GLUTEN-FREE, GRAIN-FREE, REFINED SUGAR-FREE, SPECIFIC CARBOHYDRATE DIET (SCD) 

I’ve been developing this recipe : Indian Butter Chicken (Murgh Makani) – No cream for quite some time. My husband’s favourite takeaway meal hands down is Indian butter chicken so I was determined to make one that all the family could eat and enjoy. Indian food is so full of flavour and while I don’t claim to be any expert here, after some research and testing, I discovered that the secret is usually in the marinade.

If you only have four hours to marinate the chicken, this will work but it’s best if you can leave it marinating overnight. The depth of flavour really is noticeable. It is really worth it to buy some authentic spices. The ones in the supermarket tend to be overpriced and not as good as those food in Asian stores. We found a local wholesaler that sells us delicious, pure spices at a fraction of the cost of large retailers.

I absolutely love cooking Indian food. There is something about mixing all the spices that really warms my heart. Not to mention the beautiful aroma that fills my kitchen. My favourite kitchen utensil has to be my pestle and mortar. You can regularly find me in my kitchen making a fresh garlic and ginger paste with a big smile on my face!

You will need to start preparing this dish the day before. The night before you want to cook the dish you need to do two things:

1. Soak the raw cashews. This will help them to break down in the blender and also makes them easier to digest. It is the cashews which make this sauce “creamy”.
2. Chop the chicken breasts into small pieces, prepare the marinade and marinate the chicken overnight in the fridge.

This Indian butter chicken dish freezes great so it’s a fantastic one for batch cooking. I serve this with a simple side of cauliflower rice and it really brings me back to my pre-Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) days of Friday night takeaways only without the food hangover the next day!

Print Recipe

Indian Butter Chicken- Murgh Makani - (No cream)

A delicious, fragrant and aromatic Indian butter chicken recipe without cream but not without flavour.

Prep Time

Marinating time overnight (12 hours)

Cook Time

45 minutes - 1 hour

Servings

Ingredients

For the marinade:

• 6 Free range chicken breasts, chopped up
• 1 cup (245g) SCD Yoghurt or natural yoghurt if you are not following SCD
• 1/2 teaspoon (plus extra for ginger paste) Sea salt
• 2 tablespoons Garam Masala* *Make sure there is nothing illegal added
• 1/2 teaspoon Red chilli powder/Cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon Ground tumeric
• 2 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1 inch Fresh ginger, sliced thinly
• 2 tablespoons Freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the curry sauce:

• 1 cup (125g) Raw cashews, soaked overnight
• 4 tablespoons Butter
• 3 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Onions, finely chopped
• 3 Garlic cloves, minced
• 1 x 400g can Chopped, tinned tomatoes* *Make sure the brand you use is completely sugar-free.
• Juice of 2 limes
• 6 tablespoons Raw honey
• 1/2 teaspoon Sea salt
• 1 inch Fresh ginger, sliced thinly
• 2 tablespoons Garam Masala* *Make sure there is nothing illegal added
• 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• To garnish Fresh coriander

Prep Time Marinating time overnight (12 hours) Cook Time 45 minutes - 1 hour Servings Ingredients For the marinade: 6 Free range chicken breasts, chopped up 1 cup (245g) SCD Yoghurt or natural yoghurt if you are not following SCD 1/2 teaspoon (plus extra for ginger paste) Sea salt 2 tablespoons Garam Masala* *Make sure there is nothing illegal added 1/2 teaspoon Red chilli powder/Cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon Ground tumeric 2 Garlic cloves, minced 1 inch Fresh ginger, sliced thinly 2 tablespoons Freshly squeezed lemon juice For the curry sauce: 1 cup (125g) Raw cashews, soaked overnight 4 tablespoons Butter 3 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil 2 Onions, finely chopped 3 Garlic cloves, minced 1 x 400g can Chopped, tinned tomatoes* *Make sure the brand you use is completely sugar-free. Juice of 2 limes 6 tablespoons Raw honey 1/2 teaspoon Sea salt 1 inch Fresh ginger, sliced thinly 2 tablespoons Garam Masala* *Make sure there is nothing illegal added 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon Paprika To garnish Fresh coriander

Instructions

The day before:

1. Make a paste with the ginger by grinding in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of salt.

   
2. Add all the ingredients for the marinade except the chicken together in a bowl and mix well.

   
3. Add the chicken pieces and coat well. Pour the chicken and the marinade into a large ziploc bag and place into a large bowl in the fridge overnight.

   
4. Place the cashews in a bowl covered in water and leave to soak overnight.

The next day:

1. Melt the butter and oil in a deep frying pan on a medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes until they become soft and translucent.

   
2. As for the marinade, make a ginger paste with the ginger in a pestle and mortar by grinding with a little salt. Add the ginger paste and garlic to the onions.
3. Next, add the chicken with its marinade along with the tinned tomatoes.

   
4. Sauté until the sauce reduces significantly-at least 15 minutes. Season with sea salt.

   
5. Meanwhile, drain the cashews and add them to a blender with the cinnamon, paprika and garam masala. Blend until you reach a cream consistency.

   
6. Stir the cashew paste through the chicken and sauce. Add the honey and lime juice and mix well. Continue to simmer for a further 20-30 minutes stirring often so that it does not burn. I highly recommended checking the chicken with a meat thermometer to make sure it is fully cooked.

   
7. Taste the sauce for balance and season again if desired. Serve with cauliflower rice and garnish with fresh coriander.

   

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