I was visiting Amy in New York last fall when she asked me to help her out with an Indian chicken dish she said was keto, quick to prepare, and scrumptious. She was scrolling through keto recipes and came across this dish created by Megha Barot, who with her husband, Matt, created the keto food blog, Keto Connect. She lives in Atlanta, as do I, so I was interested in checking out their blog.
It’s become one of my favorite all-time chicken dishes! I avoid complicated recipes like the plague, so when Amy asked me to be her sous chef, I rolled up my sleeves for the long haul. To my surprise, the total time including prep was just under 25 minutes. And the flavors – simply incredible. The three Shuebach kids gobbled it up before I could grab seconds.
It has just the right amount of spices – not too much, not too little – and even better, they are ones you typically have in your kitchen pantry. The turmeric, ginger, chili powder, and cinnamon are staple Indian cuisine spices, and WOW do they make this recipe pop with taste and color. The heavy whipping cream, butter, garlic, and onion meld into a creamy explosion of flavors.
If you’re just starting a keto diet, stock the fridge with heavy whipping cream. It’s used in lots of delicious keto recipes and a little goes a long way in making velvety-rich sauces and desserts. A few years ago I avoided whipping cream because the thought was, too many calories/too much fat. But remember a keto diet limits carbohydrates and relies on fat for source of energy. One cup of heavy whipping cream (which makes two cups whipped) contains only 6.6 grams of carbs.
This recipe calls for chicken breast meat, but if you prefer dark meat, that would work just as well. Chicken dishes with sauces do best with skinless meat.
When I got back home to Atlanta, I made this Indian chicken dish for Mike. I haven’t made many Indian dishes because I’m not a fan of curry. But these Indian spices were subtle yet spicy. Mike couldn’t stop talking about this fantastic dish and neither can I. Guarantee you won’t have any leftovers at your house!
Divine Keto Butter Chicken | From Meghay Barot/Keto Connect
You'll have no leftovers with this butter chicken dish! It's a perfect blend of Indian spices and velvety-smooth sauce that's 25 minutes start to finish. Cauliflower rice makes the perfect side dish.
- 1 pound chicken breast
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1.5 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 medium onion
- 1.5 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
Combine the turmeric, ginger, salt, chili powder, and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.
Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces and put in bowl. Dredge chicken pieces with spices to coat.
Heat a large skillet to medium. Add butter, diced onion and garlic to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium-high and add coated chicken. Cook for about 3-5 minutes. The outside of the chicken should be white but won’t be cooked completely through.
- Add the heavy whipping cream and tomato paste, stirring with a spatula to mix well.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and cover with a lid for 5-7 minutes.
- Remove the lid and stir. It’s now ready to eat! If you prefer a thicker sauce, reduce with the lid off.
Love this recipe. Fantastic on top of steamed broccoli or cauliflower “rice.” I make a double recipe because it reheats beautifully.
Welcome, Steve! Agree about the double recipe. Whenever I can double a recipe, I do too! Huge time saver.
What is the serving size?
Hi, Tricia! The recipe serves 4 people. Each serving is approximately 3/4ths of a cup, or 340 grams. Thanks for visiting myketohome!
Loved this recipe, delicious!!! We had it over steamed broccoli as well!!!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks, Connie, for visiting the site.
This is delicious! I’m doubling the recipe too! Would this work in a slow cooker?
Hi, Horsegirl! This particular recipe works best on the stovetop. The chicken needs to be browned with the onion and garlic first to enhance the flavors, and the heavy whipping cream and tomato paste only take a few minutes to produce the sauce. Start to serving time, only 25 minutes! Thanks for visiting myketohome!
This recipe looks so tasty and yummie… planning on making it for dinner this week! Thank you Mrs. Robach for sharing and love your website 😍🥰🥰
Thanks so much, Claudia. Hope you love it@ So happy to have you on board!
Joanie, I just made my usual double recipe of this tonight…three Costco frozen chicken breasts, and double everything else…but then I realized I didn’t have enough heavy cream. I substituted a can of coconut milk (almost exactly two cups, the amount I needed for doubling the recipe). It turned out beautifully…plus coconut milk is used in Indian cuisine, and it’s keto. I think I may make it this way from now on!
Hey, Steve. What a great substitution! I’m trying coconut milk next time I make this dish!
I am completely new to this but love the recipes in your website! Is there another substitute for heavy whipping cream besides coconut milk? Thank You and can’t wait to try this!
Hi, Sheila, and thank you so much for visiting! In place of 1 cup of heavy cream, using one of these three substitutions will work great: 7/8ths C half and half and 2T butter; 3/4ths C whole milk and 4T butter; or 1/2 C whole milk and 1/2 C Greek yogurt or sour cream.
I made this last night and it was amazing! Big hit, thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the lovely comment, Nicole! I’m always thrilled when I hear one of the recipes is a hit, and thank you for visiting!
I enjoyed this recipe and served it over spaghetti squash – delicious. It was interesting to see the comment about Coconut milk, because I was thinking the same thing, I will probably try that next time.
Hi, Tisha! So great to hear your enjoyed Keto Butter Chicken! Yes, the coconut milk is a fantastic substitution. I learn much from my fellow keto/low carb cooks through their comments. Thank you for visiting us!
Hello- I am thrilled to have found some recipes on here I can’t wait to try. I plan on making this tonight. With the Coconut Milk substitution, would I need to add anything to help thicken it up? I appreciate any tips. I dont think my family has ever tried any Indian dishes so I am excited to introduce this.
Hi, Laurie! And I’m thrilled you found myketohome! If you plan on substituting the heavy cream with coconut milk, you may want to thicken the sauce up a bit with a tablespoon or two of almond flour, however it may not even need thickening. Some have used coconut cream instead of coconut milk, and said the consistency was perfect for them. It’s all a matter of your preference. Happy cooking, and I’m hoping the keto butter chicken recipe is a hit!
Delicious and simple…the whole family enjoyed it tremendously!!
Hi, Barrie! I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed the Keto Butter Chicken – it’s surprisingly simple to make. We never seem to have leftovers at our house, unfortunately. Thank you for your support of MyKetoHome!