This is such an easy, delicious and healthy butter chicken recipe… with NO butter. Ya know, because we’re trying to be healthy here! What I really love about this recipe is that it can all be made in one pot. So cleanup is a breeze!
Now I know… this is NOT an Authentic Indian Butter Chicken (Chicken Makhani) Recipe, however, it is absolutely mouthwatering and will probably “fit your macros” much better than the scrumptious authentic version.
Although we love to indulge in all of our not-so-healthy treats every so often, we do TRY to eat healthy most of the week. This Healthy One Pot Butter Chicken Recipe will truly make you feel like you are “cheating” on your diet, but have no fear… there is nothing to feel guilty about here!
Healthy One Pot Butter Chicken Ingredients
To make this butter chicken recipe, you’ll need:
- Chicken thighs
- Crushed tomatoes
- White or yellow onion
- Lemon
- Plain yogurt
- Avocado oil (or olive oil)
- Garlic paste (or ground)
- Ginger paste (or ground)
- Cayenne pepper
- Chili powder
- Ground cumin
- Garam masala
- Black pepper
- Salt
How to Make Healthy One Pot Butter Chicken
- Add oil and minced onions to a medium-large pot and sauté until softened.
- Add cubed chicken thighs, seasoned with salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, ground cumin, garam masala, garlic paste & ginger paste and cook until done.
- Stir in garlic and ginger paste, and sauté until fragrant, then mix in more of the same dry seasonings and continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes and lemon juice, allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes, then add in yogurt and mix until the sauce has a smooth consistency.
- Add salt, pepper, and seasonings to adjust flavor to your liking.
- Serve over rice and enjoy!
If you prefer a creamier consistency sauce, add more yogurt and less crushed tomatoes. If you like a more “tomatoey” sauce, simply do the opposite (less yogurt and more crushed tomatoes).
Healthy One Pot Butter Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp ginger paste or ground ginger
- 1 tsp garlic paste or granulated garlic
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp garam masala
Sauce
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 1 medium white onion or yellow
- 2 tbsp avocado oil to coat pot
- 1 tsp salt to taste
- 1 tsp black pepper to taste
- 1 tsp ginger paste or ground ginger
- 1 tsp garlic paste or granulated garlic
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Cube chicken thighs into roughly ½ inch by ½ inch cubes and mix together with avocado oil, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, ground cumin, garam masala, garlic and ginger paste in a large bowl until fully coated.
- In a medium-large pot on medium-high heat, drizzle avocado oil to coat the bottom of the pot and sauté minced onions until softened. Then add the seasoned chicken chunks to the pot and cook until done and lightly browned.
- Stir in more garlic and ginger paste, and cook until fragrant. Then mix in more seasoning and allow to cook together for 1-2 minutes.
- Mix in the crushed tomatoes and juice of 1 lemon and allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes, then pour in the yogurt and mix until the sauce is a smooth consistency. Bring the sauce to a rapid simmer, cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Allow to lightly simmer on low for at least 10-15 minutes.
- Adjust the flavor to your liking by adding more salt, pepper, garam masala or cumin. If you'd like to make it spicier, add more cayenne and chili powder. Serve over a bed of fluffy rice, garnish with fresh chopped parsley and enjoy!
Came out amazing.
OMG! We were just talking about how much we love the butter chicken from our local indian restaurant last week but how it probably would not work out with our diets! Tried this recipe tonight and it tasted JUST AS GOOD. Seriously! If I didn’t know there was no butter or cream I’d have no idea. Instead of actual rice we ate it over cauliflower rice… I’d highly recommend it if you are trying to watch you carbs! Thank you so much Danielle!!!