Low Carb Chicken Tikka Masala

One meal I have missed since restarting my low carb lifestyle is Chicken Tikka Masala. It was off limits because of the added sugar, white rice and the accompanying naan bread that my family and I adore.

While cleaning out old recipes the other day, I came across my favorite Chicken Tikka Masala recipe from America's Test Kitchen. I read it through and realized I could tweak it to make it low carb by doing the following (here is the original recipe):

~ Substitute 2 teaspoons Truvia for 2 teaspoons of sugar that is used in the sauce.

~ Serve cauliflower rice* with the chicken instead of white rice. My stepson's girlfriend did not know it was cauliflower until we told her. It's that similar!

~Making a naan substitute by lightly toasting low carb pita** in the oven then coating it with a minced garlic, sea salt and olive oil mix before toasting again to desired crispness.

~ Use full-fat Greek yogurt to add richness and to cut out the fillers and sugars often used to make a product low fat.

This dish is so delicious, I made it twice this week. I hope you try it. If you do, please let me know your thoughts!

* Cauliflower rice is so easy. Rinse a head of cauliflower well and cut into big chunks. Using your cheese grater, grate the raw cauliflower on the largest grate into a microwave safe casserole dish or serving bowl. When you're finished, simply cover the dish with plastic wrap and microwave until cooked. It usually takes my microwave about 5 or 6 minutes to cook a full head.

** Of course, this meal is great without naan and if you're avoiding all bread products, even low carb, skip it. But if you can get your hands on some low carb pita and you want a special treat, it's worth making naan. I'm lucky because our local market carries a low carb pita bread. If your market doesn't and you'd like to get some, you can order it online here.

Adrienne