Deconstructed Chicken Tikka Masala Bowl
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Heads up! Do not get intimidated by the long list of ingredients. If you look closely, you will see it is a lot of the same ingredients used in different elements of the dish. I created this lunch bowl to beginner cooks who are looking to dip their feet into the wonderful world of Indian cooking.
Ingredients for Deconstructed Chicken Tikka Masala Bowl
This dish consists of 4 elements, each packed with nutrition.
Chicken Tikka: Cubes of chicken breast are prepped in a quick marinade with deggi mirch, salt, garam masala lemon juice and ginger-garlic paste. Chicken is baked in the oven and no oil at all is required for cooking.
Tomato masala sauce: The sauce takes less than 30 minutes to be ready and is sweet, spicy and smooth, which makes it great to toss the chicken and rice with. Tomatoes also contain the antioxidant lycopene, which can help reduce risk of cancer and heart disease (source: Healthline). You can finish the sauce with 10% half and half cream or for a protein boost, use Greek yogurt.
Black beans: They are a great source of fibre, protein and folate. Black beans also help reduce spikes in blood sugar levels, which is know to control diabetes and weight gain (source: Healthline).
Basmati rice: Basmati rice is arguably the only rice worth having, except when it comes to sushi or risotto. This, by default, makes it the de-facto starch to enjoy with this quick curry. The flavour and aroma is unbeatable which you will be sure to enjoy. (source: Healthline).
Meal Prep this Deconstructed Tikka Masala Bowl
This meal works great for all of your meal prep needs and can be put together in no time. There are only four simple elements and the preparation time for rice and beans are next to nothing!
The marinated chicken can be tossed on a baking sheet, in multiple batches if necessary and baked together.
Finally, the sauce can be made in advance, and frozen for use later for up to 3-4 months.
How to Make Deconstructed Chicken Tikka Masala
Prepare the marinade
Cut the chicken into 1 1/2 inch pieces and add to a bowl, along with the lemon juice, deggi mirch, garam masala and salt and mix well together. Let the chicken marinate for at least 10-15 minutes.
To prepare the chicken, beans and tomato masala sauce
Preheat oven to 450 F.
Arrange the chicken on a baking sheet and bake for 12-18 minutes or until completely cooked and slightly charred. Set aside for later.
If using canned beans, simply rinse off the beans with running water. To prepare fresh black beans, add to an Instant Pot with enough water to cover them by about an inch.
Cook in Presser Cook mode, on High for 25 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally after the timer has gone off. For other cooking methods and detailed instructions you can view the full recipe here.
Heat butter in a pan on medium heat and add 1 tsp cumin seeds. Then add the remaining ginger and garlic paste.
Keep stirring until aromatic and rawness of ginger and garlic is cooked off Add onions and green chillies (if using) and cook until translucent. For extra tomato richness, you can add tomato paste at this stage and cook for 1-2 minutes before adding the diced tomatoes/passata.
Then add the tomatoes, red chili powder, coriander powder, salt and turmeric. Cook until tomatoes are soft and have reduced to a thick sauce.
Finish sauce with kasoori methi, honey and cream/Greek yogurt and simmer for 1-2 minutes (I used Greek yogurt here).
To assemble the bowl
To prepare the rice, rinse the rice in cold water in a strainer or in a pot 3-4 times or until the water runs clear.
Add rice in a pot and the water, turn heat to high and bring water up to a boil. Once the water is boiling, turn the heat down to low and cover the pot with a lid or plate. Make sure to leave a small opening to let steam escape.
After about 15-20 minutes, the rice should be cooked. Using a fork, fluff up the rice, cover again and let it sit for about 10 minutes. This will help ensure the rice is not sticky from the excess steam and make the rice fluffy.
Then, portion the rice to individual bowls and top with the tomato masala sauce, black beans, chicken tikka and fresh cilantro.
Recipe variations
If you are looking for a smooth sauce, you can purée the sauce with an immersion blender or food processor.
You can substitute the cream with 1/2 Cup Greek yogurt for an extra protein boost in your Chicken Tikka Masala bowl.
If you have extra time, you can sauté the black beans with 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds and olive oil before adding it to your bowl.
Watch How to Make Deconstructed Tikka Masala Bowl Here:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!