This Easy Dairy-Free Butter Chicken is the perfect Indian-style easy weeknight meal that’s made with healthy, whole-food ingredients – and no dairy! Serve it with rice and naan bread for an easy meal that’s better than take-out
Table of contents
- Easy Dairy Free Butter Chicken
- Easy Dairy Free Butter Chicken Meal Prep Tips
- What to serve with this Easy Dairy Free Butter Chicken Recipe
- Kitchen items needed for this recipe
- Ingredients for Dairy Free Butter Chicken
- How to Make Butter Chicken (Dairy-Free)
Easy Dairy Free Butter Chicken
This Easy Dairy Free Butter Chicken is one of my family’s favourite weeknight meals lately and I just know you’ll love it as much as we do!
Easy Dairy Free Butter Chicken Meal Prep Tips
One of the ways I solve busy weeknight meal dilemmas is meal prep, and this Easy Dairy Free Butter Chicken recipe is awesome for prepping ahead of time because it’s one of those recipes that tastes even better on day 2! I often make a skillet full of it and place it in containers in the fridge to heat up throughout the week.
If you have an extra big skillet or pot, this is a great recipe to double and then freeze half for later in single or family-size servings.
What to serve with this Easy Dairy Free Butter Chicken Recipe
These are two of our favourite recipes to serve with this butter chicken:
- Easy Homemade Naan Bread
- Easy Coconut Lime Rice
Kitchen items needed for this recipe
One of my absolute favourite kitchen items for prepping easy weeknight meals is my basic cast iron skillet. I use it almost every day and I’ve had it for years – it has never failed me. If you don’t have one and you’re looking to add an inexpensive cast iron skillet to your kitchen, I’d recommend this basic 12-inch Lodge Cast Iron Skillet (affiliate link). It won’t break the bank, it’s easy to use, clean and store, and it’s perfect for searing meats or cooking dishes that go from the stovetop to the oven to the table. It’s truly an essential item in my kitchen!!
We also recommend these kitchen items for this recipe (affiliate links):
- a large heavy bottom frying pan with a lid
- a microplane zester for grating ginger
- a garlic press
- a sharp chef’s knife
- a sturdy cutting board
- a wooden spatula or other similar utensil
- measuring spoons
Looking for more East Asian inspired dishes? You’ll love my Easy Lentil Daal Curry recipe, or this One Pan Coconut Curry Shrimp recipe!
Ingredients for Dairy Free Butter Chicken
- olive oil
- onion
- fresh garlic
- fresh ginger
- ground turmeric
- garam masala
- ground cumin
- chili powder
- red pepper flakes
- ground cinnamon
- lime juice
- carrot
- red bell pepper
- boneless skinless chicken thighs
- salt
- ground black pepper
- canned coconut milk
- canned tomato sauce
LOOKING FOR MORE EASY WEEKNIGHT MEAL IDEAS?
Get my Quick and Easy 4-Week Meal Plan Guide!
Click HERE to learn more!
How to Make Butter Chicken (Dairy-Free)
Time needed:40 minutes
Follow these tips for the perfect dairy-free butter chicken
- Choose the right pan.
Use a large skillet or frying pan with a lid for this recipe.
- Develop the flavours.
The spices in this recipe create the most delicious flavour. Toast them well as you cook the veggies to bring out their flavours.
- Choose chicken thighs.
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 high quality coconut milk.
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.
- Serve with rice.
Choose your favourite rice to serve with this butter chicken recipe – we love basmati or jasmine rice!
Is butter chicken spicy?
When you make butter chicken at home you can control the heat and make it as spicy or mild as you prefer. If you want a mild butter chicken, choose a mild chili powder and skip the red pepper flakes.
What is butter chicken?
Butter chicken is a traditionally Indian curry typically made with butter or yogurt as a base for the creamy curry sauce.
Is butter chicken healthy?
Butter chicken CAN be healthy – especially when you make it at home. This butter chicken recipe is a healthy homemade alternative to restaurant butter chicken because it contains less fat and no dairy.
I hope you love this delicious recipe as much as we do! Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favourite easy weeknight meal? I’d love to know!
Looking for more delicious recipes like this? You’ll LOVE these:
- 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
LOOKING FOR MORE EASY WEEKNIGHT MEAL IDEAS?
Get my Quick and Easy 4-Week Meal Plan Guide!
Click HERE to learn more!
Easy Dairy Free Butter Chicken Recipe Video
Watch the video below to see exactly how I make this delicious recipe. You can find more deliciously simple recipe tutorials on my YouTube channel.
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Easy Dairy-Free Butter Chicken
This Easy Dairy-Free Butter Chicken is the perfect Indian-style easy weeknight meal with no dairy! Healthy ingredients & better than take-out!
4.95 from 19 votes
By Chrissie
Yield 8 servings
Prep 10 minutes mins
Cook 30 minutes mins
Recipe: Ingredients
- 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
Recipe: Instructions
Heat a large heavy-bottom skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
Once the skillet is heated add the onion and garlic. Saute for a moment, until fragrant.
Add the ginger, turmeric, garam masala, cumin, chili powder, red pepper flakes, cinnamon and lime juice. Stir everything around to toast the spices.
Add the carrots and red pepper, and saute until the vegetables are slightly soft.
Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add them to the skillet with the veggies, stirring everything together well as the chicken begins to cook.
Add the tomato sauce and coconut milk and stir well to combine.
Reduce the heat to medium and cover the skillet, letting the chicken cook for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through completely. Remove the lid and cook for an additional 5 minutes or so, reducing the sauce slightly.
Serve over cooked rice with some fresh cilantro, and naan bread (optional).
Recipe: Notes
Prepare in advance as a meal prep recipe and store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve (keeps for up to 3 days).
Course: Main Course, Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian, Dairy-free, Dinner, Family Meal, Indian, Weeknight Meal
Keywords: Butter Chicken Recipe, Dairy Free Butter CHicken, Easy Dairy-Free Butter Chicken
Recipe: Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Easy Dairy-Free Butter Chicken
Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
Calories 325Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Fat 21g32%
Saturated Fat 13g81%
Cholesterol 108mg36%
Sodium 547mg24%
Potassium 716mg20%
Carbohydrates 11g4%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 24g48%
Vitamin A 2319IU46%
Vitamin C 27mg33%
Calcium 38mg4%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
