Healthy Butter Chicken

butter chicken curry in a bowl with roti

This Healthy Butter Chicken is marinated in yoghurt and a warming spice mix, infused with garlic, ginger and onion in a rich creamy tomato base.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 30

Total Time 1 50

Servings people

Calories 435kcal

Author Kim

Ingredients

For Marinating

12 Skinless and Boneless Chicken thighs [see: Note 1]
2 tablespoons Lemon juice
¾ cup Greek yoghurt (I use Chobani)
2 tablespoons Ginger freshly grated

For the Sauce

1 tablespoon Butter
1 medium Brown Onion sliced thinly
2 tablespoons Garlic crushed
1 Cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons Tomato paste
1 ⅔ cups Tomato puree
⅔ cup Chicken stock/broth

For the Spice Mix

1 teaspoon Chilli Powder
2 teaspoons Garam Masala
1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Sweet paprika

For Thickening

1 tablespoons Cornflour/cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

For Serving

⅓ cup Pouring or Cooking cream
Fresh coriander/cilantro to serve

Instructions

Prepare Spice Mix: Add dry spices in a small bowl and mix together
1 teaspoon Chilli Powder, 2 teaspoons Garam Masala, 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander, 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin, 1 teaspoon Sweet paprika
Marinate chicken: Add chicken, lemon juice, yoghurt, ginger, and half of the spice mix together in a large bowl. Mix together with a spoon until chicken is covered in yoghurt and spices and then cover and refrigerate for minimum 30 minutes.
12 Skinless and Boneless Chicken thighs, ¾ cup Greek yoghurt, 2 tablespoons Ginger, 2 tablespoons Lemon juice
Preheat Oven: Preheat a large frypan or skillet on the stove (on high heat), and preheat oven to 180 degrees C (Fan oven) or 350 degrees F.
Lightly brown off the Chicken: Add butter to the frypan/skillet, add the chicken pieces in batches and brown them off on each side. As they are browned, place them into a large casserole dish with a lid. Repeat this process until all chicken thighs have been browned and in the casserole dish.
1 tablespoon Butter
Cook onion and garlic: In the same pan/skillet, add the onion and garlic and cook until garlic becomes translucent and begins to soften. Add remaining spice mix to the pan, stirring into the onion and garlic mixture.
1 medium Brown Onion, 2 tablespoons Garlic
Add Liquids to pan: Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the tomato paste, tomato puree, stock/broth, cinnamon stick and honey if using.
2 tablespoons Tomato paste, 1 ⅔ cups Tomato puree, ⅔ cup Chicken stock/broth, 1 Cinnamon stick
Transfer to Casserole Dish and Cook in Oven: Pour over the chicken thighs in the casserole dish. Cover with lid or foil and cook for 90 minutes at 180 degrees C (Fan oven) or 350 degrees F
Serving: Once butter chicken is cooked, add in the cream and stir in with a spoon.
⅓ cup Pouring or Cooking cream
Thickening: If further thickening is required, make a cornflour/cornstarch slurry, but adding 2 tablespoons to cornflour/cornstarch to 2 tablespoons water, stir and add in whilst stirring. Continue stirring through to thicken sauce.
1 tablespoons Cornflour/cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water

Notes

Marination: minimum time recommended is 30 minutes. 2 hours is great, and overnight if you can.
Spice Level: This butter chicken recipe is mild to medium on the hotness scale.. To make it spicier with more heat, add additional chili powder.
Slow Cooker: Complete all the pre cooking steps as per the recipe then transfer to your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.

Nutrition