If you want to make a delicious curry at home, this Indian butter chicken recipe is for you! The sweet, buttery chicken melts in your mouth, and the sauce is pretty mild, so your entire family will be able to enjoy it.
Butter Chicken
Indian Butter Chicken is a takeout favorite, but even better when made at home. Chicken cooked in a creamy, buttery, perfectly spiced tomato sauce is mouth-wateringly delicious.
This dish is often confused with tikka masala, but it’s not quite the same. It’s less spicy, and the creamy chicken softens the heat, making it a recipe everyone will love!
Why You’ll Love this Easy Butter Chicken Recipe:
- Make Ahead: This easy recipe can be made the same day or the day before. Just store the marinated chicken in your fridge all night and cook it the next day.
- Quick Cooking Time: The entire cooking time is just 30 minutes. This means you don’t need to stress if you’re running short on time!
- Low-Cost Meal: The simple ingredients are simple to find and are budget-friendly. The only unique ingredient is the garam masala which can be found at most Indian stores, or you can make it yourself.
Complete your meal by serving your butter chicken with white rice and some fresh naan to scoop up the extra sauce.
How to Make Indian Butter Chicken
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Add the marinade ingredients to a large Ziplock bag. Then add the chicken pieces and seal. Massage the chicken until coated and refrigerate as instructed.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook one piece of chicken at a time, 2 to 4 minutes on each side.
- Add the tomato sauce, cream, tomato paste, and sugar to the skillet. Stir well.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally until the sauce thickens. Adjust seasonings as desired.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve and enjoy!
Butter chicken, also known as murgh makhani, is an Indian dish made from chunks of chicken cooked in a spiced tomato and butter sauce.
Butter chicken and chicken tikka masala are very similar. However, tikka masala tends to be a bit spicier and juicier, whereas butter chicken tends to be more mild and creamy.
Nope! Butter chicken is a very mild, yet flavorful dish! There is a little bit of cayenne pepper, but you can leave that out if you’re concerned about it being too spicy!
Garam masala is an Indian spice blend that includes cinnamon, peppercorns, cardamom, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, mace, and nutmeg. You can find it in the spice aisle of most grocery stores.
Make Ahead Instructions
You can easily make this butter chicken ahead of time for your convenience. Just freeze it in an airtight container or Ziplock bag for up to a month. When ready to cook, allow it to thaw and reheat it in a saucepan over medium-low heat for best results.
It’s important to give the chicken enough time to marinate. You can marinate the chicken up to 24 hours in advance of cooking this recipe!
Storage Instructions
Store leftover Indian butter chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Freezing Instructions
Freeze Indian butter chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Substitutions
- You can use full-fat Greek yogurt in place of regular yogurt.
- If you don’t have fresh ginger, you can use ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger instead.
- Feel free to leave the cayenne pepper out if you don’t like a little spice.
- You can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts in place of thighs.
- You can use ghee in place of the butter.
- You can use half-and-half in place of the heavy cream.
Tips for the Best Indian Butter Chicken
- Let the chicken marinade for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
- If you’d like a richer sauce, feel free to stir in some more butter or ghee at the end.
- Serve with basmati rice or naan bread!
If you’ve never made a curry recipe, this Indian Butter Chicken recipe is the one we think you should try. We promise it won’t disappoint!
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Recipe
Indian Butter Chicken Recipe
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 3 hours 30 minutes
If you’ve always wanted to make a curry, this Indian butter chicken recipe is for you! This sweet, buttery chicken is easy and delicious.
Instructions
Add the yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, salt, and peppers in a large Ziplock bag. Gently smush the spices into the yogurt to combine, then add the chicken pieces to the bag, massaging to coat it in the spiced yogurt.
¾ cup full-fat plain yogurt, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon Garam Masala Indian spice, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Seal the Ziplock bag and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
In a large skillet, melt the butter (or ghee) over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the coated chicken pieces in the skillet for 2-4 minutes, flipping once, until the outside of the chicken is a light golden brown.
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Add the tomato sauce, cream, tomato paste, and sugar to the skillet, then stir until well combined. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
8 ounces tomato sauce, 1 cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
Serve garnished with cilantro.
Fresh cilantro
Becky’s tips
- You can use full-fat Greek yogurt in place of regular yogurt.
- If you don’t have fresh ginger, you can use ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger instead.
- Feel free to leave the cayenne pepper out if you don’t like a little spice.
- You can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts in place of thighs.
- You can use ghee in place of the butter.
- You can use half-and-half in place of the heavy cream.
- Let the chicken marinade for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
- If you’d like a richer sauce, feel free to stir in some more butter or ghee at the end.
- Serve with basmati rice or naan bread!
- Nutritional information does not include optional ingredients.
Storage: Store Indian butter chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 543kcal (27%) Carbohydrates: 11g (4%) Protein: 37g (74%) Fat: 39g (60%) Saturated Fat: 22g (138%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g Monounsaturated Fat: 11g Trans Fat: 0.4g Cholesterol: 257mg (86%) Sodium: 783mg (34%) Potassium: 794mg (23%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 8g (9%) Vitamin A: 1586IU (32%) Vitamin C: 8mg (10%) Calcium: 129mg (13%) Iron: 3mg (17%)
