Chicken Vindaloo Keto is a keto friendly variation of this popular Indian curry dish from the western coast of India. It's a local adaptation of the Portuguese dish, carne de vinha d'alhos, which literally means, meat marinated in wine and garlic. There are many variations of this curry across the Goan region. A Vindaloo curry is traditionally prepared with pork, but it is versatile enough to be made with lamb, goat, beef or chicken.
Chicken Vindaloo Keto version:
Keto is short for Ketogenic. Ketogenic diet is a fairly popular low-carb-high-fat diet which reduces your carb intake to a minimum. So, pretty much all grains are off-limits. While I don't follow a strict Ketogenic diet, I do however, try my best to prepare low-carb meals for my husband and me, that are satisfying, and more importantly, don't leave us feeling deprived 🙂 This variation of Chicken Vindaloo Keto is my take on this slow-cooked classic. It's a simplified recipe using the Instant Pot, my programmable pressure cooker.
The chicken curry by itself is low-carb. The challenge for me was that we could no longer enjoy this with rice or naan. So, I had to turn it into a stew, with added vegetables for extra fiber and taste. I added carrots and cauliflower to the curry towards the end of the cooking process. It not only added flavor and fiber, but also left me more satisfied eating a bowl of this delicious vindaloo stew.
The best part about this easy Indian food recipe is that it gets ready in under 30 minutes!
For the regular Chicken Vindaloo Recipe, click HERE.
Stovetop Recipe:
I like to make this curry in a pressure cooker, but it is very easy to make it on the stovetop too. Here's how:
- Soak dry chillies in ½ cup hot water. Keep aside for 10 minutes. Heat a large sauce pot/pasta pot over medium-high heat. Add oil and heat for 30 seconds. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes, till soft and translucent. Remove from pan and cool for 5 minutes.
- In a Blender
, add sautéd onions, re-hydrated red chillies with their liquid, vinegar, ginger, garlic, all dry spices, salt and coconut milk. Purée into a smooth paste. - Add spice purée and chicken thighs to the saucepan and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add, ½ cup water and mix well. When the curry starts simmering, cover with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, till the spice mix has turned into a smooth curry. Stir once or twice in between to prevent the sauce from burning at the bottom of the pan.
- Add the cubed carrots and cauliflower florets to the pan. Mix well. Cover the pan and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve. Enjoy!
, add sautéd onions, re-hydrated red chillies with their liquid, vinegar, ginger, garlic, all dry spices, salt and coconut milk. Purée into a smooth paste.Note About Using Chilies:
Even though this recipe uses chilies as a base, the curry is not too spicy. The dried red chilies that I have used in this recipe are more for flavor and color, than spice. If you prefer a milder flavor, de-seed the dry chilies before soaking them in water, OR, use half the quantity of chilies along with 1 tablespoon paprika powder.
What to Pair with Chicken Vindaloo Keto
A great combination with this dish is this Indian masala cauliflower (cauli) rice. Its a great alternative to rice and naan for this curry.
Some more Low-Carb dishes from my kitchen:
Check out my list of over 25 Low carb Indian recipes, about half of which are non-vegetarian and the other half are vegetarian. Here are a few more low carb dishes that we love:
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📖 Recipe
Chicken Vindaloo Keto Version in Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless skinless Chicken thighs
- 1 medium onion sliced thin
- 6 whole red dried chilies : adjust to taste
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic crushed: ½ inch ginger + 3 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup coconut milk with cream
- 2 teaspoons olive oil or butter of ghee
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro for garnish
- 1 carrot cubed
- 1 cup cauliflower florets
Instructions
Instant Pot Recipe
- Soak dry chillies in ½ cup hot water. Keep aside for 10 minutes. Turn ON Instant pot on sauté mode. Add oil and heat for 30 seconds. Add onions and sauté for 2 minutes, till soft.
- In a Blender, add sautéd onions, re-hydrated red chillies with their liquid, vinegar and ginger, garlic, all dry spices, salt and coconut milk. Purée into a smooth paste.
- Turn ON Instant pot. Add spice purée, ½ cup water, chicken thighs and mix well. Close the lid, turn the vent to sealing position. Cook on Manual (high-pressure) for 6 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally (NR).
- Add cubed carrots and cauliflower florets in the curry. Mix well. Cook on Manual (high-pressure) for 2 minutes. Do a quick release (QR) and open the lid. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve. Enjoy!
Stovetop Recipe
- Follow Steps 1 & 2 above.
- Add spice purée and chicken thighs to a saucepan and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add, ½ cup water and mix well. When the curry starts simmering, cover with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, till the spice mix has turned into a smooth curry. Stir once or twice in between to prevent the sauce from burning at the bottom of the pan.
- Add the cubed carrots and cauliflower florets to the pan. Mix well. Cover the pan and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve.
Alison says
When do you add the vinegar and garlic/ginger? Your recipe is missing it somewhere I think.
aneeshasg says
Hi Alison, sorry about that. You add it to the blender along with sautéd onions, re-hydrated chillies, dry spices, salt and sugar. Then Purée into a smooth paste. Thanks for pointing it out, I have fixed the recipe and will re-vamp this post soon. Hope you enjoy this Vindaloo recipe.