Lightened Up Chicken Curry
This lightened up chicken curry packs tons of flavor while being high in protein and lower in fats. Serve it up with plenty of basmati rice!
Chicken curry is one of the most delicious Indian dishes out there, and always seem extra special since we don’t have it that often… part of the reason being that it’s pretty heavy. I wanted to create a version that I could still have a good portion of, but that fit well in my macros and left room for rice. Because I’m not gonna have curry without rice, come on.
Lowering the fats while keeping good texture was tricky, but I’m so proud of the final product. This curry packs so much flavor you’d never guess there’s less than 8g fat per serving.
Keep reading for all my tips and tricks to make it turn out amazing every time!
What You’ll Need
Equipment
- Large frying pan
- Blender
- Rice cooker (optional)
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter: Don’t skip! I add just 1 tbsp to add great flavor without packing on tons of calories.
- Yellow onion: Yellow onions caramelize well and become sweeter as they cook. Can sub red onion.
- Curry powder: Since I don’t have many individual Indian spices on hand, I use a curry powder. It’s convenient and saves money.
- Cinnamon: Adds an amazing layer of spice depth.
- Minced garlic: Fresh or jarred.
- Tomato sauce: A small 8 oz can.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast: The main protein source – diced up into bite size pieces.
- Half & half: Lighter than heavy cream but works the same.
- Non fat plain greek yogurt: Adds protein, creaminess, and perfects the texture.
- Lemon juice and cilantro: To freshen it up. Pairs so beautifully with the intense spices.
- Salt: To season at the end.
- Basmati rice: To serve!
How To Make It
- Caramelize the onion: In a deep skillet on medium high heat, add the butter and chopped onion. Let the onions cook, stirring frequently, until they turn a deep golden brown color. This usually takes me 10 minutes or so. Make sure to keep stirring so they don’t burn!
- Add the spices/tomato sauce and blend: Add the curry powder, cinnamon, and garlic to the onions and stir together for about 30 seconds. Take off the heat and stir in the tomato sauce. The pan will be super hot – stir quickly so nothing burns! Once it’s all combined, transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. I like to start on very low speed, then turn it up once I’ve got some momentum. If your mixture won’t blend, just add some water to thin.
- Simmer the chicken & sauce: Add the blended sauce back to the same pan, along with the diced chicken. Stir together so all the chicken is coated in the sauce, then cover and let it simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes to cook the chicken.
- Add the rest: After 20 minutes is up, add the half & half, yogurt (add a little sauce to it to warm up before adding), lemon juice, cilantro, and salt. Stir everything together until fully combined. Serve over basmati rice!
Tips
- Blending the sauce: If your onion/tomato mixture is too thick and won’t blend, just add a little water. P.S. be careful blending since it’s so hot – start on low speed!
- Tempering the yogurt (IMPORTANT): If you add cold yogurt to the hot curry, it can curdle and throw off the texture – to avoid this, stir a few spoonfuls of the sauce into the yogurt to warm it up before adding.
- Adding the salt: I season with salt at the end so I can taste it and adjust however I need. I usually do about 1 tsp, but make sure to taste it and add as much or little as you like. Always start with less cause you can’t take it out!
And that’s it! Honestly the biggest hassle (in my opinion) is blending the onions and tomato sauce. If you can get past that, the rest is a piece of cake!
To Serve
Indian curry is typically served with basmati rice, so it’s my favorite to use. I just throw it into my rice cooker before I start cooking so it’s ready to go when the curry is done.
To Store
After cooling, store any leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge. I always just reheat in the microwave in 30 second intervals until it’s as warm as I like.
As always, be sure to leave a rating and review down below if you try this lightened up chicken curry! And don’t forget to tag me on IG – always love to hear from you and see what you’re cooking up. ♡
Lightened Up Chicken Curry
Equipment
- Rice cooker optional
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter (14 g)
- 1 small yellow onion (200 g) roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 8oz can tomato sauce (227 g)
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (16 oz) diced
- 1/4 cup half & half (60 ml)
- 3/4 cup non fat plain greek yogurt (170 g) tempered *see notes*
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (15 g)
- small handful cilantro chopped
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- basmati rice to serve
Instructions
- Heat a large deep skillet on medium high heat and add butter and onion. Cook onions, stirring frequently, until caramelized (about 10 minutes).
- Add curry powder, cinnamon, and garlic to the onions and stir, cooking for just 30 more seconds. Remove from heat and stir in the tomato sauce.
- Transfer the onions and tomato sauce to a blender and blend until smooth. Add back to the same pan along with diced chicken and stir together so all the chicken is coated in the sauce.
- Cover with a lid, adjust the heat to medium-low, and let it gently simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add half & half, tempered yogurt, lemon juice, cilantro, and salt. Give everything a good stir and enjoy immediately with basmati rice!
Notes
- Tempered yogurt: Stir a few spoonfuls of the sauce into the yogurt to warm it up before adding. This helps prevent it from curdling.
- Blending: Start on a low speed and increase once you’ve got momentum. Be careful, it’s hot! If it isn’t blending, add a little water.
Nutrition
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