Dairy Free Butter Chicken

This Dairy-Free Butter Chicken recipe is the perfect Indian-style easy weeknight meal that’s made with healthy, whole-food ingredients, and a dairy-free butter chicken sauce! Serve it with rice and naan bread for an easy meal that’s better than take-out.

 

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Everybody loves a good meal prep recipe and this Dairy-Free Butter Chicken recipe is one of the best! It’s a recipe we find ourselves making again and again because it’s so easy and quick to make, it’s easy to make a big batch (hello yummy leftovers!), and it’s so unbelievably delicious… better than restaurant takeout! If you’re looking for a new recipe to spice up your meal plan, this is it!

Butter chicken is a popular dish that originated in India. It has become a quintessential Indian dish that’s known for its creamy, tomato-based sauce (usually made with butter and cream), offering a mildly spicy yet rich flavour.

In traditional butter chicken, chicken pieces are marinated in creamy yogurt and spices, then cooked in a tandoor (clay oven). The chicken is then added to a creamy, spiced tomato gravy or sauce, a cooking method that combines the smoky flavours of tandoori cooking with the rich texture of a curry.

Traditional butter chicken recipes do not typically include coconut milk. Instead, they focus on dairy products like yogurt, butter, and cream to achieve the desired creamy texture. We like using coconut milk as a substitution for dairy to cater to dietary restrictions, while at the same time maintaining the classic butter chicken consistency and richness. It’s tangy, sweet, creamy and just a little bit spicy, and it’s delicious served with rice and homemade naan (Indian flatbread).

Here are a few reasons we LOVE Butter Chicken!

1. It’s perfect for MEAL PREP – This butter chicken is awesome for prepping ahead of time because it’s one of those recipes that tastes even better on day 2! Make a skillet full of it and place it in containers in the fridge to heat up throughout the week or stored in the freezer.
2. It uses only ONE PAN – Make this in our favourite skillet, this basic 12-inch Lodge Cast Iron Skillet. It won’t break the bank, it’s easy to use, clean and store, and it goes perfect from the stovetop to the oven to the table. It’s truly an essential item in our kitchen!!
3. It’s EASY to MAKE – The butter chicken sauce has simple ingredients and can be ready on your table in 30 minutes!

Follow these tips to make the BEST Butter Chicken recipe!

Use a large skillet or frying pan with a lid for this recipe.

The spices in this recipe create the most delicious flavour. Toast them well as you cook the veggies to bring out their flavours.

Chicken thighs are the best cut of chicken for this recipe because they won’t become tough or dry as they cook in the sauce – they’ll stay tender and juicy.

Choose a can of coconut milk that’s high quality with a high fat content (don’t use light coconut milk for this recipe). This will ensure the butter chicken sauce is creamy and thick and full of flavour.

Choose your favourite rice to serve with this butter chicken recipe – we love basmati rice or jasmine rice! Try our Easy Coconut Lime Rice and enjoy the butter chicken with Easy Homemade Naan Bread.

If you are having trouble with this butter chicken recipe, follow the solutions we recommend below.

There are diced cooked vegetables in the sauce but it you prefer smooth sauce use an immersion blender before the chicken is added to blend the vegetables with the sauce.

Be sure to follow the recipe and avoid adding extra coconut milk. Adding too much can add a coconut flavour. Feel free to substitute any dairy-free cream in this recipe if you don’t enjoy coconut.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove the lid and cook the sauce for an additional 5 minutes or so, reducing the sauce slightly. This will help the sauce thicken.

Don’t forget to toast the spices to release all the flavour into the sauce. Also, use full fat coconut milk for the most flavour and give time for the sauce to rest, once it is complete, to allow the flavours to meld.

To make this dairy free butter chicken recipe, you’ll need these kitchen items on hand (paid links):

• large skillet a pan with a lid
• Microplane Zester grating fresh ginger
• Garlic Press
• chef’s knife
• Cutting Board sturdy
• wooden cooking utensil
• measuring spoons
• cast iron skillet

You’ll need these ingredients on hand to make the butter chicken recipe (paid links):

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion diced
• 5 cloves garlic finely minced
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons lime juice
• 1 large carrot diced
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 15 ounce canned coconut milk
• 15 ounces canned tomato sauce
• chopped cilantro, rice, and naan bread for serving

Try these variations on this butter chicken recipe.

1. Keto – Make sure there is no sugar in the tomato sauce and spices and serve with cauliflower rice or low-carb naan.
2. Sweet and Savoury – Add in a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup to the sauce, add in dried apricots, and serve over rice pilaf or couscous.

How to Make Butter Chicken (Dairy-Free)

We hope you love this delicious recipe as much as we do! Let us know in the comments below, what’s your favourite easy weeknight meal? We’d love to know!  

• Easy One Pan Coconut Curry Shrimp
• Easy One Pan Lentil Daal Curry
• Classic Dairy-Free Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Vegan)
• Vegan Banana Bread
• Paprika Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
• Italian Sausage Sheet Pan Dinner
• Easy One Pan Coconut Curry Shrimp
• Creamy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Watch the video below to see exactly how we make this delicious recipe. You can find more deliciously simple recipe tutorials on our YouTube channel.