The best low calorie butter chicken recipe

This low calorie butter chicken recipe is creamy, delicious and super easy to make. It tastes just like traditional butter chicken but with a massive reduction in calories and fat. This low calorie butter chicken recipe contains just 278 calories and is perfect with a side of rice or naan for a comforting dinner under 500 calories.

Although I share mainly low calorie desserts, I do love to cook and share some low calorie dinner recipes every now and again. I wanted to make a low calorie dinner recipe that is simple, delicious and comforting. This low calorie butter chicken recipe is just that, creamy, delicious and super comforting!

My low calorie Mac ‘n’ cheese and my 300 calorie lasagna recipe are some of the most popular on my blog. I get requests almost daily to make more dinner and savory recipes! This low calorie butter chicken is perfect for this time of year when the weather starts to get chilly. It has such a comfort food feeling that you truly won’t feel like you’re missing out!

This recipe has such a warming and delicious aroma, it is seriously so irresistible! It is one of the only dishes I wouldn’t mind having for breakfast lunch and dinner, it is that good. The best part is, this butter chicken can be ready in as little as 30 minutes!

Low calorie butter chicken

Butter chicken or Murgh Makhani, is a traditional Indian dish of chicken in a creamy, spiced tomato sauce. The recipe typically includes heavy cream, butter or ghee and lots of oil. This low calorie butter chicken recipe is just as creamy and delicious but contains no butter or heavy cream and just a dash of olive oil for some healthy fats.

This recipe makes 1 serving which is perfect for weight loss. I loved single serve recipes throughout my weight loss journey because not only are they super easy to make, but there is no temptation to overeat! But you can easily double, triple or even quadruple the ingredients to make a bigger batch suitable for meal prep.

Ingredients

Exact ingredient quantities can be found at the bottom of this page.

To make the best low calorie butter chicken you will need:

Boneless chicken breast – This recipe calls for chicken breast but feel free to use any variation of chicken you would like, but keep in mind that they contain different percentages of fat which will change the overall calories for this recipe.

0% fat greek yogurt – Yogurt is used in the marinade as well as in the sauce itself. It adds a delicious creaminess to the sauce whilst also adding volume and thickness.

Olive oil – A little olive oil is required to cook the chicken and saute the onions.

Onion – A delicious addition to any comforting dish!

Chopped tomatoes – This recipe calls for chopped tomatoes but if you want to save time on blending, you can opt for tomato puree or canned tomatoes!

Fresh garlic & ginger – I love to use fresh garlic and ginger in the marinade but you can opt for ground versions of both.

Seasonings – There are a TON of seasonings in this recipe. You can find a list of them and their exact quantites below.

Sugar – A tiny sprinkle of sugar balances out the various flavors from the seasonings. You can choose to leave this out if you wish.

How to make low calorie butter chicken

1. Make the marinade and let the chicken sit in the marinade for 20 minutes or overnight if possible.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken until it has browned, about 4 minutes on each side, remove from the pan and set aside. The chicken will finish cooking later in the sauce.
3. In the same pan, saute the onions until nicely browned, about 4 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and saute for another minute or two. Add in the seasonings, chopped tomatoes and yogurt. Let this simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add the water and blend the sauce using a hand blender until smooth. Add the chicken back into the sauce and let this simmer for another 10 minutes.
5. Garnish with coriander and a little yogurt. Serve hot with a side of rice or with some naan and enjoy!

Meal prep

This recipe can easily be meal prepped for 3-4 days. This low calorie butter chicken recipe makes a single serving so multiply the ingredient quantities by however many servings you require and cook according to the recipe. Allow the butter chicken to cool before transferring to an airtight container and refrigerating.

Storage

This low calorie butter chicken will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Ensure that the butter chicken has completely cooled before transferring to an airtight container and refrigerating/freezing.

more low calorie dinners…