Butter chicken usually gets its richness from cream and a stick of butter. This version builds the same creamy tomato gravy on fat-free yogurt and sour cream, so a full plate with pita is 49g of protein for 423 calories — or 326 without the pita.

Garam masala plus garlic and ginger does the heavy lifting; the dairy just makes it creamy at the end.

Ingredients

  • Chicken breast — 2, ~180 g each raw [P 74 C 0 F 8]
  • Tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes — ½ cup [P 2 C 8 F 0]
  • Fat-free plain Greek yogurt — ¼ cup [P 6 C 4 F 0]
  • Fat-free sour cream — ¼ cup [P 2 C 5 F 0]
  • Frozen peas — ½ cup [P 4 C 11 F 0]
  • Pita — 2, ~47 g each whole grain [P 10 C 48 F 4]
  • Onion — 1 medium, sliced
  • Minced garlic — 1 tbsp
  • Minced ginger — 1 tbsp
  • Garam masala — 1 tbsp
  • Olive oil — 2 tsp (or spray)
  • Salt, pepper, chilli powder, paprika, turmeric — to taste

Method

  1. Cook the chicken and veg. Cube the chicken, toss with oil, onion, peas and all the spices, and pan-cook 5 minutes until the chicken is nearly done.
  2. Build the sauce. Add the yogurt, sour cream and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer 4–5 minutes until thickened.
  3. Serve. Cut the pita into triangles and serve alongside.

What to eat it with

  • Pita, rice or naan — or nothing, for 326 cal / 42g protein.
  • A cucumber salad — cools the spice.
  • Fresh coriander — a classic finish.

Variations

  • Spicier: add cayenne to the spice mix.
  • No pita: 326 cal, 42g protein, 18g carbs, 9g fat per serving.
  • Higher carb: serve over rice.

Honest notes

  • Fibre: about 4g a serving, from the peas, tomato and pita.
  • Chicken weight: written for ~180g raw breasts — see [Baked Chicken Breast].
  • Macros: reconcile with the per-serving 423 cal / 49g protein listed; the without-pita figures are the book’s own.