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Whole30 Butter Chicken

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By: MadelinePosted: 01/27/2020Updated: 04/01/2021

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This Whole30 Butter Chicken is a healthy version of a popular Indian curry recipe. This easy and flavorful butter chicken curry recipe rivals the taste of takeout with better ingredients!

Above view of healthy butter chicken in a frying pan

The flavor of Indian takeout in the comfort of your own home

I made this Whole30 Butter Chicken specifically for my girlfriend after she told me that she loves Keto Connect’s Butter Chicken recipe. Every once in a while when I ask my usual, “what should we have for dinner?” she quickly asks, “butter chicken?”

Of course, I am always willing to oblige, but this round I knew I had to make it Whole30 friendly. That required me to make a creamy and satisfying recipe without dairy.

I’m not going to lie and say it better than butter chicken because I am deeply in love with heavy cream (sorry Amy!), but its a pretty delicious substitute. Since creating this recipe I have made Whole30 butter chicken for dinner an embarrassing number of times.

Three quarter view of healthy butter chicken in a bowl with cauliflower rice
 

Healthy Butter Chicken is my go-to comfort food.

During this Whole30 journey I have learned that it is pretty easy to turn any regular dish into a Whole30 dish provided you aren’t getting into SWYPO (Sex With Your Pants On) territory. This Whole30 Butter Chicken fit the mold for a perfect recipe that could be modified to be Whole30 friendly.

I swapped out the butter for some ghee and heavy cream for some full-fat coconut milk and was able to come up with a rich and creamy dish that is just as tasty as the original one. The only difference between my version and the original was that the sauce was a little thinner so I added a bit of xanthan gum at the end just to thicken the sauce up a bit.

Whenever I add xanthan gum to a dish I will inevitably get the question, “but what if I don’t have xanthan gum?” and to all of you I say: its optional! It thickens the sauce a bit, but truly does nothing to change the taste of the dish and will be just as delicious without it.

Above view of healthy butter chicken with cauliflower rice and roasted brussels sprouts in meal prep containers

What kitchen tools and ingredients will I need to make this healthy butter chicken recipe?

To make this simple Whole30 Butter Chicken all you need is a large nonstick pan and sharp knife. No fancy tools or gadgets. I try to keep things simple around here unless I’m cooking with my instant pot because that thing is amazing.

I wanted you all to see just how easy it is to make Whole30 butter chicken so I filmed a little recipe video of myself making this dish. The only thing I didn’t film was cubing the raw chicken, but you can do that by buying boneless skinless chicken breast and cubing it into bite size pieces.

A quick life hack for making that process even shorter is to purchase boneless skinless chicken tenders! There is less to cut when the pieces are smaller. Hit play on the video below to watch how I make this dish.

How to make healthy butter chicken

To make this whole30 butter chicken simply cube the chicken breast and then coat in spices. In the video I threw the spices directly into the bowl with the chicken, but I prefer to combine them on their own first before tossing with the chicken. This allows for an even flavoring.

I heat a pan over medium low and add some ghee. Then I cook onions and garlic in ghee until soft and fragrant. Add the seasoned chicken to the pan and cook over medium until almost fully cooked through.

Combine coconut milk and tomato paste with a whisk and pour into the pan. Allow simmering for 10 minutes. Stir in an arrowroot starch and water mixture to thicken the sauce and enjoy!

Above view of healthy butter chicken recipe in a frying pan

This recipe is perfect for your whole30 meal prep or cozy winter dinner. Grab the full recipe down below and, as always, if you try this recipe out, be sure to share how you liked it with me in the comments or on Instagram!

Image for pining this Whole30 Butter Chicken recipe on pinterest
Above view of butter chicken in meal prep containers
Recipe

Whole30 Butter Chicken

★★★★★ 5 from 9 reviews

A healthy twist on the popular Indian curry dish called butter chicken

Recipe By: Madeline
Prep: 10 minsCook: 25 minsTotal: 35 minutes
Print Pin it Rate recipe Save recipe
Servings: 3 servings 1x

Ingredients

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 tbsp ghee
  • 1 can full fat coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 small yellow onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1.5 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tbsp arrowroot starch
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

  1. Dice the onion and mince the garlic
  2. Cut the chicken breast into bite-sized cubes
  3. Combine turmeric, ginger, chili powder, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl
  4. Pour spices over chicken and toss until chicken is fully coated in the spice mixture
  5. Heat ghee over medium-low in a frying pan
  6. Add onion and garlic to the pan with the melted ghee
  7. Cook onion and garlic until soft and fragrant about 3 minutes
  8. Increase the heat to medium and add the chicken to the pan
  9. Allow the chicken to cook over medium for 6 minutes tossing frequently
  10. While the chicken cooks, whisk together coconut milk and tomato paste
  11. Pour the liquid mixture into the pan with the chicken and increase the heat to high until the sauce bubbles
  12. Reduce to medium-low to simmer and simmer for 10 minutes
  13. To thicken the sauce, combine arrowroot starch and water in a small bowl
  14. Increase the heat to medium-high and push the chicken to one side of the pan
  15. Pour arrowroot and water mixture into the pan and mix vigorously as the sauce thickens
  16. Toss the chicken in the thickened sauce and remove the pan from the heat
  17. Enjoy with rice, cauliflower rice and veggies!
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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About Madeline

Hi, I'm Madeline! I am so excited to share my healthy and approachable recipes with you. Here you will find simple, comforting recipes that the whole family will enjoy. Turn on your favorite playlist or podcast and let's get cooking!

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Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Jen says

    Posted on 2/13 at 7:36 pm

    This was outstanding! Very flavorful and I served it with couscous as well.

    Reply
    • Madeline Tague says

      Posted on 2/13 at 7:59 pm

      Aw thank you i love to hear that! Sounds like a delicious meal!

      Reply
  2. Brandy says

    Posted on 3/6 at 1:05 am

    THIS WAS SO GOOD!! Didn’t have Xanthan gum but still delicious. Thank you!

    Reply
  3. Diane says

    Posted on 7/2 at 11:17 pm

    Made this tonight and it was SO good!! Everyone from my 18-month-old to my picky husband all devoured it. Thank you for this amazing recipe!!

    Reply
    • Madeline Tague says

      Posted on 7/23 at 4:11 pm

      YES that makes me so happy!! Thank you for sharing.

      Reply
  4. Brianna says

    Posted on 9/8 at 9:36 pm

    Delicious! My husband and 3 year old both gobbled it up!

    Reply
    • Madeline Tague says

      Posted on 9/24 at 1:28 pm

      Thanks for sharing, Brianna! That makes me so happy!

      Reply
  5. manoj says

    Posted on 9/27 at 8:57 am

    mouth watering Chicken Cutlet Homemade Just Try it youself https://youtu.be/CzPM2a7Ybto

    Reply
  6. Abetta says

    Posted on 10/15 at 7:48 pm

    Will this recipe taste the same without the xanthan gum??? I have everything but!!!

    Reply
  7. Charlotte says

    Posted on 11/2 at 7:39 am

    So I gave this a shot, but didn’t have the xanthan gum……. AMAZING!!!! I don’t even think you really need it??? I’m excited to experiment with this recipe! By far the BEST one I’ve tried!!! Thank you so much for sharing this! I’ll be spreading the word! ??

    Reply
    • Madeline Tague says

      Posted on 11/7 at 3:18 pm

      Yep! It doesn’t change the flavor just the thickness! SO glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!

      Reply
  8. Terri says

    Posted on 11/20 at 12:25 pm

    Do you know how many carbs it has?

    Reply
  9. Amanda says

    Posted on 11/22 at 7:23 pm

    Can’t wait to try it! Do you know how many calories this is?

    Reply
  10. Annie says

    Posted on 12/8 at 11:43 pm

    Wow I literally just made this and it was delicious!!!! Honestly one of the most delicious sauces I’ve ever made. I used Lite Coconut Milk and it was still great! Wonderful recipe 🙂

    Reply
  11. Michelle R says

    Posted on 2/9 at 9:00 pm

    This is sooo good! It’s so easy to make! Thanks for all that you do!

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 2/10 at 3:05 pm

      YAY! so glad you enjoyed!

      Reply
  12. Paige says

    Posted on 4/10 at 1:31 am

    Made this with paleo naan for my dad and his girlfriend tonight, it was so delicious we were all scooping up every last bit with the naan. My dad is wary when trying new foods and isn’t big into Indian cuisine but he’s now converted. Thank you for the amazing recipe! It all came together so easily. Will definitely be on my regular rotation of dinners from now on!

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 4/10 at 8:52 am

      YES!! I love hearing that!!

      Reply
  13. MichelleK says

    Posted on 4/27 at 8:56 am

    I made this on Saturday after you did it on the live cook-a-long and it’s super easy to make and very tasty. I used ginger paste (as that was all I have) as well as chilli paste that I fried along with the garlic and onion. I also used tapioca starch instead of arrowroot, but for the rest I followed the recipe.
    I had it the next day for leftovers and thought it tasted even better.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 4/27 at 3:39 pm

      Oh yay! Glad the subs worked well!! And I agree it’s so good as leftovers

      Reply
  14. Haley says

    Posted on 7/22 at 2:25 pm

    This came out SO great, I even was able to freeze some for leftovers for later in the week & it heated back up perfectly!

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 7/23 at 9:56 am

      I am so glad!! One of my favorites to make ahead and freeze.

      Reply
  15. Alexa says

    Posted on 10/8 at 7:53 pm

    Hands down greatest and easiest meal I’ve ever made. Craving it 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 10/8 at 8:50 pm

      WOW! Thank you!!

      Reply
  16. Danielle says

    Posted on 12/28 at 3:56 pm

    I first made this when you did it live and it was so good that I have made it several times since. I love that it’s so full of flavour but isn’t spicy.

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 12/28 at 9:31 pm

      awesome!! thank you!

      Reply
  17. Brittany says

    Posted on 12/28 at 5:59 pm

    Really great! Perfect regardless of if you are doing a Whole30

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 12/28 at 9:19 pm

      yes!! thank you!!

      Reply
  18. Erica says

    Posted on 12/28 at 9:16 pm

    Great recipe! I make this several times per month and have tried with and without the Xantham gum, both to great success. Thanks!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  19. Alicia says

    Posted on 3/17 at 6:50 pm

    Love this recipe! Subbed butter for ghee but it was still delish! Thank you for sharing your recipes with the world!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 3/18 at 12:42 pm

      thank you so much!!!

      Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 3/25 at 4:05 pm

      awesome thank you!

      Reply
  20. Ellen says

    Posted on 3/18 at 1:40 pm

    I love this so much I doubled the recipe the second time I made it. Perfect for dinner and leftovers!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 3/25 at 4:02 pm

      wonderful!! Thank you!

      Reply
  21. Shabibi says

    Posted on 6/17 at 10:45 pm

    This is a favourite in my house.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 6/23 at 9:34 am

      yay! so glad! Thank you!

      Reply
  22. Kat says

    Posted on 7/12 at 3:26 pm

    Love this recipe! Made it for the first time when I was doing Whole30 in January but still continuing to make it now!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • maryjane says

      Posted on 7/14 at 11:23 am

      Love that! Thanks!

      Reply
  23. Erin says

    Posted on 9/17 at 3:40 pm

    Love, love!! Very tasty, and I love the simple, concise instructions. Thanks for your recipes.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  24. Heather Jane says

    Posted on 9/3 at 12:40 am

    Do you think this would be good using ground chicken? It looks like a great recipe, I love Indian food and enjoy cooking it as well! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 9/5 at 12:44 pm

      it would have a very different consistency and texture – but the flavors would still work!

      Reply
  25. Megan M says

    Posted on 9/9 at 12:01 pm

    I’ve made this a few times now and it is always such a delicious addition to my week night menu! This flavorful dish will definitely be added to my fall dinner rotation!

    Reply
    • Madeline says

      Posted on 9/9 at 5:19 pm

      wonderful! thank you!!

      Reply

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