Low Sodium Butter Chicken Recipe
This low sodium butter chicken recipe is creamy, flavorful, and a delicious dinner with tender chicken breast, cooked vegetables, and delicious Indian spices. A fantastic one-pot dinner with amazing flavor you can enjoy with a side of rice or low sodium naan bread.
A wonderful low sodium Indian recipe that is easy to make at home, and tastes just as good as takeout! It’s a cozy dinner idea that you can make on a weeknight, or entertain guests on the weekend with.
Want more low sodium cozy chicken recipes? Try our low sodium chicken pot pie, low sodium chicken paprikash, and our favorite low sodium orange chicken.
We love making Indian food at home, and butter chicken is one of those classic, decadent, restaurant dishes that I always wanted to make a low so adaption of! Indian cuisine is great to make low sodium, as it uses a wide array of salt-free spices that have fantastic flavor.
Start by cooking the onions with the chicken and bell peppers, adding in the spices and tomato sauce, and once the chicken is tender stir in a bit of heavy cream, lime juice, and spices to finish. We usually serve this with plain white basmati rice, but you could serve it with brown rice or low sodium rice pilaf instead!
Why This Recipe Works
- It’s a fantastic low sodium chicken recipe that is loaded with flavor in each bite!
- One of our favorite low sodium Indian recipes.
- Just as good as takeout, but healthier and far more affordable.
- Ready in less than an hour, and made in one-pot for easy cleanup.
- Anyone can successfully make this dish by following our step-by-step photos and directions below.
Ingredients You’ll Need
See the recipe card below for a full list of instructions and ingredient amounts!
The base of this recipe is chicken – I used lean chicken breasts as I like the texture of the chicken breast in my butter chicken, but you could also use chicken thighs if desired. Be sure to buy chicken with a nutrition label, so you can see how much sodium is naturally in the chicken. Some brands will add a salt/sodium injection which you want to avoid.
The vegetables in this stew are onions and bell peppers, sauteed with unsalted butter. And tomato sauce. The veggies add a bit of freshness to the chicken stew and a slight crunchy texture.
I used garam masala (a classic Indian spice you can find at your grocery store, or online), chili powder, paprika, and cumin.
The base of this chicken stew is made with chicken broth, a bit of heavy cream, and lime juice for a bright, fresh flavor. I like to stir in fresh cilantro leaves at the end for a delicious taste.
Additions and Substitutions
If you don’t like cilantro, you can omit it or use fresh parsley or green onions instead.
Want more heat? Add some low sodium hot sauce or chili flakes to the dish!
For a dairy-free version, swap the heavy cream for full-fat coconut milk. It has the same creamy texture and wonderful flavor that works nicely in this dish.
Add in more vegetables – you can add in mushrooms, chopped cauliflower, peas, or fresh tomatoes if desired.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the butter until melted. Add in the sliced onions, and saute on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes until the onions soften and begin to caramelize.
Step 2: Add the chicken to the pot, and increase the heat to medium-high. Brown the chicken for 5 minutes on each side.
Step 3: Add in the garlic, bell peppers, the garam malasa, chili powder, paprika, and cumin and continue to saute for 4-5 minutes.
Step 4: Pour in the tomato sauce and the chicken broth, and stir well. Cover the pot, and let the chicken simmer for 30 minutes on low heat.
Step 5: Pour in the heavy cream, and stir well.
Step 6: Stir in the fresh lime juice and the chopped cilantro. Serve in bowls, with freshly steamed basmati rice or low sodium naan bread, enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
While it will vary in restaurants who use different amounts of salt, our low sodium butter chicken recipe has just 177mg sodium per serving as it uses low sodium ingredients and no added salt. If you order butter chicken at a restaurant, ask the server or chef for nutritional information before ordering.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Some low sodium side dishes you could serve this chicken with are freshly steamed basmati or white rice, low sodium garlic naan flatbread, or serve with low sodium garlic potatoes.
Expert Tips
- When chopping the chicken breast, make each piece roughly the same size. You want the pieces small enough to be bite-sized and consistent throughout the stew.
- Swap cilantro for fresh parsley or green onions as a garnish.
- Make this recipe ahead of time! You can
More Low Sodium Chicken Recipes
- Low Sodium Mango Lime Chicken
- Low Sodium Chicken Kabobs
- The best Low Sodium Chicken Caprese
- Low Sodium Instant Pot Chicken Recipe
- Low Sodium Chicken and Dumplings Soup
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Low Sodium Butter Chicken
Equipment
- large pot
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1 large onion sliced
- 1.5 lb chicken breast chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 bell peppers sliced
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 8 ounces no-salt-added tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
- 1 cup no-salt-added chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 limes
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped, optional for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the butter until melted. Add in the sliced onions, and saute on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes until the onions soften and begin to caramelize.
- Add the chicken to the pot, and increase the heat to medium-high. Brown the chicken for 5 minutes on each side.
- Add in the garlic, bell peppers, the garam malasa, chili powder, paprika, and cumin and continue to saute for 4-5 minutes.
- Pour in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, the chicken broth, and black pepper and stir well. Cover the pot, and let the chicken simmer for 30 minutes on low heat.
- Pour in the heavy cream, and stir well.
- Stir in the fresh lime juice and the chopped cilantro. Serve in bowls, with freshly steamed basmati rice or low sodium naan bread, enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition estimate (for 1 serving)
*Please note, all nutrition content is estimated based on the ingredients we used in our kitchen. It will vary based on your ingredients. Always check your nutrition labels to verify your nutrition content and sodium amounts.
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I loved creating this low sodium chicken recipe for you. If you make it, please leave a comment and a review and let us know how it went!
This is one of my favorite lowso recipes! Delicious flavour and easy to adjust the heat level. A real comfort food and I genuinely look forward to leftovers!
I’m making this today and noticed that garlic is in the ingredients but the directions don’t tell when to add them. Can you explain? Thanks!
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for flagging, you add it in the third step (with the bell peppers and spices, after you caramelize the onions). I just update the recipe to make that more clear!
Thanks,
Kelly