I may be more than slightly obsessed with tahini. It’s just so delicious.
Especially when used as a creamy balance to a spicy tomato sauce like in this simple chicken dish.
And while I adore this chicken version, it’s equally amazing with salmon or other fish, chickpeas or eggplant.
Chilli Chicken with Tahini Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast fillets
- 1 cup tomato passata / puree
- 1/2 teaspoon hot chilli powder
- 4 tablespoons tahini
- 50 g almonds 2 handfuls
- 1 bag baby spinach leaves 120g / 5oz
Instructions
- Slice chicken into bite sized strips. Bring the tomato passata / puree, chilli powder and 1 cup water to the boil in a medium frying pan. Add chicken and reduce heat to medium. Simmer uncovered for 8-10 minutes or until the chicken has cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
- While the chicken is cooking mix tahini with 4 tablespoons water and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. You want a smooth creamy sauce, Add a little more water if it's very thick.
- When the chicken is cooked, stir in 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to make the sauce a little richer and more balanced. Taste and season the sauce with a little salt and / or more chilli.
- Divide baby spinach between 2 shallow bowls. Top with chicken and sauce. Drizzle over tahini sauce. And scatter over the almonds.
Nutrition
Variations & Substitutions
no tahini? – use almond butter or Greek yoghurt or sour cream (no need to add water to the yoghurt or sour cream).
keto / ultra low carb – halve the tomato and increase the water.
vegetarian – chicken = chickpeas, black beans, mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, roast veg, grilled veg, lovely lentils or poached eggs.
nightshade-free – skip the chilli and tomato and pan fry the chicken until golden on both sides. Serve on a bed of hummus, or almond hummus or broccoli hummus with tahini sauce drizzled over.
more substantial (carb lovers) – warm pita or steamed rice.
more substantial (low carb) – avocado, extra almonds, boiled eggs, almond hummus.
Low FODMAP – halve the tomato, halve the tahini and water, replace almonds with macadamias.
no chilli, family-friendly – skip the chilli or serve it on the side.
different vegetables – add any cooked veg to the sauce. Soften an onion, celery and carrot in a little oil before adding tomato.
different protein – salmon, other fish, sausages, chicken thigh fillets, eggs (simmer in the sauce), lentils, chickpeas, beans, tofu, tempeh.
different chilli – use any fresh or dried chilli peppers or a few tablespoons chipotle chilli in adobo sauce. Or serve with your favourite hot sauce.
different spice – lovely with 1 teaspoon each ground cumin, coriander and smoked paprika. Or your favourite curry powder.
more fancy / for entertaining – serve with best ever tabbouleh, spiced roast cauliflower salad or reliable cabbage salad.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
chicken breast fillets – freeze it.
tomato passata / puree / chilli powder / almonds – keep them in the pantry.
tahini – I keep mine in the pantry but will keep longer in the fridge if open.
baby spinach – either freeze or wilt down in a pan with a little oil and then keep in the fridge for weeks.
Problem Solving Guide
bland – more salt! More chilli or a splash of hot sauce. Next time use less water or simmer the sauce longer to concentrate the flavours.
too dry – overcooked chicken. Next time simmer more gently or check earlier. Or if the sauce is too thick, just add more water.
too hot – next time of course use less chilli. For now serving with yoghurt or extra tahini sauce can help balance the heat.
Prepare Ahead
Yes! Just cook as per the recipe but keep the tahini sauce, almonds and salad separately. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or can be frozen. To serve, bring chicken and sauce back to a simmer and serve as per recipe.
Add to my Old Favourite Recipes
Jules, I don’t know what you are doing to me. Even though I literally hate the flavor of canned tomatoes, this recipe calls to me. I’m not sure I’ll make it any time soon, but I’m definitely saving it.
My evil plan is working Susan!
You know tomato passata is different to canned tomatoes because the seeds are removed – so you never know. And you could try halving the amount of tomato and replacing the rest with water or stock to tone it down.
Thanks for a good laugh, Jules. I should have known you have evil plans… My problem with canned tomato anything is the flavor. A few years ago I had so many dishes with tomatoes in them (it was unavoidable) on a cruise ship that I got thoroughly sick of the flavor, and that reaction has not abated. It probably doesn’t help that my husband’s signature dish when he’s cooking is spaghetti. I still can’t get away from that flavor. I like your suggestion about reducing the passata, and will try it.
Hey Jules, this is one of my favorites. I’ve been making it for lunches at work and it has become a standby. It freezes well too. I added in some leftover butternut squash and it was even better!
ooh yum Lisa!
Let me know which other recipes you enjoy – always helpful to know 🙂
I started off cooking sliced zucchini and carrot in the passata before adding the chicken (thigh fillets rather than breast) and chickpeas later. The jalapenos that I used in lieu of chilli powder didn’t add that much heat. I had it with cashews and brown rice. Good.
I made this again with eggplant and chick peas instead of chicken. Three observations:
1. Eggplant always seems to take longer to cook. At least an hour is probably needed.
2. Eggplant absorbs liquid whereas chicken emits it, so much more liquid was needed.
3. The dish was adequately seasoned, but the leftovers needed more.
I had both sour cream and tahini sauce with it and think that I prefer the tahini in this context.
This is so heplful Mark!
I agree re eggplant always needing longer than you think – I find covering the pan so it steams as well as sautes helps speed things up.
Three thigh fillets and a tin of chickpeas again. Didn’t add any extra veg, and put just half a packet of frozen spinach into the sauce. Probably should have used the hot paprika that I’d meant to instead of the chilli, because the latter doesn’t appeal to me as a primary flavour.
I can imagine a smoky hot paprika would be lovely here Mark
I made this tonight and it was delicious! So easy, flavorful, and satisfying! I added chickpeas and left off the almonds as the tahini and olive oil were plenty of healthy fat for we who lean a little to the lower fat but more slow carb side of things. So, so good and adaptable. Thank you for what you do, Jules!
So glad you enjoyed Jenna!
Thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
Well, I finally made this, and it turned out pretty great! My friend came for dinner, and he loves spicy, and I’d put in a heaping teaspoon of cayenne. It didn’t reduce down very fast, so I was worried the chicken would overcook, but I had used thigh instead of breast meat, which is more forgiving. Used the tahini and that was a nice counter to the passata. I put some spinach and kale into a bowl and some yellow beans that I steamed. It all worked very well and the portion was just right for two people. Yum!
Oh excellent Colleen!
How do I save this to my Favorite recipes??
Just click on the ‘Add to my Inbox’ – next to the thumbnail image of the recipe. Then it will give you an option to ‘go to my inbox’ to view it on the new favourites page.
Glad you’re interested in saving this one Ken!
It was absolutely delicious!!
so glad you enjoyed Ken!
I accept your email challenges, Jules, and have bought myself passata and tahini so I can try it this week! 🙂
Good for you Colleen!