Add the sliced peppers and cook for another 10 minutes or until the chicken has cooked through.
Step 6
Making sure the hob is set to a low heat, stir in the remaining yogurt marinade and fresh coriander. Leave to cook through for 5 minutes. Serve with your choice of accompaniment!
What should you serve with Chicken Tikka Masala Curry ?
Any of the following go really well with curry. It’s the perfect Indian Fakeaway so would work well with any of these suitable accompaniments;
Whatever accompaniment you choose, don’t forget to account for the extra calories and/or other nutritional values.
How do you know when this Chicken Tikka Masala Curry is cooked?
You should cook this curry until the chicken is completely cooked through, and the sauce is piping hot once you have added the remaining marinade.
This should take approx 40 minutes on the stove.
Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.
How long can you keep Chicken Tikka Masala Curry in the fridge?
Once you’ve served it, ideally you should eat this dish within 4 hours.
If you allow any leftovers to cool, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of this curry in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.
Can I freeze Chicken Tikka Masala Curry?
Yes you can! This recipe can be frozen, but please remember to do the following;
- Freeze it as soon as it is cold enough.
- Use a container or bag that is suitable for freezing.
- Defrost thoroughly before reheating.
Don’t forget to add a label with what it is, and on what date you put it in the freezer!
How do I reheat Chicken Tikka Masala Curry ?
This recipe is best reheated very gently on the hob for around 10 minutes. If you heat it too rapidly, it may split. Microwaving this curry is possible, but you are more likely to split the sauce.
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Chicken Tikka Masala Curry
This Chicken Tikka Masala Curry is the perfect slimming friendly Indian Fakeaway whether you’re calorie counting or following a diet plan like Weight Watchers.
-
Prep Time
10 MINS
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Cook Time
40 MINS
- KCals 359
- Carbs 17G
Instructions
- Add the yogurt, lemon juice and marinade spices into a large bowl. Dice the chicken and add to the marinade. Cover and pop in the fridge for around 2-4 hours.
- Once the chicken has marinated, heat a large frying pan on a moderate heat. Spray with low calorie cooking spray and cook the onion until soft - this will take around 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato puree to the onions and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the crushed garlic, and garam masala, cook for another couple of minutes and stir in the tinned tomatoes. Keep on a low heat.
- Take the chicken pieces out of the marinade, setting the remaining yoghurt and spice mix aside. Add the chicken to a separate frying pan. Once the chicken has browned slightly on the outside, add to the tomato sauce. Mix to combine and leave to cook on a low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the sliced peppers and cook for another 10 minutes or until the chicken has cooked through.
- Making sure the hob is set to a low heat, stir in the remaining yogurt marinade and fresh coriander. Leave to cook through for 5 minutes. Serve with your choice of accompaniment!
Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?
With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.
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97 comments
See what others have to say
Niamh DonnellanMonday 10th January 2022
Hi, is there any tips on making recipe more saucier for day 2 leftovers? First PON recipe 😊
HollyTuesday 11th January 2022
Hey Niamh, I would suggest adding a splash of water or a little extra Greek yoghurt to add a little more sauce when reheating. Hope that helps!
Karolina RogersSaturday 7th August 2021
Hi. Can I use fat free yoghurt instead of Greek style yoghurt?
HollyThursday 12th August 2021
Hey Karolina, yes you can use fat free yoghurt and it will work fine. Hope that helps!
Charlotte BartonTuesday 3rd May 2022
Hi can I use authentic Greek yogurt instead? It’s obviously a lot thicker.
HollyTuesday 3rd May 2022
Hey Charlotte, yes you can swap for Greek yoghurt instead and adjust the calories accordingly, hope that helps!
EmmaThursday 4th March 2021
Hi, Can I use tikka curry powder instead of garam masala?
HollyThursday 4th March 2021
Hi Emma, yes you could use tikka curry powder in this instead, hope that helps!
JanetSaturday 27th February 2021
Hi, I made this tonight. I found it very salty and the sauce was very grainy instead of creamy like your pictures. Where could I have gone wrong? Thank you.
HollyFriday 12th March 2021
Hi Janet, you could reduce the salt in the marinade to 1tsp instead if this recipe isn’t quite to your taste. Make sure you lower the heat of your pan to low at the end of step 3 this will prevent the Greek yogurt from splitting and going grainy when you cook the chicken. Hope that helps!
Mrs Jane BarnesThursday 4th February 2021
In the chicken Tikka Masala recipe, what can you use instead of lemon juice please.
HollyThursday 4th February 2021
Hi Jane, you could use a squeeze of lime juice or omit all together it will still taste great without, hope that helps!
SandraTuesday 26th January 2021
I can’t seem to get the onion bhajis to form a ball and they did not stick together just fell apart taking out of muffin tin ant tips ?
HollyWednesday 3rd February 2021
Hi Sandra, sorry you are having a little trouble with the Onion Bhajis, you really need to squash the mixture together so that when it cooks it stays together if you are using the muffin tin method really press it down into the tin. Hope that helps!
JillMonday 19th October 2020
Wow made this with flatbread and onion bhaji. Gorgeous. Love the books. Also made doner kebab. Don’t know how to upload pics but healthy tasty recipes. Magic
HollyTuesday 20th October 2020
Hi Jill, that sounds lovely! You can share photos of your meals on Facebook or Instagram and use the hashtag #PinchofNom to be in with a chance of winning a swag bag at random!
Heather EdgarSunday 27th September 2020
Can I rectify the sauce with something as mine has split !
HollyTuesday 29th September 2020
Hi Heather, so sorry to hear that the sauce has split, It’s sounds as though you may have overheated it which causes the yoghurt to become grainy. In step 6 turn the pan to a low heat and allow it to stop bubbling before adding the rest of the yogurt that should help.
NicThursday 10th September 2020
I have cooked many pon recipes and haven’t had a bad one yet. This dish wasn’t in my books so was a new one to try. It took a while to make but was delicious. Served with some basmati rice it was a popular dinner. I did add some fresh ginger to the mix. It had great depth of flavour. Thanks.
HollyFriday 11th September 2020
Hi Nic, so glad you enjoyed this recipe! The addition of the fresh ginger sounds great
LauraSunday 6th September 2020
Im assuming the ww points doesn’t include the rice ?
LisaMonday 7th September 2020
Hi Laura,
The nutritional values for this recipe have been calculated for the Tikka Masala only. You would need to add on any accompaniment you choose.
Clare LaytonSaturday 22nd August 2020
Totally delicious! My first PON recipe and a big thumbs up from everyone, will be making again very soon. Better than an take away! Can’t wait to try out more recipes now 😊
SharonMonday 24th August 2020
Hi Clare,
It’s great to hear you’ve just made your first Pinch of Nom recipe! Also, it’s also great to hear that you all thought it was delicious and that you’re excited to cook more recipes. Thanks for taking the time to let us know!
NatalieSaturday 15th August 2020
Can this be made in a slow cooker once chicken marinated and then I suspect fried before adding to our bits in the slow cooker?
Also to make this young child friendly i will leave out chilli powder, any other advice? Many Thanks!
HollyWednesday 26th August 2020
Hi Natalie, it’s not something we have tried before but like you said fry the chicken before adding it to the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours until the chicken is cooked through. You may need to reduce the sauce down as it might create more liquid in the slow cooker than in the pan. Have you seen our Oven Baked Pasanda it’s a lot milder and you just pop in the oven and leave it to cook so might be worth a try too! https://pinchofnom.com/recipes/oven-baked-pasanda-curry/
adam chefFriday 14th August 2020
the butter chicken curry and Samoas and onion bhjias are so lovely.
SharonMonday 17th August 2020
Hi Adam, we’re so pleased to hear that you enjoyed these recipes! Thanks for taking the time to let us know.
SharonTuesday 11th August 2020
Could you use natural yoghurt instead of greek yoghurt
LisaTuesday 11th August 2020
Hi Sharon.
Yes, just use an equivalent amount. Enjoy the recipe!
yvonneFriday 17th July 2020
I really love this curry, it is delicious. however it is too fiery for me and i have to put a ton of yoghurt on it. Which spices can i reduce to make it less hot? I was thinking it’s maybe the ginger, chilli or the ground black pepper but I am not really sure. You do mention garam massala to someone else but I don’t think that spice is very hot? I would be so grateful for some advice on how to tone it down.
Steve CowderoyMonday 20th July 2020
Hi Yvonne, thanks for getting in touch with us. Glad you like this curry, if it is a bit too fiery for you please feel free to half the quantities of the chilli, ginger and black pepper. Hope this helps and please let us know how you get on.
JezWednesday 20th May 2020
I love this curry with chicken but I take it we can just add our favourite veg etc instead of chicken if we want a vegetarian version? Do you have any advice though as the vegetables won’t absorb the marinade as well as the chicken would.
Sharon FitzpatrickThursday 21st May 2020
Hi Jez, you could try leaving the yogurt out of the marinade so that the vegetables marinade in a more concentrated dry spice mix.Then stir in some yogurt, off the heat, just before serving. We have a recipe in our second book, Pinch of Nom Everyday Light, that might be an alternative idea. It’s Butter Bean and Sweet Potato Tikka Masala, it might be just what you need. Hope this helps and thanks for getting in touch.
Vicky PoveyFriday 15th May 2020
Made this for dinner tonight…OMG! Delicious even better than my local Curry house. I didn’t use chilli powder in marinade as my kids were eating it too, they still found it a little too spicy….was the heat coming from the ground ginger?
Brilliant recipes will definitely be making again, also made the onion bhajis..again fab n Bette that curry house. I love your recipes, I’m a new comer to pinch of nom…will be buying the books for sure.
LisaMonday 18th May 2020
Hi Vicky! Thank you for your lovely comment. We are so glad you are enjoying the recipes and hope you will enjoy the books. The heat in the Tikka Masala may be coming from the garam masala. You could reduce the amount next time and hopefully keep the kids happy!
Lauren BowellThursday 2nd April 2020
Is there any way to make this more saucey? I like my curries to be quite runny!. Will adding more yoghurt achieve this?
Steve CowderoyMonday 11th May 2020
Hi Lauren, thanks for getting in touch with us. To give the dish more sauce you could add a little more yogurt or a little chicken stock. If you add too much yogurt it may mellow the flavours too much. Hope this helps.
Zenath BiscombeFriday 21st February 2020
Hi, I’m not a very knowledgable cook. It is possible to prepare a batch of the marinade and freeze it. I keep intending to make this recipe but always forget it needs marinading first.
Sharon FitzpatrickMonday 11th May 2020
Hi Zenath, thanks for your question. You could freeze the marinade, and defrost it slowly in the fridge overnight. Because the marinade is mainly made from yogurt, you may find that after freezing the texture will have become grainy rather than smooth. Hope this helps.
Jayne,Sunday 26th January 2020
Absolutely delicious ?
Holly LevellTuesday 12th May 2020
Hi Jayne, glad you enjoyed the recipe!
LilyTuesday 21st January 2020
Can this recipe be done in the slow cooker
DavidSaturday 11th January 2020
Any tips to not splits the yoghurt, so much of it went into the sauce. Should I have cooked the chicken longer or maybe wiped some of the marinade away?
Holly LevellTuesday 12th May 2020
Hi David, after you’ve cooked the chicken and peppers you need to reduce the heat right down before adding the rest of the yogurt marinade, that should help the yogurt not to separate.
JohnSunday 29th December 2019
Maybe a silly comment but hiw do I make the spice mix?
Holly LevellFriday 15th May 2020
Hi John , the marinade ingredients are all added to a bowl along with the yogurt and lemon juice. Hope that helps!
SophieFriday 6th December 2019
Could this be done in the slow cooker and if so what would be the method?
HollyWednesday 1st July 2020
Hi Sophie, it’s not something we have tried before but fry the chicken before adding it to the slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours until the chicken is cooked through. You may need to reduce the sauce down as it might create more liquid in the slow cooker than in the pan. Have you seen our Oven Baked Pasanda you just pop in the oven and leave it to cook so might be worth a try too! https://pinchofnom.com/recipes/oven-baked-pasanda-curry/
A JaneMonday 19th August 2019
Hi did anyone find this bitter!? I’m wondering where I’ve gone wrong! Ha!
Emma TMonday 23rd September 2019
Hi Amanda,
It might’ve been that you’ve burnt the spices, or that the spice mix is not to your taste. You could add a little extra seasoning, and a tsp of sweetener to balance the bitter flavour ????
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