Keto Butter Chicken

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This is a truly easy recipe for keto butter chicken, a wonderful Northern Indian dish with intense, complex flavors.

I love serving this saucy dish on a bed of cauliflower rice, and since the leftovers are delicious, I sometimes double the recipe.

Keto butter chicken served in a cast-iron skillet and topped with chopped parsley.

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.

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Ingredients
The Best Tomatoes To Use
Variations
Keto Butter Chicken Instructions
Expert Tips
Recipe FAQs
Serving Suggestions
Storing Leftovers
More Indian Recipes
Recipe Card

Ingredients

The list of ingredients for making this recipe isn't particularly short - I usually aim for much shorter in my recipes.

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:

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 ingredients needed to make keto butter chicken.

The Best Tomatoes To Use

I have tested this recipe with three different tomato types. I tried this canned tomato sauce. It gave me a smooth and silky sauce.

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.

A two-photo collage comparing the texture of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.

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:

You start by combining spices, tomato paste, and water to create a thick paste.
Next, cook onion, garlic, and ginger in some butter. Add the seasoning paste, then add the chicken cubes and sauté them. (Photo 1).
Add the tomato sauce and keep cooking until the chicken is cooked through. (Photo 2).
The final step is to lower the heat and stir in the heavy cream. This creates a beautifully silky sauce. That's it! Garnish with parsley and serve. (Photos 3,4).

A four-photo collage showing the steps for making keto butter chicken.

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.

Recipe FAQs

Why is it called "butter" chicken?

Because it contains butter! This is an Indian curry dish of chicken cooked in a well-seasoned sauce of tomatoes, butter, and cream.

Is butter chicken the same as chicken tikka masala?

They're very similar. The difference is that butter chicken is creamier while tikka masala is dryer, and its flavor profile focuses more on tomatoes.

What is garam masala?

Garam masala is a blend of ground spices used in Indian cuisine. It typically contains cinnamon, mace, peppercorns, coriander, cumin, and cardamom.

The name garam masala means hot or warm spice, but the spice blend is actually relatively mild and focuses on aromatic rather than hot spices.

Serving Suggestions

This flavorful, saucy dish is traditionally served over rice, which works well to absorb the tasty sauce. I have found that the following keto options are just as good:

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.

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.