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    Home » Main course

    Keto butter chicken

    Published: May 30, 2022 by Anna · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads ·

    Jump to Recipe

    Fragrant and flavorful with a creamy sauce, this easy keto butter chicken recipe is a great Indian-style low carb and gluten-free dish that you can make for lunch or dinner. 

    A bowl with butter chicken garnished with freshly-chopped cilantro, and served over cauliflower rice.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients and substitutes
    • Step by step directions
    • Carbs in low carb butter chicken
    • Serving ideas
    • FAQ
    • More chicken keto recipes
    • Recipe

    Ingredients and substitutes

    Chicken - For Indian butter chicken, use fatty chicken meat. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs will fit perfectly with this recipe. 

    Yogurt - Use full-fat Greek yogurt for chicken marinade or any plain full-fat yogurt.

    Crushed tomatoes - For the tomato sauce, we will need crushed tomatoes that we will eventually blend until smooth. You can use strained tomatoes as well if you want an extra-smooth sauce.

    Heavy cream - You should use heavy whipping cream with 34-40% fat per 100g so it won't curdle when heated.

    Spices - We will need ground cumin, coriander, and garam masala to create a flavor that is very common in Indian food. Apart from these three, we will need chili powder, the amount of which you can adjust to your taste. 

    Fresh ginger and garlic - We use ginger and garlic for the marinade as well as for the sauce.

    Onions - Onions are high in carbs, but we need just a little bit to add some flavor to the tomato sauce.

    Step by step directions

    1. Place all marinade ingredients in a bowl and leave to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

    2. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the marinated chicken (work in two batches to not overcrowd the skillet) and cook until golden on both sides (2-3 minutes per side). Remove onto a clean plate and set aside.

    3. Into the same skillet, add the butter. When melted, add the onions and cook over medium heat until soft. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, chili powder, and garam masala, then season with salt to taste. Cook for a minute, stirring occasionally.

    6 images showing step by step directions to make keto butter chicken.

    4. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and cook just until start simmering. Transfer the hot mixture into a blender and pulse until smooth.

    5. Pour the sauce back onto the skillet and add the heavy cream. Mix well and taste. Add extra salt if needed.

    6. Add the chicken and mix. Cook for 10 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and the sauce has thickened but is still pourable.

    7. Serve right away with a side dish of your choice and freshly-chopped cilantro.

    Carbs in low carb butter chicken

    These keto butter chicken thighs are great for those who follow a keto diet. You can split this recipe into 6 servings with around 6g net carbs per portion.

    Butter chicken in a frying pan garnished with fresh cilantro.

    Serving ideas

    The best way to serve this low carb keto chicken curry recipe is over cauliflower rice. If you don't know how to make it, check my Low carb keto cauliflower rice recipe. 

    FAQ

    How to store butter chicken?

    Store completely cooled butter chicken in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

    Can you freeze keto butter chicken?

    Yes, you can! Freeze it in an air-tight container for up to 2 months. Reheat in a non-stick skillet over medium heat or in a microwave.

    Butter chicken with cauliflower rice on a silver spoon garnished with fresh cilantro.

    More chicken keto recipes

    Lemon butter chicken

    Chicken keto quiche

    Keto chicken nuggets

    Keto teriyaki chicken

    Recipe

    A bowl with butter chicken served over cauliflower rice.

    Keto butter chicken

    Fragrant and flavorful with a creamy sauce, this easy keto butter chicken recipe is a great Indian-style low carb and gluten-free dish that you can make for lunch or dinner.
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner, Lunch
    Cuisine: Indian
    Keyword: Chicken dinner, Chicken lunch, Keto chicken dinner, Keto chicken recipes
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 397kcal
    Author: Anna

    Equipment

    • Large (11-inch/28cm) non-stick skillet
    • An immersion blender, food processor, or a standing blender

    Ingredients

    For the chicken marinade

    • 1.8 lb. 800g boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
    • ⅓ cup 90g full-fat Greek yogurt
    • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
    • 1 clove garlic pressed
    • 1 tablespoon garam masala
    • Salt to taste

    For the sauce

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
    • 1 small 50g onion finely chopped
    • 1 clove garlic pressed
    • 2 teaspoon fresh ginger grated
    • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1-2 teaspoon chili powder
    • 2 teaspoon garam masala
    • Salt to taste
    • 14 oz 400g crushed tomatoes
    • ½ cup 115g heavy whipping cream

    Serving ideas

    • Low carb keto cauliflower rice

    Instructions

    • Place all marinade ingredients in a bowl and leave to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
    • Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the marinated chicken (work in two batches to not overcrowd the skillet) and cook until golden on both sides (2-3 minutes per side). Remove onto a clean plate and set aside.
    • Into the same skillet, add the butter. When melted, add the onions and cook until soft. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, chili powder, and garam masala, then season with salt to taste. Cook for a minute, stirring occasionally.
    • Then, pour in the crushed tomatoes and cook just until it starts simmering. Transfer the hot mixture into a blender and pulse until the mixture is smooth.
    • Pour the sauce back onto the skillet and add the heavy cream. Mix well and taste. Add extra salt if needed.
    • Add the chicken and mix. Cook for 10 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and the sauce has thickened but is still pourable. If it’s too thick, add a splash of heavy cream and mix.
    • Serve right away with a side dish of your choice and freshly-chopped cilantro.

    Notes

    NET CARB: 6g
    Store completely cooled butter chicken in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
    Freeze it in an air-tight container for up to 2 months. Reheat in a non-stick skillet over medium heat or in a microwave.
    Nutrition Facts
    Keto butter chicken
    Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
    Calories 397 Calories from Fat 198
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 22g34%
    Potassium 605mg17%
    Carbohydrates 9g3%
    Fiber 3g13%
    Sugar 5g6%
    Protein 40g80%
    Vitamin A 874IU17%
    Vitamin C 7mg8%
    Calcium 96mg10%
    Iron 3mg17%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    This website, https://heretocook.com, offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is a product of online calculators such as Cronometer.com and MyFitnesPal.com

    Tried this recipe?Mention @heretocook or tag #heretocook!
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    Hey there! My name is Anna and I am here to cook healthy meals that taste delicious. Here you’ll find low carb high fat, keto, paleo recipes for any occasion!

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