How to cook butter chicken without butter

Butter chicken or murgh makhani is one of the most iconic Indian dishes.

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Whether or not you've eaten it, you have heard of it.

And for good reason - when done right, it is exceptionally tasty.

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While the dish's name might indicate that the recipe calls for large quantities of butter, this is actually quite misleading.

Those with dietary restrictions or more health-conscious will be happy to know that you can easily replace butter with many other options.

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These days, it's much easier to adapt a recipe for dietary or other requirements without sacrificing flavour.

Here are a few butter replacements:

• Ghee: Clarified butter that doesn't contain milk solids (aka lactose) but is still rich in flavour.

• Coconut milk: Completely dairy-free, and the creamy texture pairs well with the butter chicken spices.
• Cashew cream: Soaking cashews in water and blending them provides a smooth and creamy substitute.
• Olive or avocado oil: These oils provide similar fat content to butter, adding depth but keeping heart health in check.

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 you are ready to test it out, here is a butter-less butter chicken recipe that you can try this winter:

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 onions, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons no added salt tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 2 (about 250 g each) skinless chicken breast fillets, trimmed of all visible fat
• 400 g can no added salt diced tomatoes
• ¾ cup reduced fat thick natural yoghurt
• 300 g green beans, trimmed and steamed
• Coriander sprigs, to garnish
• 1 tablespoon toasted flaked almonds, to garnish
• 2 cups cooked basmati rice, to serve

Method

Step 1

Heat oil in a deep non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 10 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, cook 2 minutes. Add tomato paste, cook 1 minute.

Step 2

Reduce heat to low and stir in the cumin, garam masala, brown sugar, chilli flakes and turmeric.

Step 3

Cut the chicken into pieces and add to the pan. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes.

Step 4

Add the tomatoes, yoghurt and ¼ cup water, stir to combine. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the sauce has thickened.

Step 5

Serve with cooked basmati rice and the steamed beans. Garnish with coriander sprigs and toasted flaked almonds.

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