Indian inspired dishes are some of my absolute favorite. While Indian cuisine is often easy to make with my personal sensitivities, it’s been difficult to find dishes for my dairy free friends. I decided to give it a try with oat creamer vs. heavy cream and it came out absolutely delicious!
Here’s some simple tips to ensure it tastes delicious!
Making your dairy free dish creamy:
I have been using oat creamer a lot recently, but I don’t always love the ingredients in plant based milks. Here are some ideas to make your dairy free dish creamy…
- Oat Creamer: I’ve been using Sown Oat Creamer. I found this one to be one of the cleaner options when it comes to Oat Creamer. You can find this one on my shopping list for this recipe.
- Oat Milk + Arrowroot Powder: My favorite clean oat milk to use in coffee daily is Elmhurst Unsweetened Oat Milk. Add a tbsp of arrowroot powder to your regular oat milk and it’ll create a thicker texture.
- Oat Milk + Lentils: You heard that right. I love using red lentils to thicken up a dish without adding dairy. If you choose this option, I’d recommend adding about 1/2 cup to your favorite clean oat milk (or other plant based milk) and placing with the sauce in a pressure cooking for 8-10 minutes. Super thick and adds some additional protein!
Additional flavors & toppings to add/swap:
- SPICE! While it still has quite a bit of flavor, I kept this dish relatively low spice to attend to my friend’s needs. I personally added crushed red pepper to my dish to up the spice. If you’re cooking for those that can handle spice well, add 1 tbsp of crushed red pepper and 1 tbsp of cayenne pepper to the dish. You can increase or decrease this amount depending on your comfort.
- Chicken Thighs vs. Chicken Breast. I personally prefer chicken breast to thigh but thigh in this dish would help to prevent the chicken from drying out. If using breast meat, make sure to check the internal temp often to not overcook the chicken.
- Shallots & Garlic: I personally love shallots/onions and garlic in my recipes. This recipe would normally call for 1 shallot and 3 cloves of garlic. If these are in your diet, I would definitely recommend adding for flavor! If they’re not, this dish is delicious on it’s own.
- Coriander: LOL I did not have any coriander nor do I love the price tag on some of these spices. I used regular cilantro and it turned out delicious. You can swap the cilantro in the marinade for 1 tsp of coriander if you prefer.
- Serving Recommendation: This dish doesn’t contain any vegetables, so I’d recommend with a side of mushrooms or spinach. Also serve with basmati rice.
Tikka Masala Inspired Chicken
- Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
Your allergen friendly Tikka Masala Inspired Dish! You’ll never believe this one is dairy free.
Ingredients
Marinade:
1 lb cubed chicken
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup cilantro
1 tbsp avocado or canola oil
Juice from 1/2 lime
Sauce:
14oz crushed tomatoes
1.5 cups oat creamer
1 tbsp avocado or canola oil
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup cilantro (for topping)
Instructions
1. Combine the chicken with all the marinade ingredients. Marinade for 1-2 hours. Don’t let it marinade too much longer as the citrus may begin to cook the chicken.
2. Place the chicken in a pan over medium high heat. Cook for about 3 minutes until the outside begins to brown. Don’t worry about cooking all the way through.
3. In a pot, combine the crushed tomatoes, oat creamer, and spices (besides the cilantro) and simmer over low to medium heat for about 5 minutes.
4. Add the chicken to the sauce and continue to simmer until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Top with cilantro and enjoy! If it’s within your diet, you can add garlic, shallots, and crushed pepper when cooking the sauce. I paired this chicken with basmati rice and sautéed mushrooms.
- Prep Time: 120
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Entrees
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Questions? Comment Below!