Discover the Irresistible Keto Butter Chicken Recipe That Will Transform Your Low-Carb Meals!

Craving a rich, comforting, and flavorful Indian dish while staying keto? This keto butter chicken recipe is the answer. It delivers the intense, complex flavors of traditional butter chicken without the high carb count. This recipe features tender chicken simmered in a creamy, buttery tomato sauce infused with warm spices and aromatics. It's indulgent enough to feel like a treat, yet simple enough for weeknight dinners.

What is Butter Chicken?

Butter chicken is a popular entree at Indian restaurants. It's a relatively new one, originating in India in 1948 and closely resembling Tikka Masala. It's essentially chicken in a buttery gravy with classic Indian flavors like garam masala, ginger paste, and cumin. The chicken is usually marinated first, making it extremely tender and juicy, melting in your mouth and filled with authentic Indian herbs and spices.

Typical butter chicken in an Indian restaurant might have anywhere from 8-10 grams of net carbs per serving (about ¾ cup of chicken). This keto butter chicken only has 5 grams of net carbs per serving, and the entire recipe makes 6 servings.

Why This Recipe Works

This butter chicken recipe is ridiculously tasty, aromatic, and a breeze to whip up! It’s a yogurt-with-spices-and-lime marinated chicken, cooked up in a mildly spiced and incredible curry sauce.

Eating out can be tricky because sugar is often added to curries and non-keto-friendly thickening agents. This recipe is easy to make and will give you a new love for Indian food!

Read also: Easy Keto Indian Recipe

Ingredients

The list of ingredients might seem long, but that's where the amazing flavors of Indian cuisine come from. Don't let it deter you! It takes just a few minutes to assemble everything, and the cooking itself is quick.

There are two different sections of ingredients in this low-carb recipe. A creamy masala marinade and the keto butter chicken sauce. All of the ingredients are low-carb and whole.

For the Low-Carb Masala Marinade:

Chicken Thighs: Use boneless and skinless chicken thighs because you will chop them up into small pieces. You can use chicken breast instead, but chicken thighs have a better texture with the sauce.
Greek Yogurt: This has lots of protein, calcium, and nutrients. Use a plain, unsweetened variety.
Garam Masala: A spice blend used in traditional Indian cuisine. The word garam means "hot" and masala means "spices." If you want to do more Indian cooking, get a large bottle of this spice. It's used quite a bit. There really isn’t one single garam masala recipe. The ingredients and amounts will differ based on the region and chef's preferences. Some of them are spicy and others are not spicy at all.
Cumin
Garlic: Fresh garlic tastes much better than garlic powder. This is what I used in my keto butter chicken sauce to make it extra creamy.
Chili Powder
Ginger Paste: Do not substitute with powdered ginger. The paste mixes in better and has a more favorable texture.

For the Keto Butter Chicken Sauce:

Butter: Use unsalted butter. I've heard of others using ghee instead and it works just as well.
Onion, Garlic, and Ginger: It's best to use freshly minced garlic and ginger. Don't attempt to substitute the fresh aromatics with powdered versions.
Chicken breasts: I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Tomato Sauce: This canned tomato sauce gave me a smooth and silky sauce. Pomi Chopped Tomatoes or standard diced tomatoes can also be used. There's a big difference in texture between canned diced tomatoes (chunky) and canned tomato sauce (smooth). Pomi chopped tomatoes fall somewhere in the middle - not completely smooth, but not as chunky as standard diced tomatoes. My personal favorite is canned tomato sauce.
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.
To season: Kosher salt, garam masala, curry powder, paprika, and crushed red peppers. All of these can be found in most supermarkets.
Parsley: Used mostly for garnish, so it's OK to skip it.

Step-by-Step Instructions

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.

Marinate the Chicken: Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and place it in a large bowl. Add the yogurt, lemon juice, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, and season with salt to taste. Toss to combine and coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or preferably longer (even overnight) for more tender chicken.
Prepare the Seasoning Paste: In a small bowl, use a small spatula or a fork to combine the tomato paste, water, kosher salt, garam masala, curry powder, paprika, and red pepper flakes, creating a thick paste. Set aside.
Cook the Aromatics: Heat the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter starts to foam, add the onion and cook, stirring often, for about 4 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, ginger, and seasoning paste. Cook for 1 more minute, stirring.
Cook the Chicken: Add the chicken cubes. Stir to coat. Sauté the chicken on all sides for 2 minutes.
Simmer in Tomato Sauce: Add the canned tomato sauce. Keep cooking over medium-high heat, stirring, for 3-5 more minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. 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.
Add Cream: Lower the heat to low and stir in the heavy cream to create a silky, creamy sauce.
Serve: Serve immediately, garnished with parsley if desired.

Tips for the Best Keto Butter Chicken

Marinate the Chicken: Ideally, marinate the chicken at least overnight for really tender meat. Even 30 minutes will make a difference. The meat will tenderize as it sits in the marinade.
Don't Overcook the Chicken: While you want the chicken pieces cooked through, you don't want them overcooked and dry.
Spice it Up: Adjust the amount of crushed red peppers to your liking.
Browning is Key: For exceptional butter chicken, browning each ingredient before adding the next one is paramount.

Variations

Lower Carb: For a lower-carb version, use half the tomato sauce, increase the heavy cream to ½ cup, and the butter to 4 tablespoons.
Coconut Milk: Substitute heavy cream with coconut milk for a dairy-free option.

What to Serve with Keto Butter Chicken

Traditionally, butter chicken is served with rice and Naan bread. It's easy to replace those two options with low-carb ideas.

Cauliflower Rice: Serve this with a scoop of cauliflower rice. Plain rice is a popular choice but you can also use authentic spices and make cabbage rice.
Keto Naan: Replace the flat Naan bread with light flaky keto cloud bread or Gluten Free & Keto Naan.

Storage and Reheating

Storage: You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freezing: Yes, this recipe freezes really well. It's an excellent choice if you need a meal that you can make ahead and pull out for quick meal prep. To freeze it, cook it fully first. Then, let it cool completely and store it in a freezer-safe and oven-safe dish. The best kind is an aluminum foil casserole tray with a sealable lid. When you are ready to bake it again, you just have to heat it back up in the oven. It's so easy!
Reheating: I don't recommend freezing them. To avoid drying the chicken, reheat the leftovers covered in the microwave at 50% power. Ideally, you should try to let the chicken marinate at least overnight, if not longer. If you want really tender chicken, then let this marinate for longer. It will taste delicious even if you marinate it for only 30 minutes before it cooks. The difference is, the meat will tenderize the longer it sits in the marinade.