Chicken Tikka Masala

• 200 g raw Skinless chicken breast (7.1 oz raw)
• 50 g Nonfat Greek yogurt (¼ cup)
• 8 g raw (2½ cloves) Garlic
• 8 g raw Fresh ginger (0.3 oz raw)
• 3 g Paprika (1⅓ tsp)
• 2 g Ground cumin (1 tsp)
• 1.5 g Ground coriander (¾ tsp)
• 0.5 g Ground turmeric (⅛ tsp)
• 1 g Chili powder (⅓ tsp)
• 1.8 g Salt (⅓ tsp)
• 6 g Vegetable oil (1¼ tsp)
• 80 g raw Onion (2.8 oz raw)
• 150 g Canned crushed tomatoes (⅔ cup)
• 3 g Sugar (¾ tsp)
• 60 g Fat-free evaporated milk (¼ cup)
• 4 g Butter (¾ tsp)
• 55 g dry Basmati rice (⅓ cup dry)
• 140 g Water (⅔ cup)
• 3 g raw Cilantro (3 tbsp chopped)

You'll need: Small pan with a lid, Grill pan or frying pan, Large frying pan or saucepan, Bowl, Grater, Knife, Cutting board, Wooden spoon.

Method

1. Marinate the chicken

   Cut the chicken into 3 cm (1¼ inch) chunks. Then scrub the board, knife and your hands with soap before you touch anything else. Mix with the yogurt, half the grated garlic and ginger, half the paprika, half the cumin, the chili powder and 1 g of the salt. Leave for at least 10 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.

   The yogurt makes the chicken tender and helps it char.

2. Cook the rice

   Rinse the rice until the water runs almost clear, then put it in a small pan with all of the water and a pinch of the salt. Bring to a boil, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes. Leave it covered off the heat for 5 minutes, then fluff it with a fork.

   Don't lift the lid while the rice cooks. The steam does the work, and letting it out leaves the rice hard in the middle.

3. Char the chicken

   Heat the grill pan over high heat with a third of the oil. Cook the chicken for 6–8 minutes, turning every 2 minutes, until charred in spots and 74°C (165°F) inside. Cut a piece open: it should be white all the way through.

   Shake off the extra marinade first. Too much makes it steam instead of char.

4. Make the masala sauce

   Finely chop the onion. Heat the rest of the oil in the large pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 7 minutes until golden. Add the rest of the garlic and ginger for 1 minute, then the rest of the paprika and cumin with the coriander and turmeric for 30 seconds. Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar and the rest of the salt and simmer for 5 minutes until thick.

   Stir the spices constantly for those 30 seconds. They catch and turn bitter quickly.

5. Make it creamy

   Turn the heat to low and stir in the evaporated milk and butter until the sauce is silky and orange. Add the charred chicken and warm through for 2 minutes. Serve over the rice with the cilantro on top.

   Evaporated milk gives you the restaurant creaminess for a fraction of the fat of cream.

Swaps

• Evaporated milk → Light cream (60 g)More classic, at about 60 kcal more.
• Chicken breast → Paneer (150 g)Paneer tikka masala, a vegetarian favorite.