Low Fat Tomato Tandoori Chicken Curry. This tasty low fat version of tandoori chicken was created as a lower calorie option to butter chicken but with plenty of the spicy flavour punch you love.
Okay, so no, you probably don’t have a super hot tandoor oven in your backyard to make authentic tandoori chicken. If you do, I’m jealous and I’m my way over.
However, you are far more likely to have a charcoal or gas grill out there. Your grill can add some of that traditional smoky flavour to the chicken used in this delicious spicy curry dish.
Don’t despair if you don’t have an outside grill, I have a cast iron grill pan that I use all the time for this. Alternatively, you could just cook the chicken under the broiler, allowing it to get a few char marks for flavour.

Trim all of the visible fat from the chicken thighs.
You can use well trimmed boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe which I most often do. That’s because I think they have more flavour.
But of course you can also boneless, skinless chicken breasts to keep the fat content in this recipe quite low. The only suggestion for using chicken breasts would be not to simmer the cooked chicken in the sauce quite so long.
If you do, you may risk drying out the meat too much.

Grilled Tandoori Chicken
I would categorize this recipe as a medium hot but as with any curry recipe, you can increase or decrease any of the spices to suit your own taste. The red curry powder is the hottest of the spices here so you can decrease that to make it milder if you like.
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2021 UPDATE. Instead of traditional Naan Bread to serve with this recipe, we now make our new Quick & Easy Yogurt Flatbreads. They come together in no time.

Low Fat Tomato Tandoori Chicken Curry
This low fat tomato tandoori chicken recipe was developed in answer to a challenge to get the central flavor of butter chicken but without added fat and extra calories. It's since made it's way into our regular dinner plan rotation.
Ingredients
To marinate the chicken
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 12 boneless skinless thighs)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp tandoori masala
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
For the Tomato Curry Sauce
- 1 large or 2 small red onions
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 pounds fresh diced tomatoes, about 8 large tomatoes
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups plain tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp yellow curry powder
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp tandoori masala
- 1/2 tsp red curry powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp allspice
- 2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground fennel seed
- 1 cup non-fat yogurt
Instructions
To prepare the chicken
- Toss together the chicken, oil, tandoori masala, garam masala salt and pepper in a Ziploc bag until the chicken pieces are completely coated in the spice mix. Marinate in the fridge for an hour or two or overnight.
- Grill on a charcoal or gas grill until fully cooked. The chicken can also be cooked under the broiler during the winter months if necessary.
For the Tomato Curry Sauce
- Puree the onions and garlic in a food processor or chop as finely as possible. Add the puree to a large pot and slowly cook the onion mixture until softened, about 5 minutes, then add all the remaining ingredients except the yogurt.
- Simmer slowly for about 25-30 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down into a sauce.
- Add the yogurt and cooked chicken and simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes or so before serving.
- Serve on steamed jasmine or basmati rice or with roti or naan bread. You can find my recipe for simple naan here: Easy Homemade Naan
Notes
Don't despair if you don't have an outside grill, I have a cast iron grill pan that I use all the time for this. Alternatively, you could just cook the chicken under the broiler, allowing it to get a few char marks for flavour.
Recommended Products
Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
8 servingsAmount Per Serving Calories 343Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 109mgSodium 511mgCarbohydrates 13gFiber 5gSugar 7gProtein 44g
Delroy
Saturday 13th of August 2016
What is red curry powder and yellow curry powder
Barry C. Parsons
Friday 19th of August 2016
I get mine at a specialty store but they are available from bulk spice stores too.
Grandmanel
Tuesday 29th of October 2013
This is a lot like the curry I already do, and I'm going to try it for sure. Looks great, but I'd recommend to folks that they make it a day or two even ahead. Tastes so much better for sitting in the fridge for a day.