High Protein Chicken Keema Matar – Packed with 28 grams of protein per serving from ground chicken, green peas, and almond flour! Ready in about 30 minutes, it's perfect for meal prep and pairs deliciously with rice, naan, parathas, pav or quinoa!
Looking for high-protein Indian chicken recipes? Try my tandoori chicken sandwich or the chicken koftas in pakak gravy next!
Why You'll Love This Chicken Keema Matar
Here’s another delicious addition to our ever-growing collection of high-protein recipes! This authentic-tasting Indian Chicken Keema Matar packs a solid 28 grams of protein per serving, thanks to lean ground chicken, almond flour, and green peas—a surprisingly good source of plant-based protein.
Almond flour might seem like an unusual addition, but ground cashews are traditionally used in restaurant-style kheema curries to add richness and creaminess. I simply swapped the cashews for convenient almond flour, and it works beautifully!
Serve it with rice, naan, parathas, or pav, or make a batch for easy meal prep. And if you’re looking for more creative ways to use almond flour, check out our delicious almond flour recipes!
-maria doss
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Tips for Success
- Turkey: You can easily swap the ground chicken for ground turkey.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
- No almond flour? Use ¼ to ½ cup raw cashews instead, depending on how creamy you want the keema. Blend them along with the tomatoes before adding them to the curry.
More High Protein Indian Dishes
Chicken Keema Matar
Ingredients
- 2 large tomatoes (11.6 ounces or 328 gms)
- ½ cup almond flour
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 ½ cups chopped onion (about 1 medium)
- 1 ½ tablespoons ginger garlic paste (or use 3 cloves of grated garlic + 2 teaspoons grated ginger)
- 1 pound ground chicken (450 gms)
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- ½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 ½ cups frozen green peas
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt (or as needed)
- a few springs of cilantro, chopped
- lemon juice (to finish)
Instructions
- Blend tomato + almond flour. Chop the 2 tomatoes and add them into a blender along with ½ cup almond flour and ½ cup water. Process until finely ground. Set aside.
- Saute aromatics. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large saute pan. When hot, add ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds and let crackle.Add 1 ½ cups chopped onion and ½ teaspoon salt. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes over medium-high heat (stirring occasionally), until the onions turn golden in color. Add 1 ½ tablespoons ginger garlic paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Saute chicken. Add the one pound ground chicken, 1 tablespoon coriander powder, ½ to 1 teaspoon cayenne, ½ teaspoon garam masala and ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder. Cook the chicken, breaking it up with your spoon as you go along, for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Finish cooking. Add the tomato-almond flour puree, 1 ½ cups green peas, and remaining salt, then stir well to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all the moisture has evaporated and the keema is thick and crumbly. Stir in the chopped cilantro and finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. If you'd prefer a saucier consistency, then add about ½ cup of water along with the lemon juice and remove from heat.👉 Keep cooking until all the moisture has cooked off and the mixture looks dry and crumbly. Don’t take it off the heat while it’s still saucy, or the tomatoes may not be fully cooked.
- Optional: For a creamier texture, stir in a splash of heavy cream or coconut milk along with the cilantro. Let it simmer for 1–2 minutes, then serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
How to make chicken keema matar?
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What to Serve With Chicken Keema Matar?
Keema matar is traditionally a semi-dry curry, so it’s much less saucy than a typical Indian curry like the tofu tikka masala or the chicken kofta spinach curry! This chicken keema has that same hearty, scoopable texture, making it perfect with fluffy basmati rice, cumin rice, pav, garlic naan, or parathas. If you’d like to add even more protein, try serving it with cooked quinoa—I have an easy Instant Pot method that makes it a breeze.
I especially love this texture for meal prep. Scoop the keema and rice into meal prep containers, and you’ve got an easy, protein-packed lunch for working from home, taking to work, or a quick dinner.
If you’re new to Indian food recipes, keema pav is a classic way to enjoy it. You’ll often find it at dhaba-style eateries, where spiced keema is served with soft pav or buttered buns, sliced onions, fresh cilantro, a lemon wedge, and green chili on the side. I also love adding the pickled red onions from my Tilapia Fish Taco Bowls—they’re surprisingly delicious with keema!
Prefer a saucier chicken keema curry? I’ve included easy suggestions in the recipe notes to make it just the way you like it.
I also love that you’ll see this recipe spelled a few different ways online—chicken keema matar, kheema matar, qeema matar, kheema mutter, or matar keema. However you spell it, it’s a delicious ground chicken recipe packed with bold, comforting flavor!
FAQ'S
Traditional keema is often made with ground mutton or goat, but chicken is a popular modern variation. Ground chicken cooks quickly, so there’s no need for the longer cooking or pressure cooking often needed for mutton. It’s also leaner and works beautifully with bold Indian spices.
The one downside is that lean ground chicken can dry out more easily because it has less fat. That’s where the ground almonds come in—they add richness, moisture, and healthy fats, giving the keema a more luscious texture without making it heavy.
Almond flour might seem like an unusual addition, but ground cashews are sometimes used in richer, restaurant-style keema curries to add body and creaminess. I simply swapped the cashews for convenient almond flour, and it works beautifully!
It helps thicken the masala, adds a creamy mouthfeel and richness, and blends right into the sauce without the extra step of grinding cashews. It also adds protein, fiber, and healthy fats, which is especially nice when using lean ground chicken.
Of course! If you don’t have almond flour or simply prefer not to use it, you have a few easy options.
The closest substitute is cashews. Blend ¼ to ½ cup raw cashews, depending on how creamy you want the keema, along with the tomatoes before adding them to the curry.
You can also skip the nuts altogether. The keema will still be delicious, but the masala will be a little more tomato- and spice-forward rather than rich and creamy.
For another option, stir in a splash of heavy cream or canned coconut milk toward the end and let it simmer for a few minutes for a creamy finish.
Traditionally, keema matar is more of a semi-dry curry than a saucy one. The meat and peas are coated in a thick, flavorful masala rather than sitting in a lot of gravy, making it perfect for scooping up with naan, paratha, or pav.
That said, there are plenty of wetter versions, so there’s no single “right” consistency. I prefer this chicken keema on the semi-dry side, but I’ve included an easy way in the recipe notes to make it saucier if that’s how you like your curry.
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Hi, I’m Maria! I share easy, flavor-packed dinners, high-protein meals, and irresistible baking ideas. If you’ve ever asked, “Don’t know what to cook tonight?” you’re in the right place. And yes—there’s plenty here for breakfast, snacks, and dessert too. More about maria ->
