If you’ve never tried Indian food at least once in your lifetime, this keto butter chicken recipe is the best one to start with.
It’s an easy keto butter chicken compared to a traditional butter chicken which can be quite complex to make. This recipe definitely takes less time.
All you need is chicken breast or chicken thighs chopped down to bite-sized pieces and butter chicken sauce, and it’ll be ready within 30 minutes to an hour.
At 6.8 g net carbs, you and your family will enjoy a low-carb butter chicken that’s healthier than the original meal you would order at any Indian restaurant.
Be sure to check out our entire collection of keto chicken recipes for more delicious options.
Keto Butter Chicken
This low-carb butter chicken recipe has a variety of spices. Consider it a restaurant-quality keto butter chicken minus the carbs.
As the name implies, butter chicken is an Indian recipe in which chicken is slathered in buttery, creamy, tomato sauce.
The sauce looks and tastes like curry because it uses a lot of the same spices, including garam masala, cumin, ginger, coriander, chili powder, and fenugreek.
The typical butter chicken is marinated in yogurt with garlic and spices before it’s cooked with the sauce.
For this recipe, in keeping with the keto diet, we’ll be using whole Greek yogurt or sour cream, depending on your preference, because they’re low in carbs but rich in flavor.
The addition of yogurt or sour cream ensures that the chicken because extra tender as it marinates.
We will also use unsalted butter to reduce the sodium count of the entire recipe. You can also substitute the unsalted butter with ghee, which is a type of clarified butter common in Indian cuisine.
Ingredients Needed To Make Keto Butter Chicken
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The following are the ingredients you’ll need to make keto butter chicken. Note that the full printable recipe card is at the bottom of the page, as is the nutritional information.
Chicken Marinade
- Boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- Whole Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Garlic cloves, minced
- Minced ginger (or finely grated)
- Garam masala
- Cardamon powder
- Turmeric powder
- Ground cumin
- Chili powder
- Salt
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
Butter Sauce
- Olive oil
- Unsalted butter or ghee
- Large onion, chopped
- Garlic cloves, minced
- Ginger, minced or finely grated
- Ground cumin
- Garam masala
- Ground coriander
- Crushed canned tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Red chili powder
- Salt
- Heavy cream
- Sugar substitute a tiny amount
- Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves), also known as kasuri methi
- Chopped cilantro (for garnish)
How To Make Keto Butter Chicken
First, combine the chicken pieces with all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade in a large bowl; allow the chicken to marinate for as little as 30 minutes or overnight at most.
Then, heat the oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
Fry them until golden brown on each side. Set aside and keep warm. The chicken will continue cooking in the sauce.
Proceed to make the sauce.
Heat the butter or ghee in the same pan. Fry the onions until they start to become translucent. Be sure to scrape any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, as this adds lots of flavors.
Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for about one minute, then add the ground coriander, cumin, and garam masala. Cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant, while occasionally stirring.
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Next, add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, and salt. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, occasionally stirring until the sauce thickens and becomes a deep reddish brown color.
Remove from heat, add the sauce mixture into a blender, and blend it until it’s smooth. You may need to add a couple of tablespoons of water to help it blend (up to 1/4 cup). Work in batches depending on the size of your blender.
Pour the puréed sauce back into the pan. Stir in the cream, sugar substitute, and crushed kasoori methi (fenugreek leaves) to the sauce.
Add the chicken, including any juices, back into the pan and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and heated through.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with cauliflower rice.
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 weeks in the freezer.
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Keto Butter Chicken (Gluten-Free)
Tender, flavor-packed, keto butter chicken. It's a classic Indian dish that got a keto makeover and still rivals any restaurant version.
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 1/2 pounds of boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup whole Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger (or finely grated)
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon of cardamon powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil to cook the chicken
Butter Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter or ghee
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced or finely grated
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 14 oz crushed canned tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon sugar substitute
- 1 tablespoon kasoori methi( dried fenugreek leaves)
- Garnish with 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine chicken pieces with all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade; allow the chicken to marinate for as little as 30 minutes or a maximum of overnight.
- Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces in batches making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Fry until golden brown on each side. Set aside and keep warm. The chicken will continue cooking in the sauce.
- Proceed to make the butter sauce.
- Heat butter or ghee in the same pan. Fry the onions until they start to become translucent. Be sure to scrape any browned bits on the bottom of the pan, as this adds lots of flavors.
- Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for about one minute, then add the ground coriander, cumin, and garam masala. Cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant, while occasionally stirring.
- Next, add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, sweetener, and salt. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, occasionally stirring until the sauce thickens and becomes a deep reddish brown color.
- Remove from heat, add the sauce mixture into a blender, and blend until smooth. You may need to add a couple of tablespoons of water to help it blend (up to 1/4 cup). Work in batches depending on the size of your blender.
- Pour the puréed sauce back into the pan. Stir in the cream, sugar substitute, and crushed kasoori methi (fenugreek leaves) to the sauce. Add the chicken, including any juices, back into the pan and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and heated through.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with cauliflower rice.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 weeks in the freezer.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 520Total Fat: 38gSaturated Fat: 22gCarbohydrates: 9.8gNet Carbohydrates: 6.8gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 30g