Healthy Butter Chicken

Gluten-free | Fat-free | Sugar-free | Dairy-free option | Low carb

Butter chicken is comfort food, and when I'm craving comfort, the beautiful aromatics involved with this Punjabi dish are foremost in mind. Butter chicken is arguably the most famous Punjabi dish around the world. I am one of those fans, but not so fangirl regarding its over-handed use of dairy and fat. Although delicious, unfortunately, my body can't handle the richness of its delectable sauce anymore. 

Traditional butter chicken has a reputation for being full of dairy and fat. Because of this reason, I made it my mission to recreate this delicious dish but with a healthy kick. My re-imagined butter chicken is dairy-free, has no added fat and is sugar and gluten-free. But fear not, this dish still packs a flavour punch, and when combined with simple cauliflower rice, it's a low-carb dream. 

Hints, Tips & Tricks

Ideally, it would help if you started this recipe the night before to allow the chicken time to marinate. If time is precious, you could rest the chicken in the marinade for a minimum of 2 hours. 

To make this recipe dairy-free, use coconut yoghurt instead of cottage cheese.

I use my roasted tomato sauce to ensure my recipe stays free from sugar and gluten. You will need to prepare this sauce before continuing. My sauce is extremely versatile, and I use it in many other delicious recipes. I always keep a jar of it in my fridge for impromptu curries, sauces and zucchini noodle pasta dishes. You can find the recipe here.

Another recipe you'll need to prepare is my Kombu Water. Kombu water is my healthy broth alternative and one of my favourite foundation recipes. If you need the recipe, you can find it here.

RECIPE

Ingredients

• 1 kg (2.2 lb) raw skinless chicken breast, sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 300 ml (10.5 fl oz) low-fat cottage cheese or unsweetened coconut yoghurt (for dairy-free option)
• 2 tbsp cumin powder
• 1 ½ tbsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 2 tbsp low sodium tamari
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp grated ginger
• ½ portion My Roasted Tomato Sauce
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp chilli flakes
• 300 ml (10.5 fl oz) Kombu Water
• Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• 2 portions of cauliflower rice to serve ( leave out the spices for plain rice)

Method

1. Add the diced chicken breast, cottage cheese (or coconut yoghurt), cumin powder, turmeric, garam masala and coriander to a large bowl. Combine all the ingredients, ensuring the chicken is completely covered with the mixture. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours but ideally 24 hours. 
2. Heat a large pot on medium heat and add the tamari, followed by the onion, garlic and ginger. Turn the heat down to low and sauté the ingredients for 15 minutes or until the onion is very soft, stirring often. 
3. Add the roasted tomato sauce, cumin seeds, chilli flakes, and marinated chicken and stir well. Add the kombu water, season with salt and pepper, and turn the heat to medium. Allow the chicken to cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender and the sauce has amalgamated well and is thick. 
4. Taste the sauce for flavour, adding more salt and pepper if required. 
5. Serve the butter chicken alongside plain cauliflower rice.