Healthy Butter Chicken Recipe Nz
Cherrie Patete
Tender pieces of chicken and veggies swim in a luscious, perfectly spiced sauce in the best Instant Pot Butter Chicken recipe. This spin on a treasured Indian dish is EASY, healthy, and made with ingredients you can find at any grocery store!
Hi, I'm Erin Clarke, and I'm fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food that's affordable, easy-to-make, and best of all DELISH. I'm the author and recipe developer here at wellplated.com and of The Well Plated Cookbook. I adore both sweets and veggies, and I am on a mission to save you time and dishes. WELCOME!
Continue to Content "@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Recipe","name":"Easy, healthy butter chicken","author":"@type":"Person","name":"Kathryn","datePublished":"2019-02-25","recipeYield":6,"description":"Healthy butter chicken is a delicious Indian dish with tender chicken pieces swimming in an amazing, creamy tomato curry sauce!","image":["https:\/\/www.familyfoodonthetable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Healthy-butter-chicken-4-480x480.jpg","https:\/\/www.familyfoodonthetable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Healthy-butter-chicken-4-480x360.jpg","https:\/\/www.familyfoodonthetable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Healthy-butter-chicken-4.jpg","https:\/\/www.familyfoodonthetable.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Healthy-butter-chicken-4-480x270.jpg"],"recipeCategory":"Chicken Recipes in Under 30 Minutes","prepTime":"PT10M","cookTime":"PT15M","performTime":"PT1H15M","totalTime":"PT1H25M","recipeIngredient":["2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes","1\/4 cup tomato paste","1\/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (I use non-fat)","1 tablespoon lemon juice","2 teaspoons cumin","2 teaspoons garam masala (see notes)","1 teaspoon ground coriander","1 teaspoon salt","1 teaspoon ground ginger","3\/4 teaspoons black pepper","1\/2 teaspoon turmeric","1\/2 teaspoon cinnamon","1\/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper","1 tablespoon canola oil","1 small onion, diced","5 cloves garlic, minced","2 tablespoons light brown sugar","1\/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I use non-fat)","1\/2 cup water"],"recipeInstructions":["@type":"HowToStep","text":"Place the cut pieces of chicken in a bowl or tiptop plastic bag. Combine all of the marinate ingredients in a bowl and stir well. (It will be very thick.) Pour the marinate ingredients over the chicken and stir to coat all of the chicken. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours (see notes).","position":1,"name":"Place the cut pieces of chicken in a...","url":"https:\/\/www.familyfoodonthetable.com\/easy-healthy-butter-chicken\/#mv_create_124_1","@type":"HowToStep","text":"Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add canola oil.","position":2,"name":"Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add...","url":"https:\/\/www.familyfoodonthetable.com\/easy-healthy-butter-chicken\/#mv_create_124_2","@type":"HowToStep","text":"Add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.","position":3,"name":"Add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, until...","url":"https:\/\/www.familyfoodonthetable.com\/easy-healthy-butter-chicken\/#mv_create_124_3","@type":"HowToStep","text":"Add the marinated chicken (along with all of the marinade) to the pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cook for 2-3 minutes.","position":4,"name":"Add the marinated chicken (along with all of...","url":"https:\/\/www.familyfoodonthetable.com\/easy-healthy-butter-chicken\/#mv_create_124_4","@type":"HowToStep","text":"Add the yogurt and water, reduce the heat to medium or medium-low, enough to maintain a steady simmer. Let cook for 8-10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and sauce is thickened.","position":5,"name":"Add the yogurt and water, reduce the heat...","url":"https:\/\/www.familyfoodonthetable.com\/easy-healthy-butter-chicken\/#mv_create_124_5","@type":"HowToStep","text":"Season to taste with salt and pepper (it may not need any).","position":6,"name":"Season to taste with salt and pepper (it...","url":"https:\/\/www.familyfoodonthetable.com\/easy-healthy-butter-chicken\/#mv_create_124_6","@type":"HowToStep","text":"Serve the chicken hot with extra sauce spooned over top.","position":7,"name":"Serve the chicken hot with extra sauce spooned...","url":"https:\/\/www.familyfoodonthetable.com\/easy-healthy-butter-chicken\/#mv_create_124_7"],"suitableForDiet":"GlutenFreeDiet","nutrition":"@type":"NutritionInformation","calories":"327 calories","carbohydrateContent":"10 grams carbohydrates","cholesterolContent":"130 milligrams cholesterol","fatContent":"8 grams fat","fiberContent":"1 grams fiber","proteinContent":"51 grams protein","saturatedFatContent":"2 grams saturated fat","servingSize":"1","sodiumContent":"486 milligrams sodium","sugarContent":"6 grams sugar","transFatContent":"0 grams trans fat","unsaturatedFatContent":"5 grams unsaturated fat","aggregateRating":"@type":"AggregateRating","ratingValue":"4.5","reviewCount":355,"url":"https:\/\/www.familyfoodonthetable.com\/easy-healthy-butter-chicken\/" Yield: 6 servingsEasy, healthy butter chicken Print Healthy butter chicken is a delicious Indian dish with tender chicken pieces swimming in an amazing, creamy tomato curry sauce!
I have tried so many butter chicken recipes. This by far the stand out. The Depth of flavour yum yum!
I substituted sour cream & chicken thighs, and let the whole lot marinade for the afternoon before tea. Thank you for this recipe definately one i want to cook fir famiky & friends.
I will be cooking this recipe for a client tomorrow and will minimise the sugar as I never add sugar to my butter chicken. I always reduce or eliminate any type of sugar from my cooking. This recipe will be amazing without the sugar.
This looks great! I love traditional butter chicken and can't wait to try a lightened version. I am thinking of trying this in my new Instant Pot. Do you have any experience with the Instant Pot or recommendations for adapting? I'll check back in and update on how it went!
Hi Alex! I haven't made this particular recipe in the Instant Pot, so I'm not sure what the timing would be. I think you'd want to use the saute mode to soften the onions and garlic and then add the chicken and mix everything together. You could then seal the pot and cook on high pressure for maybe 5-6 minutes? You'd need to check and make sure everything got cooked through. You may also need more liquid to ensure there's no burn notice. And I think cooking it that way would probably take longer since you'd have to wait for the pot to come to pressure, cook and then release. Would love to hear if you try it though!
Hi Kim! I don't think that would give you the same flavor, since we're marinating the chicken before cooking it in this recipe and that won't work with the cooked rotisserie chicken. You could certainly try it - just adding the cooked chicken at the end once the sauce is thickened - it just might not be as flavorful.
More importantly Butter Chicken is cooked in butter whereas chicken tikka masala is cooked in oil. Butter Chicken has a smooth, rich and silky gravy/sauce but tikka masala has a texture from the chopped and caramelized onions.
For this recipe you require 500 grams (1.1 lbs) boneless chicken. You can use thighs or breasts like the way I use. A lot of people prefer thighs for the flavor and additional fats. If using chicken breasts be prepared to leave it in the marinade for a minimum of 12 hours for best results.
Garam Masala is a spice blend used in Indian cooking. To make a good butter chicken you need a really good garam masala else your dish can end up being bland without any flavors. You can make your own from this Garam masala recipe or use store bought. But be sure to use an aromatic masala and adjust the quantity because every brand is different.
Greek yogurt/ Hung curd: Marinade requires thick strained yogurt like this Hung curd or Greek yogurt. Using regular yogurt (with whey) will easily let out too much moisture while grilling the chicken & all the spice marinade goes over to the pan. This makes your chicken taste bland. If your yogurt is runny, you may strain it following this Hung curd recipe.
My previous original version was with lesser amount of red chilli powder (1 tsp). I upgraded the sauce with double the amount of whole spices & cumin + coriander powder for depth of flavors. Note that butter chicken is a mild curry and adding too much ground spices will alter the flavors. This is a picture of the butter chicken with lesser ground spices.
Preparation for chicken makhani
First marinate chicken with lemon juice, chili powder and salt for 20 minutes.
Next marinate again with yogurt, kasuri methi, oil, turmeric, ginger garlic paste, and garam masala powder.
Cover & rest in the refrigerator for atleast 12 hours. You can keep it as long as 48 hours. The longer the chicken rests in the marinade, the tender it will be after cooking.
Add the cashews to a blender jar along with tomatoes. Make a smooth puree.
If the puree is not smooth, then pass it through a filter. Set this aside.
Also make the ginger garlic paste.
Grilling or roasting chicken
Grill the chicken in an oven or stove top.
For stove top method, Add one tsp butter to a pan and add the marinade.
Fry on high flame till all the moisture evaporates.
To grill it in oven, preheat the oven to 240 C for at least 20 mins.
Grill it until the meat is cooked through & is tender. It may take about 20 to 30 mins depending on the size of your chicken chunks. Ensure chicken is tender at this stage.
How To Make Butter Chicken
Heat a pan with butter & saute cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms for a min.
Add ginger garlic paste, green chilies and fry till it turns fragrant.
Next pour the tomato cashew puree.
Add red chili powder, sugar and salt.
Mix and cook until the tomato puree becomes thick.
It also begins to leave the sides of the pan.
Pour 1 cup water. Add more or less water to suit your desired consistency.
Bring the mix to a boil and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.
Add chicken and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Butter chicken should become soft and tender. Add garam masala and kasuri methi.
Stir and simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour chilled cream and switch off the stove.
Garnish butter chicken with coriander leaves and extra cream if desired. Serve with long grain rice or naan or paratha.