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Better-for-You Butter Chicken (SRC)

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Ingredients
  

For the Chicken Tikka:

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (or 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts)
  • 1 cup yogurt (can use plain dairy-free options such as coconut milk yogurt for paleo/dairy free)
  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 1/2 tsp tandoori masala powder
  • 1 tsp kasuri methi or 1/2 tsp  ground dried fenugreek seeds
  • 2 tbsp avocado oil, coconut oil or other neutral oil

For the Butter Sauce:

  • 2 tbsp coconut oil, avocado oil or other neutral oil
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 cups diced tomatoes
  • 1 Tbsp almond flour (if needed to be nut-free, you can omit)
  • 1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tbsp kasuri methi or 1/2 tsp dried ground fenugreek seeds
  • 1/8 tsp sea salt or to taste
  • 2 tsp coconut sugar or sweetener of choice
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk, or greek yogurt or  low-fat sour cream (use coconut milk for dairy-free/paleo)
  • 1 tbsp butter, ghee, Earth Balance (use ghee for paleo, Earth Balance for dairy-free)
  • squeeze of lemon juice, optional but I like the acidity

Instructions
 

For the Chicken Tikka:

  • In a small bowl mix together cumin, garam masala, salt, cayenne pepper, tandoori masala and fenugreek/kasuri methi.  Rub on both sides of the chicken and refrigerate for at least 30-60 minutes.
  • Line a pan with parchment or foil.  In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil and ginger garlic paste.  Dip each chicken breast into the yogurt mixture.  Coat well.  Lay on prepared pan.
  • Heat oven to broil and cookl 10-18 minutes or until cooked through (depending on thickness of chicken), flipping them over halfway through.  When cooked through, let chicken rest for 5 minutes and then cut into 1 inch cubes.

For the Butter Sauce:

  • Heat the oil a medium sauté pan.  Saute onions until soft and translucent.  Add ginger-garlic paste and stir for about 1 minute.
  • Add all the remaining ingredients except for the coconut milk/ yogurt/sour cream and butter.  Cook on medium heat until thick.
  • Puree sauce in a blender (careful it's hot!) and return to the pan. If you prefer a more chunky sauce, opt out of this step.
  • Add yogurt.coconut milk/sour cream and butter/Earth Balance.  Stir and cook for another 5 minutes.  If you prefer a thinner sauce, add a bit more coconut milk if you would like to thin it out.
  • Add the chicken and simmer for a few more minutes until heated through.  Serve hot with rice or cooked grain of choice and enjoy!

Notes

 If you would like a smooth sauce, puree the onions after they become translucent and then return to the pan.  Puree the tomatoes before adding.