Keto chicken curry
Rich, low‑carb chicken curry with a creamy tomato sauce — quick to make, big on flavour and perfect for a keto weeknight.
This keto chicken curry keeps carbs low but flavour very high — all the comforting creaminess of a curry without the rice. It’s ideal for a weekday dinner or batch‑cooking for the week ahead.
Using chicken thighs and a touch of double cream gives a rich, satisfying sauce while the spices bloom in ghee for depth. It’s forgiving, quick and stays keto‑friendly by keeping tomatoes and onions modest.
Ingredients
- 800 g chicken thighs, boneless skinless
- 40 g ghee
- 1 brown onion — large
- 4 garlic cloves — crushed
- 30 g fresh ginger — peeled and grated
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 15 ml tomato purée
- 200 ml chicken stock — low‑salt if possible
- 120 ml double cream
- 5 ml ground turmeric
- 5 ml ground cumin
- 5 ml ground coriander
- 10 ml garam masala
- 5 ml chilli powder — adjust to taste
- 5 ml sea salt — plus extra to finish
- 5 ml black pepper — freshly ground
- 100 g fresh spinach — baby leaves or roughly chopped
- 15 g fresh coriander — roughly chopped, to garnish
- 15 ml lemon juice — about 1 tbsp
Equipment
- large frying pan
- wooden spoon
- measuring spoons
- measuring jug
- stick blender (optional)
Instructions
Prepare: pat the chicken thighs dry and cut into bite‑sized pieces. Peel and finely chop the brown onion, crush the garlic and grate the fresh ginger.
Heat half the ghee in a large frying pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the chicken in a single layer (work in two batches if necessary) and sear until golden on the outside, about 5–6 minutes per batch. Season lightly with sea salt while searing. Remove browned chicken to a plate.
Add the remaining ghee to the pan. Reduce heat to medium‑low and add the brown onion, garlic and fresh ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and starting to caramelise, 6–8 minutes.
Stir in the ground turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala and chilli powder. Cook for 60 seconds to bloom the spices — you should smell them become fragrant.
Mix in the tomato purée, then add the tinned chopped tomatoes and chicken stock. Increase to a simmer, scrape any browned bits from the base of the pan, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes to concentrate the sauce.
Return the seared chicken and any accumulated juices to the pan. Cover and simmer until the chicken is completely cooked through, about 8–10 minutes (internal temperature should reach 74°C).
Reduce the heat to low, stir in the double cream and fresh spinach and cook for 2–3 minutes until the spinach has wilted and the sauce is glossy and warmed through.
Finish with the lemon juice and most of the fresh coriander. Taste and adjust sea salt and black pepper, then serve scattered with the remaining coriander.
Tips
- Pat the chicken very dry before searing — wet chicken won’t brown properly.
- Sear in batches to keep the pan hot; crowded chicken steams and loses flavour.
- If you prefer a smooth sauce, blitz it briefly with a stick blender before returning the chicken.
- Make‑ahead: the curry improves after a day in the fridge. Reheat gently on a low heat and add a splash of stock if it tightens.
- Freeze in portions once cooled; thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat thoroughly.
Substitutions
ghee → coconut oil, same quantity
Noticeably differentdouble cream → full‑fat coconut cream, same quantity
Noticeably differentchicken thighs, boneless skinless → chicken breast, same weight (reduce final simmer to 5–6 minutes)
Stays closetinned chopped tomatoes → passata, 400 g (smoother texture)
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 590
- Calories
- 43 g
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 650 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Is this curry suitable for keto?
Yes. With chicken thighs, ghee and double cream it’s high in fat and low in net carbs (about 9 g total carbs per serving), so it fits a standard keto plan.
Can I make this dairy‑free?
Yes — replace the ghee with coconut oil and the double cream with full‑fat coconut cream. The dish will be dairy‑free but will taste noticeably different (coconut flavour).
Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?
Yes. Use the same weight but shorten the final simmer (5–6 minutes) to avoid drying the breast meat.
How do I control the spice level?
Reduce or omit the chilli powder and keep the garam masala as it’s aromatic rather than hot. Add more chilli later if needed.
Can I freeze leftovers?
Yes. Cool completely, portion and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on a low heat.
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