Lean & Low-Cal Butter Chicken

This popular Indian-restaurant favourite is a crowd-pleaser but full of fat and calories thanks to oil, butter and cream. Indian cuisine is all about building layers of flavour with fragrant spices. Don’t be put off by the number of ingredients in this recipe; it is really simple to make. Most of it can also be prepared in advance for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.

photo credit: shutterstock

Servings

8Servings

Servings

8Servings

• Course Dinner
• Cuisine Meats, Poultry

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cut into 1 1/2'inch cubes
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Marinade
• 5 garlic cloves minced
• 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 tbsp non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger grated
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• Sauce
• 1 tbsp grapeseed oil
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger grated
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp almond butter
• 1 1/2 cups passata
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup non-fat evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp dried fenugreek
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro coarsely chopped
• 2 tbsp sliced almonds toasted

Servings: Servings

Units:MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients 2 lbs chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cut into 1 1/2'inch cubes 1/4 tsp salt Marinade 5 garlic cloves minced 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice 3 tbsp non-fat plain Greek yogurt 2 tbsp fresh ginger grated 2 tsp garam masala 1 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp turmeric Sauce 1 tbsp grapeseed oil 1 medium yellow onion diced 4 garlic cloves minced 2 tbsp fresh ginger grated 2 tsp garam masala 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp turmeric 2 tbsp almond butter 1 1/2 cups passata 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock 1 tbsp honey 1/2 cup non-fat evaporated milk 1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt 1 tsp dried fenugreek Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup fresh cilantro coarsely chopped 2 tbsp sliced almonds toasted Servings: Servings Units:MetricUS Imperial

Course Dinner Cuisine Meats, Poultry

Instructions

1. Prepare marinade: In a large bowl, combine garlic, lemon juice, yogurt, ginger, garam masala, cumin, chili powder and turmeric to form a paste. Add chicken and mix well, gently rubbing marinade into meat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
2. Meanwhile, prepare sauce: In a large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until medium golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add garam masala, coriander, chili powder and turmeric and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in almond butter, passata, stock and honey and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, until thickened. [Make-ahead: Marinate chicken and prepare sauce to this point up to 24 hours in advance. Bring sauce to a simmer over medium-low heat before proceeding with recipe.]
3. Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Place marinated chicken on prepared baking sheet (discard marinade), season with 1/4 tsp salt and mist with cooking spray. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes, until just browned.
5. Stir evaporated milk, yogurt and fenugreek into sauce until smooth. Add cooked chicken and pan juices, stirring to coat chicken. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes, until chicken is heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve over brown basmati rice and top with cilantro and toasted almonds, with warm whole-wheat naan on the side.

Recipe Notes

Before: 592 calories, 33.6 g total fat
Dish Do-Over: 248 calories, 7.2 g total fat

Nutritional information: 1 g saturated fat, 14.2 g carbohydrates, 1.7 g fibre, 7.5 g sugar, 31.1 g protein, 296 mg sodium, 68 mg cholesterol

Excerpted from Dish Do-Over by Jo Lusted (Harper Collins, 2014).

WP Ultimate Recipe