Description
Rich and creamy, this paleo-friendly chicken tikka masala is a delicious curry recipe that you and your family will love. Made with spinach and craberries for extra nutrients, it’s hearty, satiating and super tasty. Serve over cauliflower rice or regular rice.
Feel free to reduce the amount of chilli used for less heat. I’ve provided a few notes about the ingredients and step-by-step photos for this recipe above.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or ghee)
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 red chilli (long one), deseeded and finely diced
- 4 medium chicken breasts, diced (about 550 g / 1.2 lb total)
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 3–4 medium cloves of garlic, grated
- 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1.5 teaspoon coriander seed powder
- 1.5 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce (add a little more salt, if not using)
- 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice (apple cider vinegar can also be used)
- 1 teaspoon honey (optional)
- 1 cup diced tinned tomatoes
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 4 large handfuls of baby spinach (or chopped English spinach)
- 3 tablespoons dried cranberries (omit for Whole30 and keto)
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder (or tapioca flour)
- Fresh coriander/cilantro for garnish
- Cauliflower for making ‘cauli rice’
Instructions
- Heat coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and chilli and cook for 2 minutes, stirring a few times.
- Add the chicken and stir for a minute. Then add the ginger and garlic and stir through again.
- Add the spices and salt, and stir for 20-30 seconds to release the aromas.
- Add the fish sauce, lemon juice, honey (if using), chopped tinned tomatoes, water and coconut milk and stir through.
- Bring to a boil, then turn down to medium and cook for 15 minutes, covered with a lid.
- After 15 minutes, add the cranberries and cook uncovered for a further 2-3 minutes. Finally, add the spinach and stir through for 20-30 seconds, until it’s wilted.
- Scoop some of the sauce to a small bowl and add the arrowroot powder/flour. Stir until dissolved and add back to the curry. Remove from heat and stir through – this will thicken the sauce slightly.
Notes
SLOW-COOKER: If using a slow cooker, do the first few steps and once you’ve added the liquids, set the timer as needed (4 hours on HIGH and more on lower settings). Add the spinach and cranberries at the end.
Check out this post for how I make cauliflower rice easily.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 390
- Sugar: 10.1 g
- Sodium: 866.4 mg
- Fat: 19.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 14.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 19.3 g
- Fiber: 3.7 g
- Protein: 34.5 g
- Cholesterol: 100.4 mg