This Keto Butter Chicken is a delicious and easy low-carb skillet dinner that's ready in less than 30 minutes!
It's our favorite Indian recipe, and we've made a little twist by using ghee instead of butter to enhance its nutritional value. Let's try rich Indian food flavors without compromising your dietary goals with this butter chicken recipe.
What is ghee?
If you haven't tried ghee before, it is like concentrated butter, and it kind of has a nutty and butterier flavor but with even more nutritional benefits. This is great for those following a keto diet. Since ghee is essentially concentrated butter (without the milk solids), the nutrients and vitamins in regular butter are condensed in ghee. This makes it a nutritional powerhouse.
Compelled enough? Let's dig into the recipe right now!
Jump to:
- What is ghee?
- Preparation and cooking overview
- Chef's note
- 🥘 Ingredients for this keto butter chicken recipe
- Ingredient substitutions
- Additional ingredients
- Cooking tools required
- Tools substitute options
- How to make Keto Butter Chicken: step-by-step guide
- Cooking methods
- Preparation steps
- Cooking instructions
- What to serve with keto butter chicken?
- How to make it healthier?
- Time-saving tips
- What can I prepare ahead of time?
- Storage and reheating instructions
- Recipe wrap-up and conclusion
- Frequently asked questions
- 📖 Recipe
Preparation and cooking overview
To make Keto Butter Chicken, marinate 2-inch pieces of boneless chicken breasts with garam masala, ginger, garlic, and yogurt. Pan-sear the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side, add the sauce, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Finish by adding heavy cream and ghee, cook for one more minute, and serve with garnished cilantro and optional cauliflower rice.
Chef's note
Butter chicken and naan are a staple in Indian cuisine, but don't feel left out on your keto diet! Enjoy our low-carb flatbread Keto Naan with this recipe and scoop out all the creamy sauce. We bet you're never going to eat butter chicken alone!
🥘 Ingredients for this keto butter chicken recipe
To make this keto chicken recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
Butter chicken sauce
Optional topping
Ingredient substitutions
Do you see anything you want to replace due to personal preference? Here are some keto-friendly substitutes!
Additional ingredients
Check out these flavor-boosting additions:
Cooking tools required
To make this Keto Butter Chicken Recipe, you will need the following cooking tools:
Tools substitute options
How to make Keto Butter Chicken: step-by-step guide
Cooking methods
Preparation steps
- Gather all the necessary ingredients.
- Measure the ingredients precisely.
- Wash and cut the vegetables as required.
- Grate ginger and mince garlic.
- Cube the chicken breasts if they are not cubed.
- Prepare any additional ingredients or toppings you want to choose.
Cooking instructions
- Cut the chicken into 2-inch pieces and place them in a large bowl.
- Add garam masala, grated ginger, and minced garlic to the bowl. Stir in the yogurt until well combined. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Place the onion, ginger, garlic, crushed tomatoes, and spices in a blender or food processor for the sauce. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the marinated chicken along with the marinade to the skillet. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side until browned.
- Pour in the prepared sauce and cook for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Stir in the heavy cream and ghee, and cook for another minute.
- Taste the dish and add additional salt if needed.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with cauliflower rice, if desired.
Chef's pro tip
For tastier and tender chicken, let it sit in the marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before cooking. This helps the flavors soak into the meat, making it super tender. Take your time with this step, it really amps up the deliciousness of the recipe!
What to serve with keto butter chicken?
The best thing about our butter chicken is that you can pair it with other side dishes and low-carb bread to make a complete meal. Here are some keto-friendly options:
How to make it healthier?
Time-saving tips
What can I prepare ahead of time?
Storage and reheating instructions
Storage tips
To keep your leftover butter chicken fresh, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Make sure the dish has cooled down before refrigerating to preserve its quality. Avoid freezing, as it can affect the texture and flavor of the dish.
Reheating best practices
Note: If the dish thickens after refrigeration, don't worry! Just add a splash of water or broth when reheating to loosen up the sauce and bring back that perfect consistency. Enjoy your delicious butter chicken!
Recipe wrap-up and conclusion
This Keto Butter Chicken is perfect for those on a low-carb journey. Enjoy the fantastic flavors of traditional Indian cuisine with a keto twist. Creamy, flavorful sauce, tender chicken, and aromatic spices make it a truly satisfying dish. And the best part? It's easy to make and keeps you feeling full for hours!
Looking for more Keto Indian recipes? Check these out!
Frequently asked questions
📖 Recipe
Keto Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 1.5 pound chicken breast cubed
- 2 tablespoons garam masala
- 3 teaspoons fresh ginger grated
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 4 ounce whole milk plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Butter chicken sauce
- 2 tablespoons ghee or butter
- 1 onion
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger grated
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 14.5- ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- ½ tablespoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Sea salt to taste
Optional topping
- Minced cilantro
- Sliced fresh jalapeños
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into 2-inch pieces and place them in a large bowl.
- Add garam masala, grated ginger, and minced garlic to the bowl. Stir in the yogurt until well combined. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Place the onion, ginger, garlic, crushed tomatoes, and spices in a blender or food processor for the sauce. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the marinated chicken along with the marinade to the skillet. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side until browned.
- Pour in the prepared sauce and cook for 5 to 6 minutes.
- Stir in the heavy cream and ghee, and cook for another minute.
- Taste the dish and add additional salt if needed.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with cauliflower rice, if desired.
Grady says
This was tasty. My sauce was quite thick and there was a ton of it. Probably could have supported 2.5 -3lbs of chick with the amount of sauce i had. I think the whole onion was driving volume and thickness and i would have called it a medium onion - we definitely get larger onions come through the store. I thinned with chicken stock which didnt help the volume thing though. Will be a repeat.
CB says
This was freaking AMAZING!! Even my daughter enjoyed it...and she never compliments lol. Thanks for creating such a wonderful recipe with such clear instructions!
susan says
Just an FYI...Turmeric comes out of clothes if you leave them in direct sunlight.
Alex Lester says
Awesome, good to know!!!
Debbie says
Hi,
Can't find an area to write a comment so replied here...
Can you sub sour cream for the yogurt?
Thank you!
Cast Iron Keto says
You can!
Serena balch says
I cooked for a lot long than it said about 20 more minutes. Next time I will cook the onion before putting them in the blender, they were a little to crunch for me but overall it was very taste and will cook it again.
Jan Sessions says
Made exactly as directed-I thought the timing was perfect to end up with still juicy but cooked breasts. It made for a delicious dinner that I'll definitely make again. Plenty of sauce and Plenty of flavour.
Leanne says
Wow SO GOOD!!!! And SO simple and fast! Not too spicy and incredible flavours. I left out onion from sauce but it is still delicious. Wasn't sure what to put it on as we're keto but was out of cauliflower. So cut up cabbage with spinach to the rescue. Will be making this one again!
Thank you!
Alex Lester says
Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Matt says
Very nice mate, enjoyed! (as did my two boys, which for one of their dad's
weirdketo dinners is a little unusual ;)) They didn't even ask for rice! I was actually just looking for a quick curry idea to use up frozen (ready roasted) chicken breasts as I have a ton of them vacuum sealed. This will be my go to curry for using cooked breast.Alex Lester says
Hey Matt, great to hear that! This is definitely one of my favorites.
Tommy says
Can you recommend a reliable site for carb contents in spices? Googling Garam Masala I found it ranging from 45g to 6 to 0 on several different sites for the same serving size...
Alex Lester says
The best I can find is this chart on Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/pin/537406168006686516/
Anthony says
hey sorry but i`m new here and will be trying quite a few of these recipies, but can i ask when you show the macro breakdowns is that for a single serve? and what is a single serve?
Sorry if this is mentioned elsewhere.
Anthony
Alex Lester says
Hi Anthony, yes macros are for one serving. Hope this helps!
Michele G says
Sooooo amazing! Liked it on cauli rice - can’t wait to try your other recipes!
Michele
Molly Mac says
Just made this. Absolutely wonderful. Shouldn't tell you this but husband scraped the last of the sauce out of the pan. Lol
Alex Lester says
Never leave the sauce behind! Thanks for sharing!
Crystal says
This recipe is awful. I was so hopeful after reading the comments, but this really miss the mark for me. It doesn't taste anything like authentic butter chicken, at all. Very disappointed with this recipe. Happy the others enjoyed it but its a no from me
Alex Lester says
Hi Crystal, thanks for sharing your thoughts. We're sorry that you didn't care for our Keto Butter Chicken like the majority of our readers. We're all different with different tastes. We hope you give another CIK recipe a try soon!
Micah says
Ghee is butter....Clarified, Fat is skimmed out of any butter while simmering, resulting in ghee. The nuttiness comes from the light cook. Friendly Chef 🙂
Berny says
I never leave reviews...but this certainly needed a special mention! I follow keto and have been trying to find a nice curry recipe for ages!! Wow...absolutely gorgeous!! This will be my new Saturday night treat...cooked for me and the girls, we were all blown away. This tasted better than any Indian takeaway. 10 out of 10
Denise says
So, the spiced yoghurt in which the chicken is marinated is not included in the final product? I saw no instruction in the recipe to add it.
Alex Lester says
Hi Denise, thanks for pointing that out - it's a bit confusing as written but you add the yogurt marinade to the skillet with the chicken when browning. I've updated the post to reflect that.
Stephanie Bailes says
How much would you say a single serving is? Like the weight or cup amount?
To get the 6 net carbs?
Alex Lester says
Hi Stephanie, most recipes don't include this type of information. The serving size is simply 1/6th of the recipe.
Alena O'Donnell says
Why! Sooooo good. Here's what I had on hand: Lava plant-based yogurt (original flavor), Vanilla Oat Milk Creamer (I would have used a non-flavored but it's what I had) and threw in some frozen peas and kale. So rich, so good...and I'm on my 3rd plate (ma belly's smiling...I bet my gut is too!). Thank you for this, cast iron keto!
Jamie says
Are you including the onion and ginger in the carbs per serving. I know both are very high in carbs and I am a bit nervous to make it.
Alex Lester says
Yes, all of the ingredients are always included in our nutritional information.
Brooks Rodrigue says
Can you make this without the yogurt? My boyfriend doesn’t like Greek yogurt
Cast Iron Keto says
You could try sour cream, it needs the yogurt to create the sauce. Sour cream would work though, just a tad bit different in flavor.
Rachel Newman says
Love this recipe! So much so we are having it twice this week. The only change I made was to cook it slowly for about 2 hours and it tasted better than our favourite Indian takeout 🙂
Alex Lester says
Great to hear that, thanks for sharing Rachel!
Erin says
This meal was AMAZING! My husband and I are on the Keto diet and are always looking for something new that the whole family will enjoy. Everyone went back for seconds and my husband even asked that I add this meal to our normal rotation of dinners. Only problem was, there weren't any leftovers for me to enjoy! You nailed it Cast Iron Keto. Thank you!
Sharon Robertson says
We really loved this recipe! But could I ask how many grams are in 1 portion?
Cast Iron Keto says
Hi Sharon. Unfortunately, unlike a packaged food product recipes can't really provide this information accurately. This is due to variances in different branded ingredients and how folks cook (for example cooking the chicken for more or less time will change the final weight of the chicken). To grab a weight amount for each serving you'll want to weigh your final dish then divide that number by the number of servings. Hope this helps!
Jody says
Can i use sour cream instead of yogart?
Cast Iron Keto says
I wouldn't, the flavor just won't be quite right.
Dan says
Hi, excited to try, sounds delicious!
Theresa says
Absolutely delicious and so simple. Thank you!
Christine says
The recipe at the end does not include how much ghee to use so I guessed. Sauce tastes pretty good. added some shrimp and diced red and yellow peppers into the mix for some more veggies. Served over cauliflower rice. Will make again!
Cast Iron Keto says
Hi Christine, the recipe does state that 2 tablespoons of ghee are called for. Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Mary Beth Hunt says
I won't use another recipe after using this one. Perfection - spicy but not "blow the lid off". My son and husband are huge butter chicken fans and they declared this the best!!
Tara Collins says
Made it today and I bloody love it! Slightly on the spicy side but might be because I was following the recipe for one person not realising it was for 6 😂😂😂 luckily I didn't use as much as he recipe called for but damn it's good!
Dalia says
I tried it, so yummy, super recipe, easy to make, Thank you.
Melodie Schlamp says
It didn’t taste quite like butter chicken. My first impression was just onion and tomato, and I used nice fresh spices and extra garlic and ginger. I had to add about 6 tablespoons of monk fruit sweetener to get it closer to what I think of as butter chicken. Not sure what other spice was missing. I will keep trying.
Melanie Gosselin says
Hi there castironketo!
I'm making this recipe now, and feel like an idiot as I've reviewed the recipe over and over and feel like I'm continuing to miss something. The "ingredients" section includes 3 tsps of fresh grated ginger (& only 1 tsp used in the marinade before chilling?) and 3 tsps of minced garlic (& only 1 tsp used in the marinade before chilling?)... and I guess the coconut oil is used to brown the chicken... right? Sorry in advance for my confusion! I'm sure it's plain as day to everyone else! Lol!
Claire says
Delicious. Added a bit more cream and butter along with sweetner and a sprinkle of pathia powder
Kristin says
Soooooo good!! Quick and delicious.
Dottie says
This was super delicious! Tasted like the Butter Chicken I get in restaurants. Had no idea it would be this easy to replicate! I was a little concerned not blooming the spices before adding in the tomato sauce, but the flavors melded well and came through. Loved it over cauli rice! Thank you!
Diana W says
Made exactly to recipie, too much sauce...and the sauce was bland. Should have been cooked separately from chicken to reduce and develop depth. Chicken was fabulous. tender and tasty. Will make again but add more spices and cook sauce much longer.
Brittany says
My fiance and I did not enjoy this recipe. Respectfully, it tastes nothing like butter chicken. I was hoping it would with all the good comments about it. It helped to add an acid to it, which all I had on hand was lime. This didn't make it taste like butter chicken of course, but made it less bland.
Julia says
I agree with the poster above, this recipe isn't butter chicken at all, it's still very tasty and very similar to butter chicken, but this recipe is missing crucial ingredients like fenugreek and brown cardamom that give a subtle sweet note and are actually in the creator's original recipe.
Natasha says
This would have to be one of the best butter chickens recipes I've made to date. Thank you for sharing.