I love serving this saucy dish on a bed of cauliflower rice, and since the leftovers are delicious, I sometimes double the recipe. I adore Indian cuisine. I often make Indian-style recipes such as homemade tandoori chicken, mango frozen yogurt, and this keto butter chicken. I’m not usually a big fan of chicken, preferring beef or lamb (these lamb chops are incredible), but this recipe is amazing. Like most Indian recipes, it’s incredibly flavorful, and in this particular case, it’s also wonderfully creamy.
Ingredients
Heavy cream: Full-fat Greek yogurt can also work. But heavy cream is better, and then you also have less of a risk of it curdling. Tomato paste: Not a particularly low-carb ingredient, but used sparingly here. To season: Kosher salt, garam masala, curry powder, paprika, and crushed red peppers. All of these can be found in most supermarkets. If you cannot find garam masala, you can order it online. Butter: I love using creamy European butter, but any butter will be great. Aromatics: Onion, garlic, and ginger. It’s best to use freshly minced garlic and ginger in this recipe. Chicken breasts: I use boneless skinless chicken breasts. Boneless chicken thighs will work too. Tomato sauce: I use canned tomato sauce. Pomi Chopped Tomatoes or standard diced tomatoes can also be used. See the discussion below under “The Best Toamtoes To Use.” Parsley: Used primarily for garnish, so it’s OK to skip it.
The Best Tomatoes To Use
Variations
You can add cumin to the spice mix. I like to add ½ teaspoon. Ghee is a good substitute for butter. I often use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. They are fattier and juicier. Cilantro can be used instead of parsley. It’s more flavorful.
Keto Butter Chicken Instructions
The detailed instructions for making this recipe are listed in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of the steps: But that’s the thing with Indian cuisine - all these amazing flavors must come from somewhere. And that “somewhere” is lots of spices and aromatics. However, don’t let that deter you. It takes just a few minutes to assemble everything. And once that’s done, the cooking itself is a matter of minutes. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of the ingredients needed to make this keto butter chicken: I also tried Pomi Chopped Tomatoes, as shown in the video below. I liked the result - it was a bit chunkier, but still very good. Diced tomatoes (undrained), as shown in the photo above, are another option that I tested and liked, but they result in a chunkier sauce. If you opt to use them, chop them finely before adding them to the sauce. As you can see in the image below, there’s a big difference in texture between canned diced tomatoes and canned tomato sauce. Pomi chopped tomatoes fall somewhere in the middle - not completely smooth, but not as chunky as standard diced tomatoes.
Expert Tips
This recipe requires just two tablespoons of tomato paste. To avoid waste, you could either use the remaining tomato paste in another recipe (such as this keto meat pie) or divide it into small plastic containers and freeze it for later use. An ice cube tray with a lid works well for this. While you want the chicken pieces to be cooked through, you don’t want them overcooked and dry. So make sure to only cook them until they’re cooked through (165°F internal temperature) and not longer.
Serving Suggestions
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. To avoid drying the chicken, reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave at 50% power.
Cauliflower rice Mashed cauliflower Zucchini noodles Hearts of Palm pasta Baked spaghetti squash Mashed butternut squash Sauteed spinach
In addition, I often serve this dish with a side of a green vegetable, such as microwave broccoli, roasted asparagus, roasted Brussels sprouts, or sauteed green beans.
More Indian Recipes
Recipe Card
