This healthy butter chicken is amazingly satisfying! It’s easy enough to make for weeknight dinners, and impressive enough to serve on special occasions.
Made with milk kefir and healing spices, the sauce is the star of the dish – creamy, tangy, sweet, savoury, spicy and velvety smooth. The chicken is tender and juicy, and soaked up the wonderful flavours of the sauce. Watch the video below for how easy it is to make this healthy butter chicken.
Butter Chicken with Milk Kefir
Because I make a lot of milk kefir at home, besides drinking, I naturally turn them into yummy dishes. This butter chicken is one of my favourite dishes I cook with homemade kefir. You can learn about the health benefits of kefir and how to make it, to live healthier and save on grocery cost.
I use milk kefir to replace yogurt and cream in the traditional butter chicken recipe. It actually made the recipe simpler while upgrading the ingredients. I make all my milk kefir from fresh organic milk and there is no fillers or additives. If you don’t make your own kefir, you can also buy plain kefir from the grocery stores to make this recipe.
I add some milk kefir into the marinade for the chicken, and the rest in the sauce. Using milk kefir in marinades help to tenderize the meat, as the acid and live cultures in milk kefir break down protein. Using kefir in the sauce adds creaminess and a tangy flavour. Because milk kefir is thinner than yogurt, I then add tomato paste into the sauce to create the perfect consistency.
Healthy Butter Chicken Ingredients
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thigh
- Lemon Juice
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Milk Kefir
- Garam Masala
- Cayenne Pepper
- Ground Cumin
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- Turmeric
- Unsalted Butter (or Ghee)
- Tomato Paste
- Sugar
- Cilantro
Meal Prep for Butter Chicken
This is a recipe that you can prep ahead to save time on busy days. I recommend marinating the chicken for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight. All of the cutting and making the marinade can be done in advance, reducing the actual cooking time to less than half an hour.
Serving Suggestions
The butter chicken can be served with either rice or naan bread. For a side dish, I usually make a simple salad or this curried cauliflower and potato omitting the shrimps.
Storage
Store cooked butter chicken in a sealed glass contain in the fridge for 3 days, or in a sealed freezer proof container in the freezer for 3 months.
Related: More Yummy Chicken Dishes You Will Love
- Turmeric Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
- Instant Pot 3 Cup Chicken
- Joojeh Kabob (Persian Chicken Kabob)
- 11 Keto Air Fryer Chicken Recipes
- Sake Kasu Recipe: The Best Tender Marinated Chicken
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Healthy Butter Chicken with Kefir
Ingredients
for the Marinade
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thigh cut into bite size
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger freshly grated
- 1/2 cup whole milk kefir
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- pinch of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
for the Curry
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee
- 4 teaspoons unrefined cane sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 5.5-oz can tomato paste
- 1 cup whole milk kefir
for Garnish
- 1/4 cup finely-chopped fresh cilantro optional
Instructions
- Place cut chicken thighs into a large bowl. Add all the marinade ingredients, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, milk kefir, garam masala, cayenne, cumin, salt, pepper, turmeric, into the bowl. Mix everything together to coat the chicken pieces evenly.
- For best results, let the chicken marinate for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight. In the meanwhile, cover the bowl with Saran Wrap or a tight lid, and store in the fridge until cooking time.
- In a heavy bottom pan (I use a deep stainless steel frying pan), heat the butter over high heat until melted. Add the chicken and stir for 5 minutes.
- Add sugar, tomato paste, and milk kefir into the pan. Stir until everything combines and the sauce is smooth.
- Once the sauce comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium, and cover the pan with a lid. Let the chicken simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove butter chicken from the heat, garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.
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