This is an Easy Chicken Curry that you need in your life. If you are looking for a new way to eat lean chicken breast, but you don't like spicy food, then give this Tomato and Garlic Chicken Curry recipe a try. It's a rich and creamy curry with just a tiny bit of spice, which could easily be left out to make a lovely mild healthy chicken curry. This is a great kid friendly curry, that freezes well too.
One of our aims for this year was to order less takeaways and cook more alternatives at home. This easy chicken curry is our go-to on a Friday night rather than ordering from the local Indian restaurant! It has all of the flavour of a takeaway tomato based Indian chicken curry, but much less calories.
Check out our Healthier Takeaway section for more recipes.
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Why should you try it?
- A mild chicken curry and the chilies can easily be left out
- Quick and easy, and will kids love it
- Freezer friendly
- Under 400 calories a portion
- Protein packed
What you will need
- Chicken breast - You can use chicken thighs instead, but these tend to have a higher fat content.
- Garlic - This is a fairly garlic heavy curry, so feel free to reduce the quantity to your own taste.
- Ginger - Along with garlic, ginger is the base of most curries.
- Greek yogurt - Adds a nice creaminess as well as cooling the curry down a bit. You can use coconut milk too.
- Plum tomatoes - Good quality plum tomatoes are always preferable as cheaper ones can be a bit watery. We use plum over chopped as they have less of a metallic taste.
- Onion - You could use shallots for a sweeter taste.
- Spice mix - We made our own spice mix consisting of cumin, turmeric, chilli, cinnamon and coriander. You can use your own spice blend or even some garam masala.
- Coriander (cilantro) - Fresh coriander to finish the dish off.
Step by step
One: Heat oil in a large pan and then add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook on a medium heat for 3 minutes until softened.
Two: Add the chicken and cook for a further 3 minutes until browned.
Three: Once the chicken is browned, add the red chilli flakes, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon and coriander to the pan and mix well and cook for a further 1 minute.
Four: Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato puree to the pan and gently simmer for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Five: Stir in the Greek yoghurt and coriander and season with salt and pepper before serving.
Watch our web story for a quick how-to on how to make this healthy chicken curry.
Is it spicy?
This easy chicken curry has plenty of flavour going on, but we kept it mild as I know not everyone wants to be blown away by a curry. It's really all about the spices, rather than the heat. There is cumin, coriander, cinnamon and of course lots of garlic, but just a sprinkle of chilli flakes which could easily be left out.
Will kids like it?
I love a spicy curry and although I have a limit, usually it's the spicier the better. However, our daughter doesn't quite have the same spice tolerance as I do - yet! She does love a mild chicken curry though - and this is a great curry for kids.
Curries are great way to introduce kids to new herbs and spices and you can easily sneak some vegetables in to this too. This has become a family favourite, so we keep it pretty mild and then I add an extra sprinkle of chilli flakes to my bowl before serving.
Is this easy to make?
Yes, it is super simple. Sometimes you look at a homemade curry recipe and there is a list of about 20 ingredients, and it's just off putting. This recipe just uses a few key herbs and spices that you probably already have in your cupboard, along with the chicken and tomatoes. It's even easier than ordering a takeaway.
How to adapt it
As with all our recipes, this is easy to adapt. We have had this as a vegetable curry when we needed to do a fridge clear out, we have had it with tofu and we have done a seafood version too that was really good. We've also used chicken thigh instead of breast, which makes it cheaper.
Our aim is to provide you with base recipes, like this sauce, that you can then adapt to suit your family's tastes and also so you can enjoy it again and again without getting bored.
We often add in some mushrooms, peppers, courgettes and even cut down the amount of chicken and add in some chickpeas for a protein boost. You can stir in some spinach just before serving too.
This low calorie and low fat curry is a great way to cut back on takeaways and without cutting back on flavour. It has all the spices you know and love from your favourite curries, without the heat, making it a curry suitable for the whole family.
FAQs
We all like a big indulgent takeaway curry every now and then, but that was becoming a bit too much of a habit for us, so we started making more healthy chicken curry at home. It doesn't get much healthier than this, and it's pretty low in calories too at just 386 calories a bowl (without rice).
Curries usually come with ghee or cream stirred through it, but we added some Greek yogurt to give it that delicious creamy flavour without all the calories. You could use coconut milk, but that would increase the calories. Then there are all the healthy benefits from all the garlic in this!
Yes, this curry freezes really well. Just let it cool fully and then store in plastic containers and it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Once it has defrosted you can either microwave it or heat it up in a pan.
It will also keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. We sometimes put leftovers in a wrap with some grill halloumi or on a baked potato.
We serves ours with some plain boiled rice (although some turmeric rice would be good) and lots of fresh coriander. We then had one of our super Easy 4 Ingredient Flatbreads on the side, which is really good for moping up all the leftover sauce.
If you wanted a low carb meal, then why not try serving the curry with Cauliflower Rice.
Extra tips
- If you like your curries spicier, add an extra sprinkle of chilli flakes before serving.
- Don't have all the different spices? Just use 2 tablespoon of curry powder or curry paste instead. Or if you have Garam Masala, you can use that.
- Make the curry a little more indulgent by stirring some cream through just before serving.
- Add a portion of vegetables to this easy chicken curry by throwing in some chopped spinach a few minutes before the curry is finished.
- Don't like chicken? You could use any vegetables instead, or use tofu or king prawns.
- Try leftovers in a wrap with some grilled halloumi or on top of a baked potato.
- Why not halve the amount of chicken and add some chickpeas instead.
- Try stirring in some spinach a few minutes before serving for an iron boost.
More curry recipes
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Recipe
Tomato and Garlic Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 400 g Chicken breasts cut in to chunks
- 1 Onion diced
- 1 Thumb sized piece of ginger grated
- 4 Garlic cloves crushed
- 0.5 teaspoon Ground cumin
- 0.5 teaspoon Turmeric
- 0.5 teaspoon Red chilli flakes
- 0.5 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- 0.5 teaspoon Ground coriander
- 2 tablespoon Tomato puree
- 400 g Chopped tomatoes canned
- 4 tablespoon Greek yoghurt
- 1 Handful of fresh coriander (cilantro) finely chopped
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large pan and add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 3 minutes until softened.
- Add the chicken and cook for a further 3 minutes until browned.
- Once the chicken is browned, add the red chilli flakes, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon and coriander to the pan and mix well and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato puree and gently simmer for 20 minutes until the chicken it cooked through.
- Stir through the Greek yoghurt and coriander before serving and serve with rice.
Notes
- If you like your curries spicier, add an extra sprinkle of chilli flakes before serving.
- Don't have all the different spices? Just use 2 tablespoon of curry powder or curry paste instead. Or if you have Garam Masala, you can use that.
- Make the curry a little more indulgent by stirring some cream through just before serving.
- Add a portion of vegetables to this easy chicken curry by throwing in some chopped spinach a few minutes before the curry is finished.
- Don't like chicken? You could use any vegetables instead, or use tofu or king prawns.
- Try leftovers in a wrap with some grilled halloumi or on top of a baked potato.
- Why not halve the amount of chicken and add some chickpeas instead.
- Try stirring in some spinach a few minutes before serving for an iron boost.
Jessica Formicola
This has my mouth watering! I bet it makes the perfect weeknight meal!
Vicky
I love a good curry, but am watching calories so I love the swap you made with the Greek yogurt. I might add a few more chili flakes as you suggested since I like a spicier curry.
Juli
This chicken curry looks amazing. I love at home versions of restaurant classics. I love that other peoples kids enjoy curry and garlic too!
Kellie
Loved this as I have many of your other dishes. Love that you make things so simple yet delisious. Plenty of inspiration on your blog to keep inspired and on track. I'm not typically over weight but I suffer with my thyroid which can make me put weight on if I don't watch what I eat. The fact that yours is more of a lifestyle change rather than a "diet" suits me just great. Keep up the good work I love your updates.
Holly
Oh, this looks super yummy. I will definitely have to try this. I love trying new recipes!!
Veronica Foad
Made a number of times and cooking tomorrow. You can make spicier if liked. Really yummy
Becca Talbot
This chicken curry looks and sounds AMAZING! And so simple to make too! I would probably add a little less garlic and A LOT more chilli, because I'm a chilli fiend and love my food really REALLY spicy hehe! x
Michelle
What a delicious curry, easily adapted to different tastes and perfect for BLW too. I would have to triple to quantities for my family of 6, the teens tend to have rather large portions.
Helen of Fuss Free Flavours
Curries can be full of amazing flavours without the fire of chilli, so ideal for those that cannot or don't want to eat chilli. This is a delicious sounding recipe, and a great idea for a hearty meal for any day of the week.
Demeter
Spicy meals are the best! But always in moderation. ;) Love that sauce!
Katie Bryson
There really is nothing finer than a delicious curry on a cold January evening... this sounds like a total winner of a recipe Dannii, def giving it a try.
Harriet from Toby & Roo
You always manage to make me hungry with your posts! This sounds drool worthy lovely x
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
You just can't beat a homemade curry, this looks absolutely delicious and full of flavours
Katie | Healthy Seasonal Recipes
I love this healthier curry recipe! I had a fab butter chicken last week and was thinking I needed to do a healthier version at home. This chicken curry is an inspiration.
Fiona
This looks delicious! I love the idea of trying it with tofu or paneer. This time of year these warm hearty curries are exactly the kind of dish I crave. Can't wait to try!
Renee
Takeaway Indian food can be so greasy that it's hard to enjoy it, but this looks lovely and light, but with plenty of flavour too. I can't wait to try it.
Megan
We spend so much money on takeaaays it's reduclous. I would love some healthier ideas for takeaways, especially Chinese type dishes if you have them.
amy
Delicious! Beautiful photos too, curry is hard to photograph so nicely..
Juli
This looks and sounds delicious. I would choose this over take-out any day. I love that the whole family could enjoy this since it doesn't seem too spicy.
Monica | Nourish & Fete
This looks absolutely delicious! You're so right that having an arsenal of delicious, simple recipes makes a huge difference in minimizing the need or frequency of takeout - this is one to save for sure!