Keto Indian Butter Chicken - Recipe (Video) - Diet Doctor (2024)

Keto Indian Butter Chicken - Recipe (Video) - Diet Doctor (1)

Namaste! We have a confession to make. Butter chicken is one of our favorite Indian dishes, and we know we're not the only ones! Luckily, we have Jill who invites you to try her keto version of this fabulous butter chicken, served with oven-roasted cauliflower.

March 26 2018 recipe by Jill Wallentin, photo by Frida Ström, nutritional review by Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE in Recipes, Dinner, Meal

Namaste! We have a confession to make. Butter chicken is one of our favorite Indian dishes, and we know we're not the only ones! Luckily, we have Jill who invites you to try her keto version of this fabulous butter chicken, served with oven-roasted cauliflower.

USMetric

6 servingservings

Ingredients

Indian butter chicken

  • 1 (4 oz.) 1 (110 g) tomato, choppedtomatoes, chopped
  • 1 (4 oz.) 1 (110 g) yellow onion, choppedyellow onions, chopped
  • 2 tbsp 2 tbsp fresh ginger
  • 2 2 garlic clove, choppedgarlic cloves, chopped
  • ½ tbsp ½ tbsp dried coriander (cilantro) leaves
  • 1 tbsp 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp 1 tbsp garam masala seasoning
  • ½ tbsp ½ tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp salt
  • ¾ cup 180 ml heavy whipping cream
  • 2 lbs 900 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 3 oz. 85 g butter or ghee
  • ½ cup (¼ oz.) 120 ml (8 g) fresh cilantro, for serving (optional)
  • ¼ cup 60 ml heavy whipping cream, for serving (optional)

Oven-roasted cauliflower

  • 1 lb 450 g cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • ½ tsp ½ tsp turmeric
  • ½ tbsp ½ tbsp coriander seed
  • ½ tsp ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp ¼ tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 oz. 55 g butter

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Keto Indian Butter Chicken - Recipe (Video) - Diet Doctor (4)

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Making low carb simple

Instructions

Indian butter chicken

  1. Add tomato, onion, ginger, garlic, coriander, tomato paste, and spices to a food processor. Mix until smooth. Add the cream and mix for a couple of seconds.

  2. Marinate the chicken in the mixture for at least 20 minutes, but preferably more, in the refrigerator.

  3. Heat a third of the butter over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. Remove the chicken from the marinade (reserve the marinade), and fry in the butter for 5 minutes.

  4. Pour the marinade over the chicken and add the rest of the butter. Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Season with salt to taste.

  5. Garnish with fresh cilantro and drizzle with a splash of cream.

Oven-roasted cauliflower
  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

  2. Spread the cauliflower out on a large sheet pan into an even layer.

  3. Season with spices and butter. Bake for 15 minutes.

Tip

If you have time, you can marinate the chicken the day before you're actually cooking it. The chicken will be incredibly soft and it's going to taste even more heavenly!

Slow cooker

This stew is an excellent dish to make in a slow cooker. Place fried chicken in the cooker and add the marinade and butter. Cook for 4–6 hours on low temperature. Season with salt.

On the grill

You can also grill the chicken instead of frying it. To do so, thread the marinated chicken cubes onto skewers and grill over medium heat, turning occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken is done.

Put the marinade together with the butter in a frying pan and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Serve the sauce with the grilled chicken and cauliflower.

Dairy free

You can use canned coconut milk in place of heavy cream to make this dish dairy-free.

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💬 Have you tried this recipe?

What did you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

1 2 3

111 comments

  1. 101

    Jacqueline

    January 31 2021

    I was a bit disappointed in the texture of this recipe - the photo suggests more liquid than is actually the case. Ours turned out a bit dry. Any suggestions?

    Reply: #102

  2. 102

    Reply to comment #101 by Jacqueline

    Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor

    January 31 2021

    I was a bit disappointed in the texture of this recipe - the photo suggests more liquid than is actually the case. Ours turned out a bit dry. Any suggestions?

    Was there perhaps not enough marinade?

    Reply: #105

  3. 103

    Megan

    February 2 2021

    This was amazing! Thank you!!

  4. 104

    elkoncz

    February 4 2021

    I've made this dish a few times before and loved it. This time it just didn't taste as good - a bit bland. Is there something i'm doing wrong?

  5. 105

    Reply to comment #102 by Kerry Merritt

    Jacqueline

    February 10 2021

    I followed the recipe to the letter - not sure what's going on here!

  6. 106

    T Fran

    February 23 2021

    How many cups equals the 1 serving once prepared? Trying to keep my tracker accurate. BTW, made this last night and it was delicious! Thank you for posting.

  7. 107

    Hannah

    June 24 2021

    This recipe is lovely but it should be amended to say that marinade should be kept separate from the meat apart from what you need to cover it. Its not food safe to reuse marinade that the chicken has sat in as a sauce because of the bacteria. People could get sick!

    Reply: #108

  8. 108

    Reply to comment #107 by Hannah

    Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor

    June 25 2021

    This recipe is lovely but it should be amended to say that marinade should be kept separate from the meat apart from what you need to cover it. Its not food safe to reuse marinade that the chicken has sat in as a sauce because of the bacteria. People could get sick!

    This dish simmers for an additional 15 minutes after the marinade is added in.

  9. 109

    Sarah Hart

    August 14 2021

    No, didn't like this at all. The chicken didn't cook even with some extra time in the pan, likewise the cauliflower, which was still undercooked after 10 more minutes in the oven, and way, way too salty.

    Very disappointing, it's in the bin now.

  10. 110

    Susan Packwood

    September 28 2021

    This was wonderful! The chicken was so tender….I had to sub ketchup for tomato paste and sour cream for whipping cream but it was fab!!!

  11. 111

    Anna-Carin & Niclas Havrup

    December 3 2021

    loved it but changed it :-) Had cooked chicken from the day before. - so it was not marinated. Fried the cauliflower florets in butter and then cooked it for appr 10-15 minutes in the wonderfully tasting "marinade". Also added (unsweetened!) coconut flakes to the marinade before blending it. Added chicken at the end to heat up. This way i needed less time and could cook it during my working-from-home-lunch-hour. It tasted wonderful!

    Reply: #112

  12. 112

    Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor

    December 3 2021

    loved it but changed it :-) Had cooked chicken from the day before. - so it was not marinated. Fried the cauliflower florets in butter and then cooked it for appr 10-15 minutes in the wonderfully tasting "marinade". Also added (unsweetened!) coconut flakes to the marinade before blending it. Added chicken at the end to heat up. This way i needed less time and could cook it during my working-from-home-lunch-hour. It tasted wonderful!

    Sounds delicious! Glad you enjoyed it!

  13. 113

    Rose

    March 20 2022

    This was superb. Because I mixed up the marinade using my stick blender, not a food processor, I ended up adding a splash of water to make a smooth mixture. I also added in a bit extra cream because the marinade seemed too thick. The end result was perfect. As far as flavour, I used curry powder instead a garam masala and it tasted great. This recipe is a keeper.

    Reply: #114

  14. 114

    Reply to comment #113 by Rose

    Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor

    March 21 2022

    This was superb. Because I mixed up the marinade using my stick blender, not a food processor, I ended up adding a splash of water to make a smooth mixture. I also added in a bit extra cream because the marinade seemed too thick. The end result was perfect. As far as flavour, I used curry powder instead a garam masala and it tasted great. This recipe is a keeper.

    Sounds good! So glad you enjoyed it!

  15. 115

    Tina

    September 2 2022

    So, I started out doing this butter chicken recipe, but then it ended up more closely resembling the slow-cooker butter chicken recipe from twosleevers because the additional ingredients and their quantities felt more authentic (plus it was pretty much hands off): https://twosleevers.com/slow-cooker-butter-chicken/ It was yummy, but I did need to add a splash of lemon to give it more fullness.

    This DD cauliflower recipe was one side dish and it was great. But instead of putting everything on a pan and then adding the spices, I put the chopped cauliflower into a bag, poured all the spices over top and mixed well. Then, before putting it in the oven, I melted the butter and poured that into the bag as well, mixing well. Then I poured the contents of the bag onto a tray and put it in the oven. It was fantastic that every piece of cauliflower was seasoned and yummy, and it did cook in about 15 minutes as I had chopped the pieces on the small side.

    For another side dish, I decided to try the Indian cucumber salad from twosleevers because it peaked my interest (it was yummy too): https://twosleevers.com/indian-cucumber-peanut-salad/

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Keto Indian Butter Chicken - Recipe (Video) - Diet Doctor (2024)

FAQs

What part of chicken is best for keto diet? ›

Chicken thighs (with the skin on) are perfect for when you're on the ketogenic diet. The meat is a little richer and fattier than breast meat, plus keeping the skin on ups the fat count.

Is butter chicken high in carbs? ›

Butter chicken is high in fat and protein and, so, a keto-friendly recipe. It is low in carbs and embodiment for those on the keto diet.

Is butter chicken a real Indian dish? ›

Butter chicken, traditionally known as murgh makhani (pronounced [mʊrɣ ˈməkʰaːni]), is an Indian dish originating in Delhi. It is a type of curry made from chicken with a spiced tomato and butter (makhan) sauce.

What does Indian butter chicken taste like? ›

Unlike most Indian curries where the preparation of the base starts with a blend of onion and a ginger garlic paste cooked in oil, butter chicken uses tomato as a base and is cooked in butter, giving it a slightly sweet flavor. Cashews and almonds add to the sweetness and richness of the dish.

Which cheese is best for keto? ›

The best keto cheeses include cheddar, Gouda, goat cheese, and blue cheese, while the worst are cottage cheese and low fat and processed varieties. If you're following the keto diet or know someone who is, be sure to keep these cheeses in mind to promote ketosis and meet dietary goals.

Which milk is better for keto? ›

Unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk, macadamia nut milk, flax milk, soy milk, cashew milk, and pea milk along with half-and-half and heavy cream are all keto-friendly milk options. 1.

Can we eat butter chicken during weight loss? ›

The traditional butter chicken is, in fact, not healthy, packed with excessive calories and saturated fats, and not a good fit for your weight loss diet. But vegan butter chicken, on the other hand, is just perfect for your weight loss journey and weeknight dinners.

What Indian food can I eat on keto? ›

Here are some Indian dishes that are all keto-friendly:
  • Baigan ka bharta. One of the best and more nutritious low carb vegetables is baingan (or brinjal or aubergine). ...
  • Paneer bhurji. If you're on a keto diet, then paneer is going to be your friend. ...
  • Sarso Ka Saag. ...
  • Avial. ...
  • Palak Paneer.

Is it OK to eat butter chicken every day? ›

Butter chicken isn't really healthy

It's true, you should be limited your intake of saturated fat as much as possible. According to the FDA, it's crucial to control how much saturated fat you consume in a day because it's been linked to a higher risk of heart disease.

What Indian dish is closest to butter chicken? ›

Tikka masala became popular in America as butter chicken after Indian restaurants began serving it with a side of white rice instead of basmati. The dish doesn't always include chicken, but it's called chicken-tikka or chicken-curry when it does.

What do Indians eat butter chicken with? ›

Butter chicken is a popular Indian dish made with chicken, spices, tomatoes & cream. This creamy & authentic tasting butter chicken is the best you can make at home. Serve butter chicken with Turmeric rice, Cumin rice, basmati rice or naan.

What do Indians call butter chicken? ›

This butter chicken recipe, or chicken makhani, is one of my favorite Indian dishes. It features a full-flavored sauce that complements the chicken well.

What can you use instead of tomato paste in butter chicken? ›

You don't have to dash out to the store if you're out of tomato paste; tomato sauce and tomato puree are both an excellent substitute. For every 1 tablespoon of tomato paste needed, use 3 tablespoons of tomato puree or sauce.

What's healthier butter chicken or tikka masala? ›

Although both dishes have high levels of saturated fat, chicken remains the preferred choice for maintaining good health. Compared to other meats, chicken dishes tend to be more nutritious. Chicken tikka masala is a healthier option than butter chicken as it contains less fat (7 grams vs. 4 grams) and more protein.

Is butter chicken healthy for you? ›

Butter chicken contains butter, and sometimes cream, making it a high-fat meal choice. Depending on your recipe, one serving of butter chicken may contain about 28 grams of total fat, 12 grams of saturated fat.

Is chicken breast or thigh better for keto diet? ›

Chicken thighs are a nice choice for keto because they're packed with protein and have a bit more fat than leaner white meat, which will help keep you full and satisfied for longer. The skin is also keto, so long as you haven't breaded the chicken.

Is chicken breast better than thighs on keto diet? ›

If lower calorie foods are preferable to you, chicken breasts are the way to go because thighs contain over 30% more calories (per Calories Info). Upping your fats for keto? Thighs have breasts beat by nearly 65%.

How many pieces of chicken can I eat on keto? ›

"With a keto diet, the breakdown is approximately 75 percent fat, 20 percent protein and 5 percent carbohydrates." For example, a woman who weighs 150 pounds and is moderately active is recommended to eat 25 grams of carbs (think one medium sized apple!), 86 grams of protein (a little over three 3 oz chicken breasts) ...

What is the healthiest part of chicken for weight loss? ›

The chicken breast is lean and has the most protein by weight, making it ideal for people who want to lose weight, maintain muscle mass and improve recovery. Fattier cuts like the thigh, drumstick and wings have more calories, which make them better for people wanting to build muscle or gain weight.

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