The #1 question we get asked about our diet is: what do you eat to maintain a fit body — specifically, 6-pack abs?  Often, when the answer is a list of foods that include well loved dishes like chilli chicken people are surprised.  The quick response, me too, but I’m far beyond having a 6-pack.  Here’s when we will go into the following explanation.

At scienceandstrength, we believe in eating whole foods, cooked at home.  This doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice flavour and variety by limiting ourselves to broiled chicken breast, broccoli and rice—all though we used to eat like this back in the day to get a 6-pack (it didn’t work for us).  In addition to whole foods, we maximize on functional foods — that contain number of benefits beyond basic nutrition.  These benefits include anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogen, better cardio heath, amongst others.  Many herbs and spices along with onions, ginger and garlic have significant healing properties that go beyond just calories and basic nutrients. 

healthy chilli chicken recipe

Ethnic foods, including many Indian dishes have been created on foundation of these superfoods with the above mentioned properties.  The base of majority Indian curries is onion, ginger, garlic, tomato with a variety of dried herbs and spices.  This curry base holds true with strong aroma — in a good, explosive flavour kind of way — satisfying the stringiest of palates while forgoing added creams, hydrogenated fats and heavy salt seasoning.

Besides taste, this recipe is packed with protein along with other nutritional benefits from herbs and spices — is a must for any repertoire.  Traditional chilli chicken recipe is made by deep frying the chicken, along with addition of high amount of corn starch and salty soy sauce — adding unnecessary preservatives and empty calories.  In this recipe, by increasing the cooking time of the curry base, along with addition of some healthy spices, the depth of flavour will give deep frying taste a run for its money.  Chilli chicken is one of Victor’s favourite Indian restaurant dishes.  So, I went to work perfecting the healthiest version with maximum flavour he will enjoy.  This dish has quickly become the new family favourite.  If serving this to the kids, remove their portion aside (after dish is complete), prior to adding extra spice in form of green or red chillies.

There are number of articles linking Indian cooking with weight gain.  As with anything, the answers lie within ingredient selections.  However, such links do not cover the following details:

  • Firstly, the dish is often made with excess, un-necessary amounts of cheap oils, addition of heavy cream, whipped cream and/or mayonnaise to increase consistency and palatability.  However, this is not how majority of home cooks make their curries; quite the opposite. 
  • The second link of indian foods and weight gain is the side dishes served alongside these calorie heavy curries such as white rice, naan and/or roti (Indian flat bread).  These side dishes are again high in empty calories, and low on fiber.  As a result, it is easy to over eat these processed carbs. 

However, serving our healthy chilli chicken dish with a whole wheat rice, high in fiber, will provide satiety, lower caloric numbers and satisfaction that you can feel good about.

Chilli Chicken Recipe — Healthy, Punjabi Style sans the fryer

1 kg chicken breast or thighs, boneless/skinless

2 coloured bell peppers

3 tbsp olive oil

cilantro leaves – fresh for garnish

Chicken Breast Marinade

1/4 cup Dhai (Indian yogurt) or plain yogurt

1 clove garlic – grated

1 tsp ginger – grated

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp garam masala (mixture of Indian spices)

pinch of salt

pinch of cayenne pepper (for the spice) or black pepper for mild flavour

1/4 tsp dry fenugreek leaves (optional)

Chilli Chicken Curry Paste

1 large white onion

4 cloves of garlic

1/2 inch piece of ginger

1 large tomato

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbs turmeric

11/2 tbsp garam masala

1/2 tsp dry fenugreek leaves (optional)

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp cyanne pepper (spicy) or black pepper (mild) — add at the end if plating for children

1 green/red birds eye chilli (for extra hot flavour) — add at the end if plating for children

Wash and cut chicken breast into bite size pieces, 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes.

In a large mixing bowl prepare marinade — add in yogurt, grated garlic and ginger, turmeric, garam masala, salt, pepper and fenugreek leaves.  Mix the marinade and add in the chopped chicken breasts.  Cover bowl and marinate the chicken in fridge for at least 2 hours to overnight.

For the curry paste:

In a food processors: add roughly chopped onion, garlic, ginger and tomato, grate/blend until very fine and thoroughly mixed. 

In a large, heavy bottom pan, heat EVOO over medium high heat.  Add in the mixture from the food processor — be careful as it can splatter.  Mix and add in the spices — turmeric, garam masala, fenugreek leaves, soy sauce, salt and pepper, along with tomato paste.  Start to mix and cook the mixture. 

The secret to a good Indian curry is the time commitment, slowly and steadily cooking this mixture, without burning it.  As the mixture starts to come together and dry out, you can add tbsp or two of water once the mixture starts to stick to the pot.  Cook for at least 10-15 minutes until the mixture starts to form a ball and almost pulling away from the oil. The colour will also become an intense dark red. 

Add in the chicken, avoiding the marinade.  If you add the marinade it will water down the curry.  Cook chicken for 10 minutes, add in the bite size bell pepper and cook the mixture for anther 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and bell peppers are tender. 

Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and serve with whole wheat rice as a healthy option. Or, live it up with naan bread, if you are so inclined. 

Please help spread our message of eating more whole foods for a fit life—kindly Share this post!  You may also be interested in learning more about our philosophy and fit life The No-Diet Book.