Chicken Tikka Masala with Butternut Squash Fettucine

Chicken Tikka Masala with Butternut Squash Fettuccine

Sometimes, living with a man can be frustrating. Like yesterday, when I re-made this recipe...

Chicken Tikka Masala with Butternut Squash Fettucine

Sometimes, living with a man can be frustrating.

Like yesterday, when I re-made this recipe for the blog, after having tested it a few days before.

Being the newly-organized person I am (cc: New Year’s resolutions), I made sure to order extra Greek yogurt for this recipe.

In the final steps, when I went to grab the yogurt from the fridge to fold into the perfectly simmered sauce, that’s when I realized: Lu had eaten all the Greek yogurt.

Chicken Tikka Masala with Butternut Squash Fettucine

Now, let me preface this story by saying that Lu never eats Greek yogurt on his own. I’ll make an after-dinner dessert with Greek yo, bananas, blueberries, strawberries and gluten-free granola and offer to make him one and he’ll always say, “No, it’s okay,” which I know means, “I don’t want to eat a whole bowl, but I’ll have some of yours – and probably eat more of it than you do.”

Thus, I didn’t think he would open the yogurt himself. Well, I was proven wrong.

Chicken Tikka Masala with Butternut Squash Fettucine

It’s okay, he didn’t know. It’s funny, because Lu typically doesn’t go into the refrigerator, unless it’s to get the following: fruit, hummus, carrots, olives, almond milk or, Inspiralized recipe testing leftovers.

He’s more of a pantry guy (popcorn, mango slices, nuts, almond butter, etc.)

Anyway, I wanted to add something creamy to this recipe so that when I photographed it, it looked true to the recipe. Unfortunately, all I had was ricotta cheese – which tasted delicious, but made the sauce grainy (as you can see in these pictures.)

Chicken Tikka Masala with Butternut Squash Fettucine

So, when you make yours, the sauce will be creamier, not so coagulated-looking. It will be perfect, as long as your roommate doesn’t polish off the last of the Greek yogurt.

Men!

But honestly, this spiralized twist on a classic Indian dish is amazing – the sweetness in the butternut squash complements the strong flavors of the spices. Actually, my inspiration for this recipe was from this Indian butternut squash curry I had in London, when I was there on a work trip a few years ago (in my previous, non-Inspiralized life.)

The chicken adds a lean protein to this meal, but if you’re vegetarian – try tofu or even some paneer cheese! Once you’ve got the sauce down, you can add it on anything (even some spiralized rice!)

Do you like Indian food? Do you have any classics you’d like to see me Inspiralize?

Nutritional Information & Recipe

Inspiralized.com

Chicken Tikka Masala with Butternut Squash Fettucine

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • For the pasta:
  • 1 large butternut squash or 2 medium, peeled, Blade B, noodles trimmed
  • olive oil cooking spray
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • For the tikka masala:
  • 1 tablespoon virgin unrefined coconut oil (or extra virgin olive oil)
  • 1 cup diced white onion
  • 2 large garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
  • teaspoons garam masala
  • teaspoons ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • salt to taste
  • 1.5 cups canned tomato puree
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1 ½ tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • For the chicken:
  • ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound boneless chicken breasts cut into thin strips or 1” cubes
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out the butternut squash noodles. Spray with cooking spray and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Roast for 8-10 minutes or until al dente.
  • In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. When the heats, add in the onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until onion turns translucent. Add in the garam masala, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and add the tomato puree and lemon juice to the saucepan. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook at a simmer for about 10 minutes for the flavors to develop.
  • Once the sauce is simmering, cook the chicken: in a large skillet, add in the olive oil. Once oil heats, add in the chicken, season with salt and pepper and then cover to quick cookly, 5-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
  • Once sauce is done, remove from heat, stir in the Greek yogurt and cilantro and then add in the chicken. Stir to combine.
  • Divide the butternut squash noodles into bowls and top with chicken tikka masala.
with love, Ali

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Recipe Rating




comments

  • We love Chicken Tikka Masala and this looks amazing. Thanks for sharing.
  • I recently moved to another state and I had gained alot of weight. I am inspired by your journey and have begun mine with inspiration from you, the spiralizer and your recipes! Can't wait to try this
  • HAHAHAH! Caleb does that ALL THE TIME. Or he will eat the actual food that I made the day before and was planning to photograph the next day. Men. Can't live with them...can't feed them to the wolves. KIDDING. Anyway. we LOVE chicken Tikka Masala...and now I have the spiralizer...SO. THIS. Pinned!
  • Any suggestions please gratefully received for this Spiralizing problem - whenever I use the Spiralizer it rather creeps across the worktop as the suckers do not seem man enough to keep the machine static. I end up wishing I had three hands instead of two to try and keep the fella there.........! Thanks
    • Make sure your countertop isn't textured or not sealed or the suction won't work correctly. I sometimes use mine on my glass cooktop.
      • I have been known to spiralize directly into my wok. I load the onion, hook my thumb around the adjustable handle on the side and my fingers on the plastic outer edge that holds the cutter inserts to maintain pressure of the veggie to the blade insert and spiralize away. But that's just me. Your veggie pieces have to be short enough that you can maintain the pressure of veggie to slicer insert to work quickly.
    • I wet mine down just a little bit and then push down really hard to seal it to the counter top. That has worked for me so far.
    • Position your spiralizer against a jelly roll pan or large 9x13" glass pan that is flush against a wall. If the spiralizer wants to creep (like when you're cutting tough veggies!), it can't! Hope this is helpful.
  • Thank you for throwing in veggie-friendly ideas lately! It's much appreciated when I can't come up with a suitable replacement on my own :)
  • My first goal is to eat as much fresh Organic foods, replacing junk and boxed foods.
  • This is very creative! I've been a bit of a rut trying to get my man to eat healthier with me (one of my goals, actually), so I'm excited to try this. Thanks Ali!
  • Would love to see more Indian recipes on here- this is great! Particularly would be great over spiralized rice.
    • I have one in my cookbook Ari, but I will definitely add more -I LOVE Indian cuisine!
  • I'm not eating dairy right now, but might try this with some full fat coconut milk to sub for the yogurt! What do you think??
    • A paleo blog that I follow has a recipe which uses coconut milk and almond cream. So I bet full fat coconut milk would work great.
  • Weird question, and I'm sorry for asking but .. HOW do you peel the butternut? sometimes it is hard just to cut it in half ! i don't want to lose too much 'meat' and it is not flexible like a grapefruit, as you know :-)
      • thanks for the link. it seems very easy with your peeler but .. butternuts are sometimes very thick and not that easy to peel . that is why i was asking. but thank you !!! nice recipes and videos by the way :-)
        • i have the same. it is more the butternuts themselves that sometimes are very thick and way too hard to peel. ... maybe it's a place thing :-) (weather) I live in Quebec Canada .. thanks again for all of what you put out there. Very nice and well done !!
      • To peel the squash, buy a ceramic peeler. Love it. Works great on the butternuts.
  • Indian recipes are on my list of things to try - This sounds perfect! .... I have heard a tip for peeling butternut squash (slice off ends, pierce many times with fork, microwave for 3 mins) ... I haven't tried it and was also curious what you do, does this micro-wave method work for spiralizing? ... maybe this would be a good YouTube video?
  • I love Indian food and am really looking forward to making this. Strangely enough I've never made chicken tikka masala before, even though I've seen a number of recipes for it. I don't use my spiralizer enough, so clearly I have to make this. Your timing is perfect because I need to do some menu planning today. :-)
  • can you also cook the chicken in the sauce instead of cooking it separately?
  • To get back to the gym and start eating healthier.
  • Absolutely love this, Ali. That squash look so good!
  • Looks amazing! Can't wait to try it!
  • Looks delicious! Just rediscovered Indian food a few weeks ago. It's been years since I've had any and ate some amazingly delicious Tikka Masala a few weekends ago. Can't wait to try making this at home!
  • I am on a health journey to lose weight and feel healthy- your site has been great to replace all those carbs with some delicious veggies!
  • This recipe is a winner! Just finished eating it...perfect amount of spice, and the sweetness of the butternut squash is perfect with the spicy chicken. I used chopped rotisserie chicken, which made it even easier.
    • I love the rotisserie chicken idea - way to save time! So happy you liked it!!
  • I live with 4 men - I hear your pain!!
  • I made it for dinner tonight! Thank you, so delicious! I too discovered at the last second that I was out of greek yogurt (I can't blame my husband unforch, he hates it). So I substituted coconut milk. I also threw the sauce in a blender because I only had canned tomatoes (not puree) and really wanted it creamy. It tasted wonderful. Next time, I'm putting it over cauliflower "rice."
  • How delicious looking! I love Indian food and now finally something to keep me away from all the extra rice!
  • I never see a recipe of yours that I do not want to try! You are so talented!!! Thank you for sharing your gift with us!
  • Made this for dinner tonight, and it was a huge hit. I cooked the chicken in the same pan I made the sauce - just put it aside after it was cooked and added it back in later. One less pan to clean. Thanks for the idea!
  • Spiralized Palak Paneer would be amazing!!!
  • Wow, this one is an winner! Amazing. My teenage son loved it too. Unfortunately two of the tines that hold the vegetable on my spiralizer broke off. I was wondering if you have had any luck from the manufacturer on replacing that piece. Any feedback would be helpful. Amy
    • I had that happen as well. I haven't contacted the manufacturer. Let me know if you hear anything.
      • I just called the world-cuisine company and they will replace the piece since it is still under warranty (one year). They were great on the phone, I needed to send a picture of the box and the item. Give then a call to find out if you can do the same 1-877-778-2711
        • Sigh. I have had mine for not quite a year but no longer have the box. I'll give them a call anyway and see what they can do. Thanks for the number.
      • WOW! Best customer service ever. I explained that I had purchased it last February and no longer had the box and they are still sending me a replacement part. So glad I called.
      • Awesome. I almost ate that piece that broke off! That's great service. I guess you can tell the "knock-offs" by the suction feet, he wanted those in the picture I sent.
  • Made this last night, and we thought it was just too lemony. I used one TBSP of DeLallo lemon juice because I didn't have a fresh lemon - perhaps that was the culprit. If we try it again, I am tempted to leave out the lemon juice completely. We are still planning to eat the leftovers for dinner tonight. :) Thanks for providing us with great recipes, Ali!
  • Oh my. I made this for dinner tonight. We loved it. We always give our food a number rating out of 10. My husband gave this 9.5 out of 10! I do have to say after spiral cutting zucchini and beets mostly doing the butternut squash was a work out! Thank you for posting such great recipes. I look forward to my posts from you via email.
  • I haven't had one bad recipe from you yet, Ali. This was wonderful! If possible, leftovers were even better. ~ ruth
  • I made Chicken Tikka Masala with butternut squash noodles last night and it was delicious. Spiralizing vegetables is a wonderful idea. My husband, who loves his pasta, enjoyed it also. The squash noodles are delicious, filling, and healthier!
  • Chose this as my first spiralized meal after getting a Paderno for my birthday. Really tasty! It was a little sour for me, but I'm thinking my tomato purée here in Sweden might just be a bit different. Nothing a little dollop of Turkish yogurt can't fix! Thanks!
  • This recipe is INCREDIBLE!!!! And the taste is so authentic. Thank You !!
  • I finally got this made tonight. It came out a little hotter than I would have preferred, and my noodles did not cook well enough in the specified time (which, of course, I found out too late). I also had a major struggle trying to get the squash spiralized. Apart from that, the dish is quite tasty. I'm really glad we tried it.
  • one of my favorite inspiralized dishes to date!!
  • I'm making this with zucchini noodles right now... Do I also bake them like you would the butternut squash?
    • No! You would just saute them in the sauce or separately in a skillet!
  • OK, I am "late to the party" on this one, but I made this last night for the first time. We LOVE Indian food, but it is usually labor intensive and/or time consuming. This was easy and DELICIOUS! Nice and spicy, definitely will be making this regularly in our house.
  • Thank you for this delicious recipe. We tried it today and just wanted more and more of it. I am curious for trying some others of your recipes. Thanks you a lot. Best wishes Lucie
  • This was SO delicious.. Even though I accidentally overcooked the noodles :) The sauce was amazing. I ended up eating 2 servings and felt contently full. Also for anyone that doesn't know what tomato puree is/can't find it in their store, I searched online and found that 1.5 tbsp of tomato paste w/ 1.5 cups water was a good substitute. Also, Ali, if you read this, as some feedback it would be great if you somehow implemented a recipe rating system! I'm always looking for reader feedback on the dish which I find lacking.
  • Can you substitue sour cream for the greek yogurt?
  • O.M.G. Yum, yum, yummmah!!
  • My significant other told me that this was the best Indian meal I had ever made. The butternut squash was surprisingly easy to spiralize and the leftovers were even better the next day.
  • It is so frustrating to read all of these beautiful recipes and not being able to understand how to make them. Thanks again. family