This creamy, hearty healthy Whole-30 butter chicken is easily prepared in under 30 minutes & makes for delicious leftovers all week long! Dinners tend to be challenging for me sometimes, so having a few staples to fall back on is a lifesaver! This recipe is definitely one you’re going to want to keep on hand!
Whole-30 Approved
I know Whole-30 is pretty popular in January & it can be easy to fall into a rut or get bored of the same meals over & over. For that reason, I wanted to make this Whole-30 friendly so that everyone can enjoy this delicious dish! Just serve with cauliflower rice, zoodles, spaghetti squash or another veggie base of your choice!
Dairy-Free Butter Chicken
Traditional butter chicken has… you guess it butter, but also a decent amount of heavy cream to give it that thick & rich texture. I subbed those out for avocado oil & coconut milk to keep things dairy-free. But don’t worry if you aren’t a coconut fan, you cannot taste it in this recipe, it just helps make it super thick & creamy, without the use of any dairy!
What you will need for this healthy Whole-30 butter chicken:
- Avocado oil
- Chicken breast
- Pink salt & pepper
- Paprika
- Garam masala
- Cinnamon
- Cumin
- Ginger
- Turmeric
- Red onion
- Garlic
- Diced tomatoes
- Full-fat coconut milk
- Lemon
- Arrowroot powder/flour (or corn starch)
- Cilantro, to serve
Healthy Whole-30 butter chicken that’s as easy as 1, 2, 3
Dicing a red onion, mincing a few garlic cloves & cutting up some chicken is about as challenging as this recipe gets. I was able to whip this whole thing up in under 30 minutes. Prep your base (rice, cauliflower rice, or quinoa) while you have the mixture simmering & you will be ready to enjoy this dish in no time!
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Healthy Whole-30 Butter Chicken
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 15 Minutes
- Total Time: 30 Minutes
- Yield: 6 Servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian
Description
This creamy, rich, flavourful version of butter chicken is dairy-free, paleo, Whole-30 approved, & absolutely delicious! Make a big batch & have leftovers prepped for the week, in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
- 1 tsp pink salt
- Black pepper to taste
- 2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 red onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1 can of full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 2 tbsp arrowroot powder (omit for lower carb option, but will be slightly less creamy)*
- Cilantro to serve, if desired
- Cauliflower rice, prepared rice or quinoa, or zucchini noodles to serve
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat add the avocado oil & diced chicken. Add the pink salt, black pepper, & the other spices to the chicken.
- Cook the chicken until it is 75% done & then add the minced garlic & diced red onion.
- Finish cooking the chicken & allow the red onion to become fragrant & slightly translucent.
- Then add the tomatoes & coconut milk & reduce the heat to low, allowing the mixture to come down to a simmer.
- Remove 1/3 cup of the sauce from the pan & mix with the arrowroot powder if using until dissolved.
- Add the arrowroot mixture back into the saucepan & mix to combine.
- Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Add the lemon juice.
- Top with cilantro if desired, serve over cauliflower rice, quinoa, rice, zoodles, or whatever you desire & enjoy!
Notes
*You can omit this for a lower carb option or try adding 1-2 tbsp flax meal to slightly thicken.
Keywords: butter chicken, whole-30, paleo, weeknight, dinner, easy recipe, healthy, supper, dairy-free, gluten-free, easy, 30 minute
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Oh my, this is delicious! It will be one of our go to meals! Easy to prepare and looks like I fussed all day. I didn’t have arrow root flour so I used cornstarch as a substitute. I had everything on hand to make this meal. Thanks so much for creating this delicious meal!
★★★★★
Corn starch is a great sub if you don’t have arrowroot powder/flour on hand! So happy you loved it!
This looks so delicious and I love how you made it so easy to double or triple the recipe! You are the best!🤗🤗🤗
I will definitely try this!
Thanks
Awh thank you so much, Lynn! I cannot wait to hear what you think of it! Keep me posted! 🙂
This recipe was the bomb!! What I love about it is that it is easy and quick to prepare. The flavor is devine. Again Lauren, you done it again!! Great work. I look forward to more of your yummy creations.
This made my day, Sheila! So glad you found it so quick & easy as well as delicious! Let me know if you ever have future recipe request!
This recipe was amazing! I liked it better than regular butter chicken and it was easy to prepare! I will definitely make it again and again. It’s so delicious! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kristen, this is so great to hear & makes me incredibly happy! I am so glad you love the recipe! 🙂
This is soooo delicious!
★★★★★
The best news! Glad you loved it!
So delicious and easy to make! I am dairy and gluten-sensitive so this recipe was perfect! Will definitely make again 🙂
★★★★★
Awh! I am so glad you loved the recipe, Emma! The best news 🙂
This is delicious!! Thank you! I know the recipe isn’t super time consuming, but do you think it could also be made in the crockpot?
I am so glad! 🙂 I think it definitely could!! Let me know if you try!