My butter chicken recipe is carefully crafted to be accessible to even the most rural home cook, while still staying true to the authentic flavors of the dish. Butter chicken is comforting with warm spices and a creamy tomato sauce and is a great introductory dish to Indian cuisine — even my kids love it!
Better-Than-Takeout Butter Chicken
Butter chicken (AKA murgh makhani) is rich and creamy, mildly spicy Indian curry. It’s a dish that’s extremely flavorful and almost universally loved by all (even kids!). It was my personal introduction to Indian food (a favorite lunch back when I worked in Baltimore and had good Indian restaurants nearby!) and would be a great recipe to make for someone who has yet to find their favorite Indian dish.
I know many of you can easily enjoy this dish without the effort of cooking (lucky you!). My recipe is designed for people like myself who love Indian food but don’t have a good Indian restaurant nearby. Make a batch of my homemade naan to pair with it and you’ll have yourself a homemade meal that will satisfy any Indian takeout craving!
Why Try This Recipe
- No special equipment needed! While traditionally the chicken should be cooked in a tandoor, that’s not practical for most home bakers. Instead, we’re going to marinate the chicken and then sear it in a pot before cooking the sauce. It makes for a great, non-fussy at home option that still delivers big time on flavor!
- Accessible for anyone, no matter where they live. While traditional recipes have their place, many home cooks don’t have access to ingredients like red chili powder (not available in a single grocery store within many miles of my house, seriously) or equipment like tandoors. Is my recipe perfectly authentic? Absolutely not (neither is my chicken Alfredo), but it hits the spot!
- Richly flavored, just like the kind from a good Indian restaurant. It’s warm and cozy, slightly sweet and spiced, and perfectly tomatoey and creamy. Truly, this is the ultimate rainy day or cold weather comfort food.
- Best paired with with naan and rice for sopping up all that luscious sauce. My naan recipe is my personal preference (shocking, I know), but if you can find a good store-bought version, feel free to use that.
Ingredients
- Chicken thighs. Boneless skinless chicken thighs will give you the most flavor. If your family prefers them, you can substitute chicken breasts (I’ve done it many times myself), but your results won’t be quite as flavorful (just like when making chicken pot pie!).
- Aromatics. Including fresh garlic, ginger, and onion. If you can’t find fresh ginger, you should be able to find a tube of ginger paste in the produce section of your grocery store (usually near fresh herbs). Garlic ginger paste is often used in butter chicken recipes, and yet that’s another ingredient not available to me.
- Spices. Fresh spices have the most flavor, so avoid using old spices that have been sitting in the back of your pantry for years. Today we’ll be using garam masala, turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper, coriander, black pepper, and cinnamon. Garam masala may not already be in your pantry, but it is actually quite widely available, even in my local grocery store. Just look for it in the spice aisle!
- Butter (but not as much as you’d expect!). Despite its name, butter chicken doesn’t actually use that much butter. A bit of butter (coupled with oil) is used for cooking the chicken and veggies and then we finish off the dish with another tablespoon, but it’s less than you’d probably think, given the name.
- Whole peeled tomatoes. If you can’t find a 14.5oz can of whole peeled tomatoes, just take what you need (about half) from the more readily available larger cans. Crushed or even diced canned tomatoes could work in a pinch if you can’t find the whole peeled, but whole peeled would always be my preference for best results (just like in my penne alla vodka and tomato soup recipe!).
- Heavy cream. Most of the richness and creaminess of the sauce actually comes from heavy cream rather than butter. Coconut cream or cashew cream could work too, but the flavor will be different.
SAM’S TIP: Some recipes blend cashews into the sauce. We skip them here, but feel free to add some if you like!
How to Make Butter Chicken
Marinate the chicken
Combine the marinade ingredients in a shallow dish, then add the chicken and toss until thoroughly coated. Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to an hour. Alternatively (and even better), you can also let this mixture sit in the fridge overnight.
Sear the chicken
Traditionally, the chicken would be cooked in a tandoor oven. While that would be a fantastic option if you have one accessible, it wasn’t a feasible option for me. The next best option was searing, so that’s what we did.
Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, sear the chicken until browned on both sides. You don’t need to cook the chicken all the way through at this point, since we’ll be simmering it in the sauce later.
Remove the seared chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm while you prepare the sauce.
Add in the aromatics
Add the onion to the same pan you cooked the chicken in (lots of flavor in there, don’t panic if there’s a lot of browning on the bottom of your pan!) and saute until softened. Stir in the remaining aromatics, then add the spices.
Top with tomatoes
Stir in the sugar and tomatoes, then transfer the mixture to a blender. The blender may not get things perfectly smooth–I’m fine with a little texture, but if you want it smoother you can add splashes of water until you reach your desired consistency.
An immersion blender could work here, but the sauce isn’t very much in volume at this point so it can be harder to do. I certainly recommend one for recipes like my tomato basil soup or carrot soup though!
Stir in the cream & simmer
Transfer the sauce back to your pot and gradually stir in the cream and butter. Add the chicken and let the sauce simmer for at least half an hour before serving.
I include suggestions for sides in the FAQ section below!
SAM’S TIP: Don’t skip the simmer! Simmering is key for building flavor, and the longer the sauce sits, the better it tastes. In fact, this dish is even better the next day!
Frequently Asked Questions
No. My recipe is meant to be accessible to everyone, which means I use widely available ingredients and techniques to closely mimic (but not exactly replicate) a traditional butter chicken recipe.
Many people do not have a traditional tandoor or access to red chili powder (not the same thing as the chili powder we use in my chili recipe), fenugreek leaves, etc. But that won’t stop us from making incredibly flavorful and crave-worthy Indian food at home!
The dishes are similar, but butter chicken is usually more mild with a creamy, slightly sweet taste. Tikka masala has more spice and tends to lean more towards the tangy side of the flavor spectrum. Both are delicious and worth trying.
If you’d like to see my version of tikka masala, please let me know in the comments!
Typically we like to pair this butter chicken recipe with naan and basmati rice. Since this dish tends to be pretty rich, a veggie side like a tossed salad, cucumber salad or sautéed greens can be a nice addition too. Peas also pair well with this dish!
Enjoy!
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Butter Chicken
My butter chicken recipe is carefully crafted to be accessible to even the most rural American cook, while still staying true to the authentic flavors of the dish
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Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 409kcal
Instructions
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Make sauce & marinate: In a shallow dish, mix together yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, salt, cayenne, and garlic cloves. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30-60 minutes or up to overnight.
½ cup (130 g) plain Greek yogurt, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon grated ginger, 1 ½ teaspoons garam masala, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon table salt, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne, 3 garlic cloves, 1 ½ lbs (680 g) boneless
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Cook the chicken: When your chicken is finished marinating, heat oil and 1 Tablespoon (14g) butter in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add chicken (in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding) until browned on both sides. Remove to a plate and cover with foil.
2 Tablespoons neutral cooking oil
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With skillet still on medium heat, add onion and cook several minutes, stirring frequently, until translucent.
1 (150 g) heaping cup chopped onion
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Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2 Tablespoons minced garlic, 1 ½ tablespoons grated ginger
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Add garam masala, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and ground cinnamon (if using a cinnamon stick, do not add yet) and stir together.
1 ½ teaspoons garam masala, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon table salt, ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon or 1-2 cinnamon sticks
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Add whole peeled tomatoes and sugar and stir, breaking up the tomatoes as you stir.
14.5 oz (411 g) can whole peeled tomatoes, 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
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Carefully transfer sauce to a blender and blend until mostly smooth.
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Transfer mixture back to your skillet on medium/low heat. Add cream and remaining 1 Tablespoon (14g) butter and stir to combine.
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
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Return chicken to the pan, add cinnamon stick (if using), and allow to simmer at least 30 minutes before serving.
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Serve with basmati rice and naan, enjoy!
Notes
Storing
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in a saucepan on the stovetop over low to medium-low heat (add another splash of cream if the sauce is too thick). Avoid high heat to keep sauce from splitting.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 409kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 791mg | Potassium: 705mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 808IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.