Keto Butter Chicken

About This Recipe

All the luxurious, velvety comfort of classic butter chicken made keto-friendly — tender chicken thighs simmered in a luscious sauce of tomatoes, butter, cream, and warm spices, without any sugar, flour, or high-carb thickeners. Served over cauliflower rice, it clocks in at under 10 grams of net carbs per serving.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 600 gboneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed
• 200 mlheavy cream
• 200 gcanned crushed tomatoes
• 60 gunsalted butter
• 3 clovesgarlic, minced
• 1 tbspfresh ginger, grated
• 2 tspgaram masala
• 1 tspground turmeric
• 1 tspsmoked paprika
• 1 tspsalt

Instructions

1. 1

   Sear the chicken

   Melt half the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and sear in batches for 2–3 minutes per side until golden. Transfer to a plate.

2. 2

   Build the sauce

   In the same skillet, melt remaining butter. Sauté garlic and ginger for 1 minute. Add garam masala, turmeric, and paprika, stirring for 30 seconds.

3. 3

   Simmer

   Add crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and return chicken to the skillet. Simmer uncovered for 12–15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.

4. 4

   Adjust and serve

   Taste and adjust salt and spices. Serve over cauliflower rice or with low-carb naan.

Variations

• •

  Add a handful of baby spinach in the last 2 minutes for extra greens.

• •

  Substitute coconut cream for dairy cream to make it dairy-free.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days. Freeze up to 2 months. Reheat gently on the stove.

Frequently Asked Questions