Healthy Tikka Masala recipe with chicken or Quorn chicken pieces

January 24, 2022 Stan

I fancied something different, I usually make a mushy pea curry, a Jalfrezi or a Biryani so I set about making a healthy Tikka Masala as I haven’t made one in what seems like ages! As you know I am a vegetarian so this recipe includes a chicken recipe and adaptions for Quorn chicken pieces for a Quorn curry.

chicken tikka masala — Chicken Tikka Masala

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Making this healthy tikka masala vegetarian with Quorn chicken pieces

An easy way to make a meal vegetarian is to swap the meat for a vegetarian alternative such as Quorn chicken pieces. Other possible swaps are jackfruit, lentils, chickpeas, mixed beans or just extra vegetables.

I have been a vegetarian since I was 10 years old and enjoy a huge variety of food so whatever you do, don’t let being vegetarian mean you need to eat a boring diet.

This recipe works really well with Quorn chicken pieces or even Quorn fillets but beans or lentils would work well too.

Healthy Tikka Masala recipe with chicken or Quorn chicken pieces

I try to ensure all of the recipes I make are accessible to everyone. By this, I mean that they do not use obscure hard to find ingredients. I also believe that recipes should use as few ingredients as possible and avoid expensive ingredients. We would all much rather spend money on holidays than expensive ingredients wouldn’t we?

Buying herbs and spices in bulk is something I really recommend. It can save a lot of money in the long term but also mean you never run out! I find putting them on Amazon subscribe and save helps too!

Shopping around to see which shops have offers on your usual products can make a big difference to your weekly shopping bill. Additionally don’t forget to check out the yellow sticker reductions and freeze what you can.

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Frozen vegetables are nutritionally just as good as fresh usually so do keep an eye on those too to save money. I don’t generally use frozen mushrooms however as they are too watery when cooking them.

Do you have any particular frozen vegetables you love? Do share them with me it is always nice to hear people’s recommendations.

Why you need vegetables to lose weight

Everyone knows vegetables are good for you, don’t they? From being a young child you are told to eat your veggies to grow big and strong!

If you follow the Slimming World diet you will instantly know what I am talking about when I say speed vegetables. On other plans, it could be considered a free extra or just classed as non-starchy vegetables.

Whatever it is referred to you need to eat veggies to lose weight, on the whole, because they are healthy and filling for very few calories! You can try swapping things like potatoes for butternut squash and add fried onions or mushrooms to other meals.

Check out my ready-made meal plans to help you along the way with lots of my delicious healthy recipes perfect for any diet, weight loss plan or just a healthy lifestyle!

Remember to keep a check on the vitamins and minerals you consume and ensure you are eating a healthy amount of everything including calcium, vitamin c, iron, vitamin d, vitamin b12 and fibre as well as eating plenty of vegetables and fruit!

How many vegetables should I eat?

Most healthy diets and weight loss plans encourage you to eat lots of fruit and vegetables. Slimming World for example advises you to ensure that ⅓ of every meal is made up of speed foods. Other than possibly for breakfast this is likely to be vegetables! Even if you do not follow Slimming World this is still great advice for healthy living. Other plans suggest different methods of deciding on the food on your plate but all diets I have seen include a large number of vegetables.

The best vegetables are those that have a low-calorie density. Slimming World call these speed foods, other diets say non-starchy vegetables or other similar phrases. Basically, we are talking about the healthier vegetables – potatoes don’t count but butternut squash is much healthier for example!

This means if you eat 100g of spinach, for example, it is just 23 calories and obviously, 100g of anything would fill you up significantly. On the other hand, 100g of crisps, which would be just as filling, is around 536 calories!

What nutrients are in vegetables?

Whether you follow Slimming World, Weight Watchers, Noom, or any other diet, adding vegetables to your meal not only adds vitamin C and all the other nutrients that vegetables contain but will also help you lead a more balanced healthy lifestyle and potentially lose weight!

Many vegetables are also high in B vitamins, vitamin A, iron and other nutrients.

Don’t forget too that vegetables are high in fibre and as such you are less likely to get constipation and need my constipation tips!

vitamin b selection of foods surrounding chalkboard with viatmin b written on in chalk

Are frozen or canned vegetables healthy?

As long as they are not cooked or canned in any oil etc, frozen or canned vegetables have roughly the same nutritional value as fresh vegetables and are a great way to save money and time.

If you buy vegetables that have been reduced at the end of the day you can always freeze them to use in a recipe in the future.

Using frozen chicken

Chicken for this or any other chicken recipes should never be cooked from frozen, there are so many issues with this that risk food poisoning.

If you have just realised you only have frozen chicken there I have lots of tips to safely defrost chicken check them out in my defrosting chicken guide.

Making Quorn chicken pieces tikka masala

It is really easy to adapt this healthy tikka masala recipe to use Quorn chicken pieces, as a vegetarian myself I do it often. It is always worth remembering that Quorn takes less time to cook when substituting it for chicken.

Check out my selection of Quorn recipes, all perfect for all the family whether vegetarian or not, some are vegan too.

Quorn pieces and quorn mince on a white plate

Easy steps to make the healthy tikka masala recipe with chicken or Quorn chicken pieces

1. Spray a large frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over medium heat.

2. Fry the Cumin seeds for 1 minute.

3. Add the onion and fry for a further 3 minutes.

4. Add Mushrooms, Peppers, Garlic, Ginger, Tikka Curry Powder and water and fry for a further 3 minutes. Season well.

5. Add the chicken or Quorn and fry for 5 minutes

6. Add the tomatoes, lime and coriander leaf and stir well then simmer for 25 minutes

7. Remove from the heat to stir in the yoghurt, serve immediately. If you do choose to reheat this then do so gentle as it is easy for the yoghurt to split.

Alternatively, add creme fraiche but if you choose this then remember it is higher in calories so less healthy!

More recipes you may enjoy

If you don’t fancy this but would like another recipe with rice check out my huge selection of rice recipes here and check out my tips for cooking the perfect rice!

You can find more recipes with chicken here.

If you are a curry fan then do check out this post full of curry tips and recipes.

Weight loss Guides

I have a lot of Unofficial Slimming World guides and weight loss information along with support if you want to exercise for weight loss including if you have a condition like fibromyalgia.

Have a good look around and see how I can help you achieve your weight loss goals. Request my free resources to get you started too!

Here are some quick jump buttons to help you find my most popular Slimming World guides (all unofficial) and be sure to check out all my healthy recipes too.

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