Diet-Friendly Tandoori Chicken

Celebrity dietitian and motivational life coach Tanya Zuckerbrot, author of www.ffactordiet.com and founder of www.skinnyandthecity.com, has helped thousands of people lose weight and keep it off with her program. Her philosophy? Tanya believes you should never sacrifice taste, even when you're eating healthy foods. Have a recipe in need of rehab? Send us an e-mail at reciperehab [AT] thatsfit [DOT] com.

Sandy from Brooklyn, N.Y. asked for a recipe rehab of her favorite dish -- Chicken Tikka Masala. Sandy has been watching her weight for the past year and has dropped 20 pounds! The cuisine she misses most since she began dieting is Indian food. She loves Indian food because it is filled with flavor and spices. She also knows, however, that with the delicious flavor comes fattening cheese and heavy cream, making this meal a diet disaster. Sandy wants a dish that will satisfy her craving without packing on the pounds. My Tandoori Chicken is loaded with the same flavorful spices as the Chicken Tikka Masala, but I cut out the fat. My lean, protein-filled rehab of the dish will be sure to satisfy even the most devoted Indian food-lover like Sandy.

I have tweaked the recipe by swapping the full-fat yogurt, butter and heavy cream with fat-free Greek yogurt. The rehabbed dish contains most of the same flavors from the Chicken Tikka Masala, such as garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper, turmeric and ginger. Sandy will be able to reap the benefits without the fat weighing her plate down. Cayenne pepper and ginger give a spicy kick to this dish, while aiding the body with digestion. Ginger is also famous for its ability to cure nausea. A known benefit of cayenne is that it promotes blood circulation and clears up stuffy sinuses. Good news for Sandy -- there is evidence that cayenne pepper is also responsible for reducing fat and calorie intake! Try my healthy and tasty Tandoori chicken that skimps on fat, not flavor.

Ingredients:

• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces Fage Total fat-free yogurt
• 4 4-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken and mix well.
2. Add chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Remove the chicken, and discard the marinade.
3. Preheat the broiler or grill pan on the stove top.
4. Broil or grill the chicken 5 minutes per side.

Serves: 4

Nutrition content (per serving):

220 calories, 4g fat, 3g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, 636 mg sodium, 40g protein

If you're craving Indian food but do not want to cook, watch this video to help you navigate through a menu at an Indian restaurant.

Readers, I would love to hear from you! Please send your most favorite fattening recipes to reciperehab [AT] thatsfit [DOT] com and I'll rehab it! Everything from your mom's meatloaf to your kid's favorite dessert -- let me lighten it up.