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A super easy, full flavoured Butter Chicken recipe that rivals any restaurant or takeout! In just 30 minutes, you’ll have an amazing dinner to enjoy with your loved ones (or just by yourself, once you become obsessed).
Similar to Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken is one of the most popular curries at any Indian restaurant around the world. Aromatic golden chicken pieces in an incredible creamy curry sauce, this recipe is one of the best you will try! You will love how easy it is to make in the comfort of your own home, especially with garlic butter rice and fresh homemade Naan bread.
Butter Chicken
Tender and juicy chicken thanks to a deliciously spiced yogurt marinade, Butter Chicken is ridiculously easy to make. The curry sauce is out of this world!
I know you all love food with beautiful, bold flavours, and nothing beats sitting down to a great curry to finish off a chaotic day. The aromas alone transport you to a completely different world.
The best part about cooking up Butter Chicken at home is the ingredients list. Every ingredient is easy to find from any grocery store or supermarket. WIN-WIN!
If you’ve ever been let down by a bland homemade curry, this one will completely change your mind. I really wanted to focus on getting that authentic taste right, and looking at the comments, so many of you say it is actually way better than ordering takeaway! It has become such a family favourite that people frequently tell me they scale it up or bake large batches in the oven for big family events like birthdays and graduations.
The cooking technique here is completely foolproof. The key to have the juicy chicken is the easy yogurt marinade that guarantees tender meat every time. Then, for the gravy, the real trick is letting the tomatoes cook off for at least 10 to 15 minutes until they are almost dry in your pan. Blending that down before adding the cream gives you a silky smooth, texture that won’t separate.
And the SAUCE. You definitely need something to dip into it, and for a curry, a yogurt-based garlic naan is my #1 reccomendation. The yogurt makes the dough incredibly soft and pillowy, which is exactly what you want when scooping this amazing sauce.
Why is It Called Butter Chicken
Butter chicken originated from Northern India in 1948. Created by Kundan Lal Gujral, you may notice that Butter Chicken (known as murgh makhani or chicken with butter), is similar to British tikka masala.
Prepared in a buttery gravy with the addition of cream gives the curry sauce a silky smooth rich texture. Most restaurants are known to add in copious amounts of butter, which as a result can leave you feeling bloated or ill from the slick of grease.
However, while recipe testing, I found that I prefer to start the sauce off by “blooming” the aromatics in ghee (clarified butter) or a mix of butter and oil.
The trick to that authentic, restaurant-quality flavor is letting the garam masala and cumin bloom in the hot butter fat. This releases and deeply distributes the essential oils throughout the dish.
Adding a little cream at the end of cooking provides enough of that richness you look for, but my less oily version leaves you feeling good and satisfied.
What is Butter Chicken Sauce Made of
It’s all about that sauce when it comes to authentic butter chicken. You’ll be surprised to find that you only need an onion, a can of crushed tomatoes, garlic and ginger, and some added spices to continue those beautiful flavours in the sauce.
The trick to achieving a velvety, emulsified sauce is to let the crushed tomatoes simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until they are nearly dry in your pan. This concentrates their rich, umami flavor. Additionally, you can add a couple tablespoons of water if it dries too early.
After that, you must blend the base completely smooth before stirring in your cream (heavy whipping cream or thickened cream). Blending first ensures a flawless, silky sauce that won’t separate and clings perfectly to the chicken. You can use evaporated milk or half-and-half for a lower-calorie option.
If you want a richer sauce, feel free to add a couple tablespoons of butter (or ghee) right at the end, letting it melt though the sauce, before serving.
Butter Chicken: Key Ingredients
- Ghee: Use a good quality ghee if you can. It really makes a difference in flavour. Ghee has a deeper, nutty taste that helps the spices open up and gives the sauce that feel that butter chicken is known for.
- Garlic and Ginger: Fresh is always best here. I like to mince both right before cooking because the aroma is much stronger and the flavour comes through better in the sauce. The jarred versions work in a pinch, but fresh garlic and ginger give the dish a much fuller taste.
- Crushed Tomatoes: A good can of crushed tomatoes is the base of the sauce. Look for one with a naturally sweet tomato flavour and a smooth texture so the sauce cooks down nicely. That same tomato-rich sauce is also the base of a classic spiced tomato chicken curry. For a no-blender option, replace for passata.
- Red Chili Powder: Regular chili powder works fine, but if you can find Kashmiri red chili powder, it’s worth using. It has a beautiful red pigment and a gentle heat, so you get colour and flavour without overpowering the creaminess of the sauce.
- Kasoori Methi (Dried Fenugreek Leaves): If you want the dish to taste like it came from a high-end restaurant, this is non-negotiable. Fenugreek delivers a distinct, earthy aroma that bridges the tomatoes, cream, and spices together perfectly.
Note: Please see Recipe Card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Additions And Substitutions
When making Butter Chicken, there are several additions and substitutions you can consider to tailor the dish to your preferences or what you have on hand:
- Ghee Substitute: For a dairy-free option, you can use a vegan butter substitute. It provides a rich texture and enhances the flavors just like ghee.
- Alternative Spices: While garam masala, cumin, and chili powder are traditional, you can experiment with spices like paprika for a smokier flavor or add a hint of sweetness with cinnamon.
- Vegetarian Option: Swap the chicken with paneer or tofu for a delicious vegetarian version. Both absorb the rich sauce wonderfully, maintaining the dish’s signature creaminess.
- Cream Alternatives: For a lighter version, substitute thickened cream with Greek yogurt. It will still provide creaminess while slightly altering the flavor profile.
- Chilli Powder alternative: If you can’t find Kashmiri chili powder, a mix of 3 parts mild Paprika to 1 part Cayenne pepper is a fantastic substitute to achieve that beautiful color with a controllable kick.
Experimenting with these options can make the cooking experience even EASIER.
One Pan, No-Blender Option
Butter chicken doesn’t need overcomplicated steps. If you want to skip the blender entirely and keep the cleanup to just one pan, it is very easy to do. The trick is all in the prep.
I recommend dicing your onions as small as possible and grating the garlic and ginger very finely. When you fry the aromatics, take your time and let them cook down slowly until they soften completely. Then, simply swap out the canned crushed tomatoes for tomato passata (also known as plain tomato puree). Since passata is already smooth, you won’t have to worry about breaking down any chunky bits. You get the same thick sauce, and you save time on dishes.
30 Minute Butter Chicken Cost Per Serving
With grocery prices going up, I know budget is important. Ordering Indian food for a family can easily run over $60. Because this recipe relies heavily on pantry staples like cumin, garam masala, and chili powder, the actual cost per serving is incredibly low.
You are mainly just buying the chicken, a small carton of cream, plain yogurt, and a can of tomatoes or passata. Breaking it down, you can feed a family of four to six for roughly $2 to $3 per serving depending on where you shop. It is a massive money saver that rivals what you get at a restaurant.
How Do You Make It
A milder curry when compared to other Indian curries makes Butter Chicken a favourite among families with little ones. You can certainly add as much or as little chili as you wish. In other words, YOU are in total control of how spicy you make it.
The secret to avoiding dry chicken starts with an easy yogurt marinade made from scratch. A harsh acid marinade can ruin poultry, but the gentle lactic acid in plain yogurt breaks down the muscle proteins safely. This ensures the chicken stays incredibly juicy and tender, even after getting a high-heat sear in the pan. I use plain yogurt, fresh garlic and ginger, and easy-to-find spices.
You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts. I prefer dark meat, but go with what you like.
- First, mix your yogurt marinade together.
- Marinate chicken for 20 minutes, or overnight if time allows. (The longer it marinates, the more tender your chicken will be.)
- Sear chicken in a skillet or pan. Keep those charred bits on the pan to make your sauce. Browned bits = flavour. If you have too many burnt pieces stuck to the pan, you can discard some of them if you wish.
- Finally, make your curry sauce in the same skillet.
Make Ahead Option
The beauty of this gravy/sauce is that you can prepare it ahead of time if you want or need to. Allow it to cool completely, store it in an airtight glass jar or container and refrigerate for up to 48 hours.
Those deep flavours will have plenty of time to develop and shine through before adding your chicken. Of course, this is completely optional.
If there’s any Indian recipe that’s worth making at home, it is Butter Chicken, and this is the BEST recipe you’ll ever make!
Serve over basmati rice and garlic naan bread! Similarly, you can use my NO YEAST flatbread recipe if you’re looking for something easy to dip into the delicious curry gravy/sauce.
Looking for more Chicken Recipes? Try these!
If you want to try other chicken dinners , I have a few favorites that readers make on repeat. You can make a chicken breast stuffed with caramelized onions and melted cheese
for a meal that looks like it took hours but really didn’t. When you need dinner on the table fast, I highly recommend throwing together some seared chicken in a quick garlic cream sauce. Another great option if you want bright, fresh flavors is this easy pan-fried chicken with a lemon caper sauce. All of these take under an hour and work well for busy weeknights.
FAQs
You can prepare the sauce ahead of time. Let it cool completely, store it in an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. Making it ahead allows the flavors to develop beautifully before adding the chicken.
Is mildly spiced, perfect for those who prefer less heat. You can easily adjust the spice level by modifying the amount of chili powder, adding more cream, or leaving out the chili altogether to mellow the flavors.
The vibrant orange color comes from a combination of tomatoes, turmeric, and chili powder in the sauce.
Easy to find spices, for example: Garam masala, Tumeric, Cumin, Red Chili Powder and Salt, are all you need to make a great sauce. You may even already have some of these in your kitchen cupboards! If you don’t, there’s no doubt you may use them again.
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Butter Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
For the chicken marinade:
- 28 oz boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced, or finely grated
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder recommend Kashmiri
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons ghee or 1 tbs butter + 1 tbs oil
- 1 large onion sliced or chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced or finely grated
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 14 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder adjust to your taste preference (use Kashmiri)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1 cup thickened cream heavy or evaporated milk to save calories
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kasoori methi or dried fenugreek leaves
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine chicken with all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade; let marinate for 30 minutes to an hour (or overnight if time allows).
- Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add chicken pieces in batches of two or three, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry until browned for only 3 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm. (You will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce.)
- Heat the butter or ghee in the same pan and fry the onions until they start to sweat (about 6 minutes), making sure to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom. Add the garlic and ginger, sautéing for 1 minute, then stir in the ground coriander, cumin, and garam masala. Cook for another 20 seconds until highly fragrant, then pour in the crushed tomatoes, chili powder, and salt.
- Remove from heat, scoop mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to add a couple tablespoons of water to help it blend (up to 1/4 cup). Work in batches depending on the size of your blender.
- Pour the puréed sauce back into the pan. Stir the cream, sugar and crushed kasoori methi (or fenugreek leaves) through the sauce. Add the chicken with juices back into the pan and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with fresh homemade Naan Bread!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is absolutely amazing. I’ve just started to get into cooking and I had never made butter chicken or naan before in my entire life, but I tried both today and it was fantastic! My family kept asking me over and over again if I actually made it or if it was store-bought. Thank you soooo much for this recipe!!!
This recipe is AMAZING! It truly is better than butter chicken I have had at Indian restaurants! I would double the amount of time spent on cooking – there is no way that you can get this cooked is 30-minutes. Thank you for this wonderful recipe – we love your website! I am planning making my way through as many of your recipes as possible!
Can this recipe be cooled and refrigerated for the next day? Getting 2 meals out of it for 2 nights basically.
Thank you for the recipe, made this for dinner, it was delicious! I also made naan to go with it. This recipe reminds me of a local Indian place we usually goes to. I will definitely make the butter chicken again. YUM!!! Thank you!
Absolutely DELICIOUS! We made it exactly by this recipe, except without the Kasoori Methi, and WOW. Thank you so much for sharing.
This is hands-down the best butter chicken I’ve ever had. Just outstanding. The next time I make it I’m making a double batch. One thing though: be sure to get Indian red chili powder. Don’t use mexican.
So good! I’m in the Netherlands and I usually swap the heavy cream for (un)whipped cream, which works very well. Recently I was asked to make a vegetarian meal and I switched the chicken for ‘fake chicken’. Really awsome! Also I once bought coconutmilk instead of cream by mistake: still fabulous!
My partner and friends ask me at least once a month to make this recipe and I am always happy to do so. Absolutely great!
Have made this dish before and it was excellent. Would like to make this recipe for a Christmas dinner. If I make it a day ahead how would you recommend reheating the dish? I’m concerned if the heavy cream will curdle if I reheat in the microwave. Please let me know. Thank you!
It actually re-heats in the microwave just fine.
Looking to make this …. do you keep the marinade and add it to the sauce or do you throw out the marinade which seems like a waste. Hope to get the good results do many of you have got !
I’ve reheated this dish in the mircrowave before, the cream didn’t curdle and the whole thing was still delicious!
Hi April
It’s a little late now for Christmas but I absolutely love this dish so wanted to reply.
The best thing to do with curries is to make the sauce and pour it into a jar and refrigerate. Even a week is fine. The flavours develop and it makes the curry even nicer! And also saves some stress on the day.
Then all you have to do is cook the chicken and mix it in.
Hope that helps for maybe next Christmas? 🙂
Too late for Christmas but replying incase others see this. I have made this curry a number of times now and it reheats wonderfully, in fact, I think the flavor is even better when reheated as it matures and is wonderful. I usually just reheat in a large pot and a medium heat and find it reheats better with thighs instead of breast.
I recommend never reheating chicken in the microwave if possible always seems to add an odd taste to it. It reheats fine on stovetop you will just need to adjust it to preferred thickness with a touch of water. GREAT leftovers as the spices continue to soak into the chicken.
I make big batches everytime i cooked this recipe, double the recipe. divide it into several small container, so i can put it in the chiller and enjoy it for 3-4 days, just put it in microwave and enjoy it anytime. Taste is great, nothing changes.
There is a cooking cream you can buy in Australia at the supermarket that doesn’t curdle or split. I’ve reheated cream pasta sauces and they are as good as the day they were cooked.
This answer is months late for your holiday, but in case others have the same question, I’d recommend prepping the chicken and tomato/onion/spice mix separately the day prior. blend the tomato mix to a smooth puree and then put the separate parts into the fridge to chill. On the day of, bring the chicken to temp in a warm skillet, then mix in the tomato puree and cream and continue with the recipe from there. Tastes completely fresh without all the work, just like how the restaurants do!
I have tried this and it actually tastes better the next day after all the spices have sunk in! However, I would suggest using thigh chunks when cooking so that it doesn’t dry out when reheated. Hope this helps!
Refrigerate it in the same pot you cooked it in, then just move it directly from fridge to stovetop and rewarm over medium heat, stirring often to prevent burning.
Hi sounds lovely. I’ve prepared the marinade and sauce for tomorrow today. I am gonna use Greek yoghurt mixed with milk option instead of cream half a cup each but will add that at last minute and would suggest that too. Can’t wait to try it tomorrow thank you so much x
Very very good. I have eaten butter chicken all over India and this is authentic
Made this dish yesterday and it Was absolutely amazing! It actually tasted better than my favorite local Indian restaurant’s version (and that restaurant is really really good!) I’m definitely keeping this one 🙂
Try putting the saucepan that the butter chicken is in, into another bigger saucepan with boiling water and keep it boiling till the butter chicken is hot enough to eat, but don’t bring it to the boil.
Absolutely delicious! Authentic butter chicken receipe….kids loved it ! It was perfect and easy to make. So grateful that it turned out so good at the very first attempt !
Have had this the next day and no problems with cream curdling on reheating.
I use this recipe every time I make butter chicken. I find that sometimes the tomatoes are not sweet enough and gives the curry a tangy taste, so after blending I add a 1/4 teaspoon baking powder to neutralize the taste. It’s perfect then.
i’ve made this and it’s completely fine once cooked in with the sauce to reheat
I have made this recipe ahead before and it reheats nicely in a slow cooker. I waited to add the cream until about 20 minutes before serving to prevent curdling/separation.
This was absolutely delicious! The whole family enjoyed it!
It won’t curdle at all, I’ve made it and reheated it numerous times on the hob and in the microwave (I’ve even vacuumed packed them and then reheated by boiling in the bag). I’d make the pilau rice fresh though unless you vacuum pack it which again, can be reheated by boiling in the bag. Homemade naan can be reheated too, splash with some water and either put in the oven or even easier in a frying pan on the hob. Hope this helps.
It actually tastes better the next day as the meat soaks in all the flavor.
Just amazing!!! The flavors, the smell,…. so yummy.
Just didi it and it is one of the best butter chicken I tasted.
oh my gosh!! 🤣🤣 such an amazing dish! i loved making it with my grandchildren!! ❤ its 4 O’clock somewhere😂😂😂
I never leave reviews but had to with this recipe, it turned out amazing! Already looking forward to the next time we make it!! Thank you!
Thank you for posting this recipe Karina. I lived in India for a while and tasted a lot of Indian food. This recipe is so easy to follow and without a doubt the taste is above expectation. I have made it several times and have never added the kasoori methi (or its alternative, as it is not available where I shop) and it is still by far one of the best Indian dishes I have ever tasted (without bragging of course :). Along with Dal Bati and Malia Kofta it is one of my favourites – followed by a couple of Gulab Jamun.
Methi is called fenugreek in English. Smells like maple syrup. You should be able to find in the “ethnic”section of an average grocery store, or better yet in the spice section of a south Asian grocer.
I tried this recipe today & not only was it amazing but so easy to follow as well. My hubby was so impressed with the taste! I actually want to try it again and swop the chicken with halloumi for a vegetarian option.
Thanks a ton for the awesome recipe
I just tried this recipe and it tastes exactly like what an Indian restaurant would bring!
Thank you so much !!
Best wishes from HK