Chicken tikka masala with green peppers
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 2
Nutrition: Per serving
Energy
372 Kcal
Fat
7.3g
Saturates
1.4g
Sugars
21g
Salt
1.9g
The beauty of this dish is the char-grilled chicken pieces that are marinated in tikka-spiced yogurt and then finished off in a tomato masala. Green peppers bring colour and fibre. Keep the masala dry if you want to use this as a filling for pitta bread or tortilla wrap.
Chicken – is a great choice on a low-fat diet. Always remove the skin and any visible fat. If (dry) ‘roasting’ a whole chicken, remove the chicken skin before cooking and cover in foil. Plant-based – choose tofu, mycoprotein or other plant-based chicken alternatives. Remember to check the nutrition label for fat content per serving
Cooking oil spray - Make sure you have a bottle at home, these are great for low-fat cooking.
Salt - if you are watching your salt intake, you can reduce the amount of salt in this recipe or use salt alternative. Peppers - count towards
your 5 a day. Aim to include a variety of different fruits and vegetables, including choices of varying colours to get a variety of
nutrients.
Ingredients
2 skinless chicken breasts , cut into bite-sized chunks
1 kcal spray oil
1 tsp rapeseed oil
2 onions, finely sliced
4 whole black peppercorns
3 cloves
200g (1/2) can chopped tomatoes
¾ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 heaped tsp cumin powder
1 heaped tsp coriander powder
1 green pepper deseeded and sliced
Handful coriander leaves, chopped
For the marinade:
4 tablespoons low fat natural yoghurt
2 teaspoons crushed garlic (frozen, fresh or from a jar)
2 teaspoons crushed ginger (frozen, fresh or from a jar)
½ tsp salt
2 tsp tikka marinade spice paste
1 tbsp tomato puree
1-2 tsp red chilli powder, as desired
Method
Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the chicken and stir well. Cover and marinate for one to two hours in the fridge, if time permits.
Pre-heat the grill to high and line a grill pan with foil. Transfer the marinated chicken pieces onto the foil with tongs and squirt 5 sprays of I kcal spray on top. Cook under the grill, turning occasionally till charred (about 12-15 minutes).
Meanwhile, heat a non-stick saucepan over a medium heat, add the rapeseed oil and stir-fry the onion until light brown.
Stir in the tomatoes and the leftover marinade juices. Sprinkle on the turmeric, cumin and coriander powders and cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, till the mixture is well combined.
Add the green pepper and enough hot water to cover (a few tablespoons). Simmer for about 5 minutes.
Mix in the grilled chicken pieces and add more hot water to make a sauce to your desired amount.
Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes to allow the flavours to develop. Check the chicken juices run clear.
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves before serving.