This glucose friendly recipe for Indian Spiced Ground Chicken Breast with Roasted Cabbage Steaks is high protein and also a delicious gluten free meal.
Be sure to check out Jen's section on why this recipe is dietitian approved for improving insulin resistance, prediabetes and diabetes.
Ingredients for Indian Spiced Ground Chicken Breast With Roasted Cabbage Steaks
First, don't be intimidated by the number of ingredients. You'll find this recipe is a lot easier than it looks. Most of the cooking happens in one pot, and the roasted cabbage steaks basically cook themselves while the ground chicken breast, spices, and tomatoes simmer on the stove.
- Indian Spices: Coriander seeds, cumin seeds, garam masala and turmeric are all spices commonly used in Indian cuisine (among others). (Most are readily available at local grocery stores, or you can use the above affiliate links to purchase online.)
- Avocado Oil: A neutral oil that's been shown to lower LDL, the bad cholesterol. Other good options are ghee (clarified butter) for a more traditional flavor, or coconut oil.
- Yellow Onion: Slowly cooked yellow onion imparts a sweet undertone to this dish.
- Ginger and Garlic: The aromatics are a foundational flavor base in Indian cuisine. Don't skip them!
- Ground Chicken Breast: Feel free to swap out lean turkey, beef or crumbled high protein tofu for a vegetarian option.
- Canned peeled tomatoes: For juiciness and tanginess.
- Cabbage: If you've never had roasted cabbage steaks, you're in for a treat. The crunchy texture and crispy bits pair so nicely with the tomato and spiced ground chicken.
- Cilantro: While optional, a garnish of fresh, crisp cilantro brightens everything up.
- Greek Yogurt: Adds creaminess, extra protein and tanginess. Also optional, but highly recommended!
The Key to Home Cooking Success: Organization
The key to making any recipe come together seamlessly is practicing the art of mise en place — that's French for everything in its place. Translation: Organize all the ingredients, utensils, and necessary equipment before you begin cooking.
In this case, you'll want to measure out all of the spices and condiments and place them in small bowls based on the order in which they're used; prep the aromatics and herbs; slice and prep the cabbage; open the can of tomatoes, and so on.
Everything should be ready to go.
This is how home chefs make easy work of even the most complex recipes. Once you learn to cook this way, you'll enjoy every moment in the kitchen (well, except maybe the cleanup!).
How to Make Roasted Cabbage Steaks
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or use a non-stick baking sheet (affiliate link).
- Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and slice it in half. Then slice each half into wedges about an inch thick.
- Drizzle or brush each cabbage steak on both sides and season with oil and pepper.
- Set aside and place in the oven once the spiced ground chicken breast and tomato mixture has simmered for 10 minutes.
- Heat oven to 450°F.
How to Make Indian Spiced Ground Chicken Breast
- Start by lightly crushing the coriander seeds to release the flavor.
- Heat a heavy bottomed pot with a lid over medium heat.
- Toast the coriander and cumin seeds.
- Add the turmeric powder and garam masala.
- Add the oil, some of the salt, and onions to the pot and lower the heat.
- Add the crushed garlic and grated ginger.
- Raise the heat and add the chicken breast. Cook until cooked through.
- Add the tomatoes.
Specific instructions and cook times are outlined in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Common Questions
I would definitely freeze the meat sauce for three to six months, and thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. For the cabbage, it's best to eat those right after cooking them as they tend to lose their crispiness and don't freeze well.
Your best bet is a few minutes in the microwave. Another good option would be to place the cabbage steaks in the bottom of a pot set over medium low heat on the stove top, add the chicken sauce on top, cover with a lid, and warm until heated through.
Suggested Variations
- If you're not a fan of Indian spices, or you just want to try something different, try replacing the coriander, cumin, turmeric and garam masala with dried basil and oregano, and leave out the ginger, for more of an Italian tasting sauce. Top the whole thing with grated parmesan or fresh mozzarella and fresh basil leaves.
- You might consider swapping cauliflower for the cabbage and roasting it the same way as the cabbage.
- You make it vegetarian by subbing the ground chicken breast with crumbled high protein tofu. Top it with toasted cashews.
- Use lean ground beef or turkey instead of chicken.
I'm really excited for you to try this recipe as it's become one of my favorite meals. I love the flavor and texture combinations, and the fact that it's healthy and satisfying.
Recipe
Indian Spiced Ground Chicken Breast with Roasted Cabbage Steaks
Ingredients
Roasted Cabbage Steaks
- 1 head of cabbage medium
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- Pepper to taste
Chicken with Tomato and Indian Spices
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds gently crushed
- 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 3 tablespoon avocado oil may use ghee or coconut oil
- 1 cup onion diced
- 1 tablespoon ginger fresh and grated
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 lb ground chicken breast may use turkey, beef, or crumbled tofu
- 28 oz peeled canned tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt divided (see notes)
Garnishes
- 6 tablespoon greek yogurt
- ¼ cup cilantro minced (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and discard them. Slice the cabbage into 1 inch thick wedges, place them on the baking sheet, and toss with the olive oil, making sure all sides are coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside.1 head of cabbage, 1 tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, 2 Tbsp olive oil, Pepper to taste
- Lightly crush the coriander seeds to relase their flavor. You can do this in a mortar end pestle if you have one, or on a cutting board using the side of a knife.
- Meanwhile, place a medium dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium heat.
- Add the coriander and cumin seeds and toast about 2 minutes, stirring to prevent burning. Add the garam masala and turmeric and toast another minute or until fragrant.1 tsp coriander seeds, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 Tbsp garam masala, 1 tsp turmeric
- Add 3 T of avocado oil to the pot and stir the spices to coat.3 Tbsp avocado oil
- Lower the heat to medium low and add the diced onion and only ½ teaspoon of the salt to the spice mixture. Toss to prevent burning, and cook until the onions become translucent, about 3-4 minutes.1 cup onion, 1 tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
- Add the ginger and garlic and cook another minute.1 Tbsp ginger, 4 garlic cloves
- Raise the heat to medium high and add the rest of the salt and the ground chicken, stirring often to prevent burning. Cook the chicken about 5 minutes until it is cooked through.1 lb ground chicken breast
- While the chicken is cooking, crush the tomatoes by hand straight into the pot. If you prefer, add the tomatoes to a blender or food processor and pulse briefly (you want some texture). Once the tomatoes are added to the chicken and spice mixture, cover, set the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.28 oz peeled canned tomatoes
- Once the chicken mixture has been cooking for about 10 minutes, place the cabbage steaks in the 450℉ pre-heated oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- Now raise the oven temperature to 475℉ and bake the cabbage steaks another 10 minutes or until both sides are nicely browned.
- When the ground chicken is done simmering, remove the pot from the heat and stir the mixture thoroughly.
- Ladle one third of the tomato and ground chicken mixture over one third cabbage steaks on your plate. Adjust your serving size as needed.
- Optional: place about 2 tablespoons of yogurt (or more!) over the cabbage steaks and finish with the minced cilantro. Enjoy!6 tbsp greek yogurt
Nutrition
Indian Spiced Ground Chicken Breast with Roasted Cabbage Steaks - Dietitian Approved by Jen Birge MS, RDN, CDCES
Every time I taste a recipe of Jackelin's, I tell her "this is my favorite so far"! It's true, they are all so delicious and this one is definitely my latest favorite.
Importantly, the Indian Spiced Ground Chicken Breast with Roasted Cabbage Steaks meets our recommendation of having a good protein to carb ratio for improving insulin resistance.
This recipe is high protein with 37 g of protein per serving and has plenty of non-starchy veggies (the cabbage, onion, tomato) with about 12 g of fiber per serving. The protein and fiber help balance glucose levels and even help with reducing appetite. This recipe is a win all-around because it's healthy and super tasty!
Lastly, if you make Indian Spiced Ground Chicken Breast with Roasted Cabbage Steaks (Phew! That's a mouthful!), please share your experience and leave a review in the comments section below. We love hearing from you!
Deena G says
Can you sub ground coriander? If so, how much would you use? Thanks! Excited to try the cabbage steaks!
Jackelin Slack says
Hi, Deena! Yes, you would need a bit less ground coriander. I would replace 3/4 tsp of ground coriander for 1 tsp of coriander seed. The same ratio can be used for cumin powder to cumin seed. I can't wait for you to try it! Please come back and tell us what you think. Enjoy!