Butter chicken – the healthiest version ever

I just want to eat this all the time! Everyone loves a good curry right? Well this is going to knock your socks off that you can have your curry and feel so dam good afterwards.

This recipe comes from Honestly Emma, Functional Medicine Pharmacist (you can find her on Instagram) who I had the pleasure of working with late last year.

Her method is done on the stove top, but I love using the slow cooker for this one. A few reasons, I loooovvee my chicken being all mushed up and you can guarantee with enough time in the cooker, this is going to happen. Also, the slow cooker is like having mum cook for you… it’s ready when you get home. I pop it on in the morning, go about my day and come dinner time, it’s good to rock and roll. For those who are time poor, this is def the way to go. 5 minutes in the morning saves you the headache of organising a healthy meal for the family after a long day and getting home late.

 

Turmeric is the best! It is one of the best and natural anti-inflammatory foods you can use. It adds flavour, but if you aren’t that keen on it, you can do what I do and add it to everything else you are cooking, just use less of it. This gives you the benefits without overriding the flavour of whatever you are cooking. I buy mine from my local fruit store. And of course, chilli is great for metabolism (speeding it up), while the garlic and ginger also help with keeping those nasty colds away. Great for a winter cook up.

 

Ingredients

4 garlic cloves

3cm fresh ginger

1 long red chilli, halved

1 brown onion, halved

100g ghee or coconut oil (I don’t use this because it’s creamy enough in the slow cooker)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground paprika

3 tsp garam masala

1 tsp ground cardamom

2 tsp ground corriander

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground turmeric (I always use fresh and use the micro-plane to grate it in. I use a full stick of turmeric – about 2.5cm long)

500g coconut cream

2 tsp lemon juice

200g tomato paste

2 tsp sea salt

1.3kg chicken thigh, roughly chopped

 

Method

Chop onion, garlic, ginger and chilli by hand, then saute in a saucepan with ghee or coconut oil until soft.

Add remaining ingredients and simmer gently, covered for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, and sauce is being thickened.

Stir every now and again.

Serve with quinoa or cauliflower rice and steamed greens.

 

Note

Because I use the slow cooker, I literally chuck everything in at the same time, gives it a stir so all spices are in and the chicken is covered with the liquid, walk away and come back about 8 hours later. Then I indulge!!  Enjoy 🙂