You’ve been asking for an Indian recipe, so we decided to give it to you! We are starting with this simple Keto Butter Chicken.
You will honestly be surprised how delicious and exact this recipe is given the minimal seasonings we use. We wanted to create a dish that would be easy to make any night of week, taking no longer than 30 minutes with everything easily found in your kitchen. Watch me make it below!
The Easiest Butter Chicken Recipe
Growing up in an Indian household, I watched my mom cook a lot of Indian food. She was constantly taste testing, tossing in different spices, adding water to loosen up the sauce, and cinnamon sticks and bay leaves were always a must. However, it seemed a bit more complicated than I was ever willing to take on. With that said, I present to you the easiest butter chicken recipe you are ever going to make and want to make. I cut down heavily on the amount of spices used for ease without sacrificing flavor, and it’s keto-friendly!
Incredible Chicken Recipes!
Of course you can use any meat you want in this recipe, lamb is always a favorite or paneer for a vegetarian route, but I love chicken most because of how versatile it is. The simplicity of chicken, regardless of the cut, allows you to transform it into pretty much anything you want. Some of my favorite chicken transformations are our Keto White Chicken Chili, Low Carb Chicken Chili, Keto Orange Chicken, Keto Teriyaki Chicken and Cashew Chicken! We even have another curry based chicken recipe that is a fan favorite – Coconut Curry Chicken.
Keto Butter Chicken
If you’ve never tried your hand at Indian food, this is a great place to start. Eating out can be tricky because a lot of the time sugar is added to the curries and even some non keto-friendly thickening agents. Many beginners even have questions about eating rice on keto.
I can almost guarantee that you will not only find this Butter Chicken recipe easy to make, but you’ll find new love for Indian food! If you do find yourself making this Keto Butter Chicken one night make sure to serve it with some cauliflower rice or with our low carb naan!
​Tip: If you don’t have any turmeric on hand you can replace it with some curry powder!
Keto Butter Chicken
Ingredients:
- 1 lb chicken breast
- 1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1.5 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 medium Onion
- 1.5 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp Pink Himalayan Salt
- 3/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions:
- Cut the chicken up into bite sized chunks and generously coat them in the turmeric, ginger, salt, chili powder and cinnamon. Set aside in a bowl.
- Heat a skillet to medium heat and add the butter. As the butter melts dice the onion and garlic and add it to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions are translucent and fragrant.
- Increase the pan heat to medium-high and add the chicken. Cook it almost entirely through – the outside should be white and this will take about 3-5 minutes.
- Once the chicken looks almost fully cooked add in the heavy whipping cream and tomato paste. Using a spatula mix in the tomato paste so it runs smooth through the heavy whipping cream. It should be an orange color at this point. Turn the heat to medium-low and cover with a lid for 5-7 minutes.
- Remove lid and combine. The chicken is fully cooked and you should be able to eat it. However, if you like a thicker curry sauce allow it to reduce with the lid off until it reaches the consistency you like.
- Serve with low carb naan or over cauliflower rice. Enjoy!
- NOTE: You can store the butter chicken in a sealed container for up to 10 days in the fridge and 2 months in the freezer. You can also use chicken thighs instead of breast for a higher fat content.
Video:
Notes
Written by
Megha Barot
Megha has always been a passionate cook, but she took this to a new level after starting her keo journey in 2015. She loves creating new recipes and producing educational content for KetoConnect, which she co-founded in 2016 with Matt. Her passion for healthy eating and personal development continues to thrive. She's the proud mom of two awesome kids.
I saw this recipe this afternoon. Since I had bought a Costco cooked chicken last night, I made it with one half of the chicken. It was so good! Now I have a really good recipe that I can make with fresh chicken or ready cooked chicken.
Another great recipe! I made this last night and served it over a bed of greens… delicious!
too spicy for me. What can I add. that would make it taste good
I am making this in the crock pot because I have other things to do during the day since I work at night, so I hope this works as a slow cooker recipe. I’ll let you know! I LOVE your YouTube channel btw!!
I think it will work perfectly!
It might sound a bit crazy but I really love this with feta, scallions and lettuce for lunch. great recipe, guys!!
We tried this last night. It was very yummy I made the garlic naan also with cauliflower. I felt it could be a little spicier so I added a little more chili powder and some curry powder from penzeys spice store. It bumped it up a notch. But I liked the taste before I did that also. Yummy dish. I want to try the lamb dish you have on here also.
Amazing meal. It actually reminded me a bit of a Thai Curry taste for whatever reason, what I need to add to make it a bit more spicy?
It was great! I doubled the recipe and put everything except the cream in a slow cooker for 4 hours. Added 1/4 cup of cream at the end before serving. It was delicious. Thanks so much!
Wow, very easy and quick to make! Eating the leftovers for lunch today and the flavors are just perfect! I love butter chicken and this is the simplest recipe with the best flavor!
I’ve made this twice already. No substitutes. It’s probably the yummiest chicken dish I’ve ever eaten. Thank you!!
Woah, that’s a huge compliment, thank you!
Superb recipe. Thanks so much.
Soooooo good! Baked Cauliflower tots really crispy and put on the bottom so the curry sauce soaked in. Took all I had to not eat the whole recipe. Will absolutely be making this one again!
Thank you for this recipe, and all of your delicious recipes. Matt the beat @ the end of the video is ?? what song is that from ?
Valesco – Cloud 9!
Can you guys do a recipe for Saag Paneer?!
We’re doing one for our cookbook!
OH M G!!!! guys I just made this and it was phenominal I didn’t have turmeric so I used curry it was spicy but flavorful and I didn’t have cauliflower so I just made some zucchini with it. I will definitely be putting this is my menu more often thanks!!!!!!!
Yes! Glad you liked it.
I made it tonight – absolutely delicious!
I wasn’t sure about a keto version at first, I’m an Indian food snob, but with all the great reviews, I’m definitely going to give it a try! What a quick weeknight meal!
Any chance you can sub coconut cream for dairy cream? I don’t have issues with butter but do with other dairy products.
Thank yoy
Ya, that would work perfectly.
Thanks so much for this recipe and all of your recipes. Made this tonight for dinner took it over to my moms to eat with my girlfriend and family. Needless to say there were no leftovers.
An I sub the heavy cream with coconut milk?
I am wrapping up week 4 of KETO. I just made this for dinner and it is, hands down, the most delicious thing I’ve eaten in 4 weeks! I ate it with cauliflower I riced myself (also a first!). I am so glad I found your youtube and blog! Thank you so much!