I was introduced to this dish when a fellow student made it during one of our nutrition labs. We were cooking up various ethnic dishes and this was the recipe used by her family. One bite and I was in love!
But imagine being in a nutrition class with other future dietitians and making a recipe with a half a stick of butter. The class that day was on various ethnic dishes but the talk eventually turned to how to make these dishes “healthier”. As you can imagine the issue of the butter came up and discussions turned to how to reduce the amount used. Being on a low carb diet at the time I was more interested in replacing the rice it was served with rather than the butter.
Following a keto diet means that I don’t get all worked up using butter in this dish. My thoughts aren’t of trying to reduce the amount used or replace it with something sinister such as margarine. The recipe isn’t called margarine chicken or soy based faux butter chicken. It’s called butter chicken for a reason and the velvety, rich taste of the sauce is worth every calorie in it!
While it is usually served with rice I serve mine over lower carb vegetables. I particularly like zucchini but have also used summer squash, broccoli and cauliflower rice as well.
Chicken Makhani (Keto Butter Chicken)
INGREDIENTS:
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2 tablespoons olive oil
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1 large white onion, chopped
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2 cloves garlic, minced
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14 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
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14 ounce can of chicken broth
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1 jalapeno, seeds removed and chopped
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2 tablespoons curry powder
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1/2 tablespoons ground ginger paste (you can also use fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon powdered ginger)
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1 teaspoon chili powder
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1 teaspoon salt
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1/2 stick of butter
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2 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
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1 can coconut milk
DIRECTIONS:
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In a large pot heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook until translucent.
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Add the garlic and cook until just beginning to brown.
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Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink.
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Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, jalapeno, curry powder, ginger, chili powder and salt. Stir well.
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Add the butter, allow it to melt and stir in.
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Add coconut milk several minutes before serving.
Serve butter chicken over riced cauliflower or mixed vegetables.
Yield: 6
Chicken Makhani (Butter Chicken)
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Total Time
40 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large white onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 14 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 14 ounce can of chicken broth
- 1 jalapeno, seeds removed and chopped
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1/2 tablespoons ground ginger paste (you can also use fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon powdered ginger)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 stick of butter
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 can coconut milk
Instructions
- In a large pot heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook until translucent.
- Add the garlic and cook until just beginning to brown.
- Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink.
- Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, jalapeno, curry powder, ginger, chili powder and salt. Stir well.
- Add the stick of butter, allow it to melt and stir in.
- Add coconut milk several minutes before serving.
- Serve butter chicken over riced cauliflower or mixed vegetables.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 350Total Fat 28gSodium 859mgCarbohydrates 11gNet Carbohydrates 8gFiber 3gProtein 16g
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is an approximation. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Net carbs are calculated by subtracting fiber and sugar alcohols from total carbs. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar.
FREEZER TIP:
This freezes well but I doubt that you will have any left over because it tastes delicious so be wise and double or triple the batch! It makes a great lazy keto meal. Wondering what lazy keto is then check out this post. Eat it as it is or check out the stats below when you add in some vegetables.
I place the onions and garlic in a small bag and keep it separate from the other ingredients so it’s easy to put this recipe together when it comes time to cook it.
Seal the bag with the onions and garlic. In a larger gallon sized bag (don’t forget to write the recipe name and date on it first) add the diced chicken.
In another quart sized bag add the tomatoes and the spices.
Seal the bag with the spices and place inside the gallon freezer bag that contains the diced chicken. Add the smaller bag that contains the diced onion and garlic. Add the butter to the bag, squeeze the excess air out and seal the bag.
Your freezer meal is ready to be frozen until another day. When you want to use the meal take it out the night before and allow it to thaw in the refrigerator. Follow the directions here to prepare the butter chicken. Serve it up with cauliflower rice or your favorite blend of vegetables.
Meal Prep Tip:
You can make this dish using various forms of chicken. The original dish calls for boneless skinless chicken breasts that have been diced but you can easily make it with whole chicken breasts or try using these Curry Chicken Meatballs instead.
There are 6 servings with each providing:
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Calories: 350
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Fat: 28 grams
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Total Carbs: 11 grams
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Fiber: 3 grams
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Net Carbs: 8 grams
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Protein: 16 grams
Try this meals with some vegetables. I’ve included some vegetables and vegetable blends that I’ve used before. This will only add in the following for net carbs:
Cauliflower 1 cup = 5 grams carbs, 2.1 grams fiber, 2.9 net grams carbs
Broccoli 1 cup = 5.8 grams carbs, 2.2 grams fiber, 3.6 net grams carbs
Bird’s Eye Broccoli, cauliflower and carrot mixture 1 cup = 5 grams carbs, 2 grams fiber, 3 net grams carbs
Bird’s Eye Italian Blend 3/4 cup = 5 grams carbs, 2 grams fiber, 3 net grams carbs
Bird’s Eye Normandy Blend (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini and yellow squash) 3/4 cup = 3 grams carbs, 1 gram fiber, 2 net grams carbs
Bird’s Eye California Blend (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots) 1 cup = 4 grams carbs, 2 net grams fiber and 2 net grams carbs
Bird’s Eye Pepper Stir Fry (blend of bell pepper, onions) 1 cup = 5 grams carbs, 1 gram fiber, 4 net grams carbs
If you are looking for other low-carb/keto recipe ideas, be sure to check out our growing Recipe Index full of low-carb/keto recipes!
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