We could all use some spicy heat during a cold day or a cold week! Luckily, my low fat and dairy free Healthy Butter Chicken recipe will provide just the right amount of comfort and deliciousness. Dig in!
Boy was so cold today, and I’m talking -11 degrees cold with a wind chill of -13. Complaining would be ideal, but I figured it wouldn’t be necessary to do so. After all, it is winter. So instead I decided to turn my winter weather blues into some winter weather fun. I hereby present you with my healthy butter chicken masterpiece.
Over the weekend I was browsing through various butter chicken recipes online because I have never made this dish before. As some of you are aware and for those of you who aren’t, I have an allergy to meat and meat products. I am mostly pescatarian, meaning I get most of my protein from seafood and plant based protein sources. Occasionally, I could handle turkey during the holidays and maybe a piece of chicken once in a blue moon if I want to be a rebel. However, it’s easier to stick to my dietary restrictions because life just twirls on better for me. Anyways, I digress.
While I was browsing through butter chicken recipes, I noticed that a lot of the recipes I came across contained butter (hence the recipe title), full fat cream or sour cream. So to make this recipe a little healthier, I omitted all the dairy products and used low fat coconut milk instead. The outstanding review I got for this recipe came from my friend, whom I refer to as my chicken bae. This review made me more excited than usual because this was my first time making a healthy butter chicken dish! Using low fat coconut milk blends well with the spices and you don’t taste the coconut flavor.
The trick is to use low fat coconut milk instead of the regular full fat. That way, the coconut flavor is withered down and not overpowering. Although I used jasmine rice, you could use brown rice or basmati rice. To be honest, the only reason I didn’t use brown rice was because it doesn’t always come out as pretty as I would like them to in photos. It literally looks brown! But it’s good for you, so eat away. Wishing everyone an amazing week!
Yield: 4-5 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked jasmine rice (set aside)
2-3 large free range chicken breasts
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons brown rice flour (or all purpose flour)
1 can lite coconut milk (I used Thai kitchen)
1 can (6oz) low sodium tomato paste
1 small red onion (diced)
3 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 ½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Fresh cilantro, for garnish
Whole wheat naan rounds (optional)
Directions:
1. Slice chicken breasts into cubes and set aside. Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add coconut oil. Sautee onions until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add rice flour, garam masala, ginger, curry powder, salt, chili powder and black pepper and mix until incorporated.
2. Gradually add tomato paste and coconut milk and let it summer for about 5 minutes. Your sauce should have thickened at this point. Gradually stir in chicken until it is evenly coated in the sauce. Simmer for 7-9 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked. the smaller the chicken pieces are, the quicker they cook. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting on your oven and let the butter chicken simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
3. When ready, serve with jasmine rice and naan bread. Top with fresh cilantro.
