Easy Keto Chicken Tikka Masala - Whole30 and Paleo

 

This Easy Keto Chicken Tikka Masala is absolutely delicious and so easy to make.  One of the most popular Indian restaurant dishes in the world, making this into a gluten-free, low carb and keto-friendly dinner were not difficult at all.  Easy enough for a weeknight dinner and tastier than any restaurant version, try this Paleo, Whole30 and Low Carb Tikka Masala recipe tonight.

 

Did you know that Chicken Tikka Masala is actually not an authentic Indian dish after all?

Yup...it's true.  As it turns out, this dish was actually invented in a London curry house.

Because there is actually no real historical roots to this dish, you can find a wide variety of recipes on the internet.

And I have tried them all!

Either producing dry or mushy chicken as well as overly rich or much too spicy a sauce, I knew I had to come up with my own variation.

Wanting tender and moist chicken to be combined with a rich and lightly spiced tomato sauce, after several attempts, an easy Keto Chicken Tikka Masala was born!

 

 

 

What ingredients do you need to make this Easy Keto Chicken Masala?

For the chicken:

• ground cumin
• ground coriander
• cayenne pepper
• boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• canned coconut milk
• avocado oil (or vegetable oil)
• grated fresh ginger
• garlic cloves, minced

For the Tikka Masala Sauce:

• avocado oil (or vegetable oil)
• onion
• garam masala spice
• tomato paste
• garlic cloves
• fresh ginger
• chilli pepper
• 1 (28 -0z) can crushed tomatoes
• sweetener
• table salt
• canned coconut
• chopped fresh cilantro leaves (OPTIONAL)

 

 

What is Garam Masala?

According to Wikipedia, garam masala is a blend of ground spices, originating from India, common in Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Afghan cuisines. It is used alone or with other seasonings.

Whole spices of cinnamon, mace, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and cardamom pods are toasted in a pan to release their aromatic flavours, then ground to a powder.

Although this recipe calls for a whole tablespoon of this seasoning, feel free to adjust the amount you use to suit your tastes.  

 

 

What is canned coconut milk?

It is basically just shredded coconut flesh that is pureed with water and strained to create a rich, shock-white liquid that can lend body, flavour, and richness to soups, curries, wilted greens, and much more. 

A quality can of coconut milk has a fair amount of coconut cream at the top and not just look like murky, cloudy water, and you should always buy unsweetened. Our go-to brand is Thai Kitchen Organic Coconut Milk because it has the cleanest, pure coconut flavour of all the brands we’ve tried and a nice amount of fat. You can shake the can up to combine the cream and the milk, or just dump it into a pot and stir—it will come together in the cooking process.

 

 

 

What type of sweetener can I use for this Keto Chicken Tikka Masala?

The type of sweetener you can use depends on what diet you are following.

For a Keto Diet:

• liquid allulose
• erythritol
• stevia 
• allulose

For a Paleo Diet:

• honey
• maple syrup
• coconut sugar

For a Whole30 diet:

• Whole30 Vegan Date Paste - Only 2 Ingredients

 

 

 

How do you make this easy Keto Chicken Tikka Masala:

For the Chicken:

• Combine the spices and press it into the patted dry chicken
• Place the chicken in the fridge for at least 30-60 minutes or overnight
• When ready to cook, whisk the coconut cream, oil, ginger and garlic and set it aside.

For the Tikka Masala Sauce:

• heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat
• Add onion and cook until light golden brown (about 10 minutes)
• Stir in the garam masala, tomato paste, garlic, ginger and chili powder and cook until fragrant (3 minutes)
• Add the crushed tomatoes, sweetener and salt and bring to a boil
• Reduce the medium-low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Remove the dish from the heat, cover and keep warm

To Cook the Chicken:

• Position the top oven rack 6 inches from the heating element and heat the broiler
• line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place wire rack over the sheet
• Using tongs, dip the chicken in the sour cream mixture and arrange it on the wire rack
• Broil the chicken until lightly charred and the thickest part of breast measures 160 degrees F. (10-18 minutes), flipping chicken halfway.

To Assemble the Chicken Tikka Masala:

• allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes and then cut into 1-inch chunks
• stir the chicken into the warm sauce and stir in the cilantro
• Season with additional salt to taste

 

 

 

 

Tips, tricks and substitutions for the perfect Keto Chicken Tikka Masala:

• make sure to allow your chicken to sit in the spices for at least 30-60 minutes
• do not skip dredging the chicken in the coconut cream mixture as this helps to keep the chicken moist
• keeping the chicken breasts whole and then cutting them into small chunks also helps to keep the chicken moist
• make sure the chicken has a heavy coating of the coconut cream mixture
• make sure to allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before cutting
• do not place cut chicken in the sauce if it is still simmering
• you can replace the coconut cream with whole plain yogurt or sour cream
• you can use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts
• if you don't have fresh ginger, you can replace the fresh ginger with 1 teaspoon of dried ginger
• if you don't have avocado oil, you can use any type of oil that you have on hand

 

If you like this Easy Keto Chicken Tikka Masala, you may also enjoy:

 

Paleo Chinese Barbecued Pork

 

 

Whole30 Chicken Lo Mein (Keto, Paleo)

 

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