Indulge guilt-free with our mouthwatering Keto Butter Chicken recipe! Creamy and rich, this low-carb twist on a classic Indian favorite combines tender chicken in a luscious tomato and butter sauce, all without the carbs. It's always a big hit with the family and when entertaining.
Try it this week, it really is a sensational keto curry recipe!
Jump to Recipe
A bowl filled with keto butter chicken and palmini rice.

Is Butter Chicken Keto?

Authentic Butter Chicken recipes are packed with sugar-laden sauces and high-carb ingredients. To make keto-friendly butter chicken, we’ve made a few clever swaps:

  1. Low-Carb Tomato Sauce: We’ll use a keto-friendly crushed tomatoes without added sugar to maintain that delightful tomatoey flavor.
  2. Rich Creaminess: Heavy cream takes the place of yogurt or other dairy products, providing that classic velvety texture without the carbs.

Why We Love This Recipe

Murgh Makhani or Butter Chicken, is easily one of the most popular curry recipes around the globe. If you love a good curry and Indian food then this dish is a must-try!

Low carb – with just 6g net carbs per serving this butter chicken is not only delicious but also naturally low carb.

Everyday ingredients – Made mostly with everyday ingredients found in most pantries.

Quick and easy – an easy butter chicken recipe that really is fuss-free.

Various Cooking methods – you can make this butter chicken in Instant Pot, slow cooker, stovetop, low oven and thermal cooker e.g. Thermomix.

Butter Chicken Ingredients on a white table.

The Ingredients

  • Chicken Thigh fillets – use skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. You can use chicken breast fillets instead. Just watch the cooking time. For a vegetarian alternative use cauliflower florets, paneer, or firm tofu.
  • Black or brown cardamom pods – add great flavour to the butter chicken. You can find these pods in Indian market grocers.
  • Fenugreek leaves (also known as Kasoori Methi) – make all the difference in this recipe. Seeds or fenugreek powder are just not the same.
  • Kashmiri chili powder – is actually a mild chili powder.

JUMP TO the healthy butter chicken sauce recipe card for all instructions and quantities.

How to Make It

Chicken in a bowl in marinade.
Butter Chicken gravy in a cast-iron pan.

Step 1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chicken thighs and coat with the marinade. Leave to marinate for 1-2 hours or overnight.

Step 2. Melt ghee in a pan over moderate heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger, cardamom, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, and chilli powder. Stir well and sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add fenugreek leaves, tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer and reduce by a third.

Chicken and butter on top of curry in a pan.
Keto Butter Chicken in a cast-iron frying pan.

Step 3. Add the chicken to the sauce (or grill first then add) and reduce heat to a low simmer. Simmer chicken for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through. Add the butter, cream and almond meal.

Step 4. Stir continuously until the butter has melted and the sauce is thick and velvety.

How to Make Butter Chicken in the Instant Pot

1. Combine marinade ingredients in a non-reactive bowl coating chicken well. Cover and chill for 3-4 hours.

2. Add all ingredients to Instant Pot except butter, cream and almond meal. Set Pot to 10 minutes high pressure. Allow to naturally release for 10 minutes then release remaining pressure

3. Add the butter, heavy cream and almond meal. Stir continuously until the butter has melted and the sauce is thick and velvety. (Add more almond meal as needed if the sauce is not thick enough). Season to taste.

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Brown bowl with butter chicken and rice in it.

How to Make Butter Chicken in the Thermomix

Cooking butter chicken in the Thermomix is surprisingly one of my preferred ways to do it. I do have a lot of Thermomix chicken recipes. The keto butter chicken is one of my personal favourites.

Thermomix Butter Chicken is highly searched for among the Thermomix Australia community and we all know that Skinnymixers Butter Chicken gets a lot of testing.

Personally, I love my keto butter chicken that is a third of the carbs, easier and quicker and uses more authentic ingredients and flavours.

Here is how to make my keto butter chicken in a Thermomix.

1. Combine marinade ingredients in a non-reactive bowl coating chicken well. Cover and chill for 3-4 hours.

2. Place onion and garlic into the mixer; chop 3 sec/speed 6. Add the ghee, ginger, cardamom, coriander, garam masala, turmeric and chilli powder to mixer; cook 2 min/100℃/MC off/stir.

3. Add fenugreek leaves, tomatoes and tomato paste; cook 14 min/100℃/MC off/basket on top/stir.

4. Add the butter, cream almond meal and chicken. Stir using a spatula to ensure chicken is completely covered in the sauce. Cook 12 min/100℃/ basket on top/reverse /stir. (Add more almond meal as needed if the sauce is not thick enough). Season to taste. Serve as above.

What to Serve with Butter Chicken

Serve this delightful keto butter chicken over cauliflower rice, steamed broccoli, or spinach for a complete, low-carb meal. Don’t forget to garnish with fresh cilantro for that authentic touch.

The butter chicken is also perfect with Stuffed Keto Naan from our Keto Breads eBook.

Bowl of curry chicken and rice.

Tips for Success and FAQs

  • Don’t skip the marinating step; it infuses the chicken with incredible flavor.
  • Adjust the spice level to your liking by tweaking the cayenne pepper or using a milder chili powder.
  • Simmer the sauce until it thickens to achieve that perfect creamy consistency.
How long will butter chicken keep in the fridge?

Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Otherwise, freeze in individual serves in an airtight container for when you need an easy meal.

What is the difference between butter chicken and chicken tikka masala?

They are very similar but butter chicken is milder and creamier than a tikka masala.

There is too much sauce? My sauce is runny?

The sauce is so good you will eat it with a spoon, trust me. There is never too much sauce in my opinion. Allow the butter chicken to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Or cook it the next day. The sauce will thicken upon resting.

I do love a good keto curry myself. Here are just a few of my best keto dinner recipes.

  1. Massaman Chicken Curry
  2. Thai Penang Chicken Curry
  3. Red Curry Chicken Chiang Mai Style
  4. Malaysian Meat Curry Powder
Keto Butter chicken in a brown bowl and topped with yogurt and cilantro.

Easy Keto Butter Chicken

Indulge guilt-free with our mouthwatering Keto Butter Chicken recipe! Creamy and rich, this low-carb twist on a classic Indian favorite combines tender chicken in a luscious tomato and butter sauce, all without the carbs. It’s always a big hit with the family and when entertaining.
Try it this week, it really is a sensational keto curry recipe!
4.96 from 47 votes!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Course: Lunch and Dinner
Cuisine: Indian
Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free
Recipe Category: Low Carb
Calories: 318kcal
Author: Megan Ellam
Servings: 6 serves
Tap or hover over number to scale ingredients
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Equipment

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Ingredients 

CHICKEN MARINADE

  • ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) garam masala
  • ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) ground turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) Kashmiri chilli powder See notes
  • 70 g (⅓ cups) Greek yoghurt plus extra to serve
  • 900 g (6 cups) chicken breast or thigh fillets (I recommend thigh) cut into 3 -4 cm cubes

CURRY SAUCE

  • 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) 40g ghee or melted unsalted butter or coconut oil
  • ½ (½) onion 100g finely minced
  • 2 (2) garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) ginger paste
  • 2 (2) brown/black cardamom pods bruised. See Notes
  • 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) garam masala
  • 2 teaspoons (2 teaspoons) ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Kashmiri chilli powder See Notes
  • 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) fenugreek leaves See Notes
  • 400 g (14 oz) tomatoes crushed
  • 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) tomato paste
  • 40 g (1 ⅖ oz) butter
  • 100 g (3 ½ oz) thickened cream or coconut cream. See Notes
  • 3 tablespoons (3 tablespoons) almond meal or use 1 tablespoon of gelatin to thicken
  • Salt and pepper to taste

TO SERVE

  • Fresh coriander leaves cauliflower rice and extra yoghurt
  • Cauliflower Rice

Instructions

CONVENTIONAL METHOD

  • Combine marinade ingredients in a non-reactive bowl coating chicken well. Cover and chill for 1-2 hours or leave overnight.
  • Melt ghee in a pan over moderate heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger, cardamom, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, and chilli powder. Stir well and sauté for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
  • Add fenugreek leaves, tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a simmer and reduce by a third. Add the chicken to the pan and reduce heat to a low simmer. Simmer chicken for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through.
  • Add the butter, cream and almond meal. Stir continuously until the butter has melted and the sauce begins to thicken. Leave to rest, covered, for 10-15 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken. Season to taste. Serve with cauliflower rice, coriander leaves and extra yoghurt.

THERMOMIX METHOD

  • Combine marinade ingredients in a non-reactive bowl coating chicken well. Cover and chill for 1-2 hours.
  • Place onion and garlic into mixer; chop 3 sec/speed 6. Add the ghee, ginger, cardamom, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, and chilli powder to mixer; cook 2 min/100℃/MC off/stir.
  • Add fenugreek leaves, tomatoes and tomato paste; cook 14 min/100℃/MC off/basket on top/stir.
  • Add the butter, cream almond meal and chicken. Stir using a spatula to ensure chicken is completely covered in the sauce. Cook 12 min/100℃/basket on top/reverse /stir. Leave to rest, covered, for 10-15 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken. Season to taste. Serve as above.

INSTANT POT OR PRESSURE COOKER METHOD

  • Combine marinade ingredients in a non-reactive bowl coating chicken well. Cover and chill for 1-2 hours.
  • Add all ingredients to Instant Pot except butter, cream and almond meal. Set Pot to 10 minutes high pressure/naturally release for 10 minutes then release remaining pressure.
  • Add the butter, cream and almond meal. Stir continuously until the butter has melted and the sauce is thickened. Leave to rest, covered, for 10-15 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken. Season to taste. Serve with cauliflower rice, coriander leaves and extra yoghurt.

Notes

TO SERVE
I recommend a small serving of Cauliflower Rice, extra Greek yoghurt (or our 2 Ingredient Yoghurt) and coriander leaves. Simple and delicious. Serve with Stuffed Keto Naan which you will find in our Keto Breads eBook.
STORING Low carb butter chicken will also store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Otherwise, freeze in individual serves in an airtight container for when you need an easy meal. 
INGREDIENTS & SUBSTITUTES
Kashmiri chilli powder is a very mild Indian chilli powder. It adds flavour and colour to the low carb Butter Chicken without adding heat.
Black or brown cardamom pods are available at Indian/Asian grocers and have a different flavour profile than green cardamom pods.
Fenugreek leaves are authentic to a butter chicken gravy. They are completely different to the powder or seeds for adding flavour and I strongly recommend sourcing them and using them in this recipe.
To make dairy free butter chicken or paleo butter chicken recipe replace butter with coconut oil and swap cream to coconut cream.  Swap breast or chicken on the bone, if preferred. The chicken can be grilled before adding it to the gravy.
For a vegan butter chicken alternative, use tofu or cauliflower. For more tasty low carb chicken recipes try our Baked Italian Chicken Thighs, Chicken Tikka, Baked Tandoori Chicken or Chicken Korma.

Your Own Notes

Click here to add your own private recipe notes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serve | Calories: 318kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 358mg | Potassium: 843mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 691IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 2mg | Magnesium: 58mg | Net Carbs: 6g
Tried this recipe?Mention @meganellam or tag #madcreations!

You will find a lot of keto chicken recipes here as well as keto Indian recipes. I am a little bit of a fan so you will find more each month.

Megan Ellam is an Australian keto recipes blogger living in Thornton, NSW. She is the author of amazing keto cookbooks such as Slow Cook Keto, Keto Loco, The Healthy Family Keto Cookbook and Every Day Keto.

Share This Recipe

105 responses to “Easy Keto Butter Chicken Recipe”

  1. Leigh

    This recipe is amazing! I used coconut cream and gelatin and the texture was perfect.

    Reply
    1. Megan Mad Creations Hub

      I am so happy you enjoyed it Leigh x

      Reply
  2. Teresa C

    5 stars
    This was absolutely delicious and so easy to make! Even my husband who isnโ€™t on Keto loved it and said i have to make a double batch next time.

    Reply
    1. Megan Mad Creations Hub

      You will. So easy to double batch it.

      Reply
  3. Rachel Yong

    5 stars
    This is by far the best keto butter chicken I’ve had. I had to improvised because I forgotten to get the yoghurt. I used cream cheese instead as that’s the only thing that’s in my fridge. To my surprised, it still tastes fantastic! Will definitely try with yoghurt next time

    Reply
    1. Megan Mad Creations Hub

      I am so happy you enjoy it Rachel. Favorite Butter Chicken top billing is always hard to get. I think this is an epic recipe but I may be biased haha!

      Reply
  4. Swathi

    5 stars
    Low carb keto butter chicken looks delicious.

    Reply
    1. Megan Mad Creations Hub

      It sure is

      Reply
  5. tiannaskitchen

    5 stars
    love having a dietary friendly butter chicken recipe, thank you

    Reply
  6. Helen Jack

    5 stars
    This is THE BEST butter chicken recipe that you will EVER make! I have been cooking butter chicken for well over 30 years, but could never quite get it to taste as I would like (to replicate the one from my fav Indian restaurant).This is perfect! Do not leave out the fenugreek leaves or the black cardamom pods. I chargrill the chicken pieces (under a super hot grill or bbq) before adding to the sauce (another essential step). I also prefer to use almond meal/flour to thicken as it adds that essential nutty creaminess that butter chicken calls for.

    Reply
    1. Megan Mad Creations Hub

      Yay! I love to hear that! Thanks for trying it Helen and coming back to leave a review. x

      Reply
  7. Helen

    5 stars
    OMG!! I have made and had countless servings of Butter Chicken in my time.. but nothing as tasty as this! I was initially hesitant to cook it in the Thermy as I like to cook all my Indian food on the stove or oven only. From now on, this will only be cooked in the Thermy. The only thing that I left out was the Tandoori colour. This is now my new favourite recipe!! Just try it once and I guarantee you will never go back to your old recipe.

    Reply
    1. Megan Mad Creations Hub

      Hi Helen,
      I am so glad you gave the recipe a try and loved it. It is a great recipe in the thermie (surprisingly) and that is my preferred method too. I hope you find loads more recipes to enjoy on the website. Thanks for making the recipe.

      Reply
  8. Domino

    Absolutely delicious! The leftovers were even more delicious a few days later. This will definitely become a regular dish in our home.

    Reply
  9. Larissa Fletcher

    Wow loved this and best part the whole family (Hubby who doesnt like spice, plus 6, 9 and 12 year old) all loved it.

    Reply
    1. Megan Mad Creations Hub

      Woohoo! That is so awesome Larissa. I really love when the recipes get a family tick of approval x

      Reply
  10. jan K

    5 stars
    Delicious! delicious! Delicious! I used the conventional method with no changes to the recipe with the exception of leaving out the tandoori colour. Fabulous flavours and so easy

    Reply
    1. Megan Mad Creations Hub

      So happy you enjoyed the recipe Jan. Also a big thanks for taking the time to leave a review. It really is appreciated. I hope you find loads more recipes to enjoy on our site.

      Reply
  11. Mat Steel

    5 stars
    I have two words Easy, Delicious.

    Reply
    1. Megan Mad Creations Hub

      Thanks Mat Happy that you loved it.

      Reply
  12. Susan Strachan

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious! Best butter chicken recipe I have tried. It’s so easy and quick to make! My non keto family loved it! My hubby took some left overs from the freezer for his lunch and he thought it was leftovers from our local indian! Winner! Thanks Megan โ˜บ๏ธโ˜บ๏ธ

    Reply
    1. Megan Mad Creations Hub

      Woohoo Susan! So great to hear the positive feedback and that you all enjoyed the recipe. And a HUGE thanks for taking the time to leave a review and let me know you enjoyed the recipe. xx

      Reply
  13. Kym S

    5 stars
    Yum! Yum! Yum! It’s unanimous… this is THE BEST tasting Butter Chicken ever cooked in our house… keto – non keto – thermie – conventional. When the kids stop gaming to come and find out “What smells soooo good!” you know it’s going to be a hit. And SO EASY. Thank you for another fantastic recipe Megan xo

    Reply
  14. Cristina

    Omg this is the best and easiest butter chicken recipe ever!! Already made it 3 times in 2 weeks!! Love love love it!! Thank you Megan!

    Reply
    1. Megan Mad Creations Hub

      I am so glad you enjoyed it Cristina. Thanks so much for also taking the time to leave a review. It is very appreciated.

      Reply
  15. Donna

    5 stars
    Yes I agree – this is the best authentic butter chicken recipe – love it – takes me back to my time in England – now just need a recipe for the English traditional dish of Chicken Tikka Masala ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿ˜‹

    Reply
    1. Megan Mad Creations Hub

      Awesome! You may find that I already have a killer recipe for the Tikka Masala. Here is the link for you to try. https://madcreationshub.com/recipe/keto-chicken-tikka-masala/

      Reply
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