Indian · Authentic-ish Indian
Butter Chicken
409 kcal a serving, against 762 for the traditional version. That is 353 kcal off, or 46%, with 51g of protein. Serves 4. 45 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Chicken thighs marinated in yoghurt and spices, roasted hard, then simmered in a rich tomato gravy heavily spiked with butter, double cream and sugar.
What changed, and what each change costs
800g of chicken thigh for chicken breast
Thighs are great, but breast meat drives the protein right up while cutting a massive chunk of fat. Marinate it in yoghurt and don't overcook it under the grill, and it won't dry out.
What it costs you. You lose that dark, rich flavour you get from roasting chicken thighs. Breast meat is a blank canvas, so the tomato sauce has to do the heavy lifting.
100g of butter down to 25g
It drops a staggering amount of fat. I keep just 25g to finish the sauce at the very end, so it still has a glossy shine.
What it costs you. It costs the dish its name. You lose the intense, buttery mouthfeel that defines the restaurant version. There is no hiding that.
300g of double cream for full-fat yoghurt and gram flour
Double cream is pure fat. Yoghurt brings a creamy finish and a nice tang, while a spoon of gram flour stops it splitting.
What it costs you. Yoghurt is sharper than cream. You have to balance the spices carefully so the sauce doesn't taste sour.
25g of sugar down to 10g
I don't like excessively sweet curries, and less fat means you don't need as much sugar to cut through it.
What it costs you. The sauce is sharper and it shows, especially on the first mouthful before the spices catch up. Cook the passata down for 5 minutes longer than feels necessary and the tomato sweetens on its own. Rush it and you'll want the sugar back.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 762 | 409 |
| Protein | 44.6g | 51g |
| Fat | 57.3g | 14.3g |
| Saturated fat | 32.7g | 6.2g |
| Carbohydrate | 19.2g | 18.4g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 5.9g | 12.5g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Indian prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, milk.
The method is in the book
I've taken a wonderfully rich, decadent staple and stripped out the very things that made it famous. But the reality is that eating 300g of double cream makes me feel dreadful. This gives you all the spiced, tomato-heavy comfort of the original while keeping the protein high and the fat low. It tastes fantastic, as long as you accept it for what it is.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Indian, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback