Dairy-free Butter Chicken

December 17, 2012 by Leanne Vogel November 8, 2017

Healthy butter chicken recipe made with chicken breast, a touch of olive oil and coconut milk.

Ingredients

• 600 grams of boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch cubes (approximately 4 half-breasts)

Tandoori Marinade

• ¼ cup lite coconut milk
• Juice from ½ lemon
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
• Pinch sea salt
• Pinch ground cardamom

Butter Chicken Gravy

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 28 oz. canned diced tomatoes
• 1 gluten-free chicken bouillon cube + 1 cup warm water
• ¼ cup lite coconut milk
• Juice from ¼ lemon
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon ground cashews or almond flour

Instructions

1. Place cubed chicken in a glass container. Set aside.
2. Combine marinade in a small bowl. Stir to combine and pour over top of the chicken. Mix with a spoon, seal with a lid, and marinate in the fridge for 8-24 hours. The longer you marinade the better but do not exceed 48 hours.
3. The next day, preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Place marinated chicken on sheet, spreading out so that they cook evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 170F. Remove from the oven and allow to sit.
4. Meanwhile, prepare butter chicken gravy by sautéing the oil, onion and garlic in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat for 10 minutes until onion is brown.
5. Add ginger, garam masala, cumin, chili powder and bay leaf. Cook for 1 minute.
6. Add diced tomatoes, chicken bouillon cube, water, coconut milk, lemon juice, coconut sugar, salt, and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Add cooked chicken, cilantro and almond flour (to thicken), remove bay leaf, and serve.

Notes

If you’re sensitive to dairy due to the lactose content, consider trying goat’s milk. It’s lower in lactose and has been shown to be less reactant than cow’s milk in those with lactose sensitivities. All you have to do is replace the coconut milk in the recipe above with an equal amount of goat milk yogurt.

Nutrition Information Per Serving