Indian Butter Chicken

By Becky Hardin

Published Jan 5, 2023

The ultimate Indian butter chicken dish. - 2

The ultimate Indian butter chicken with rice and naan. - 3

Indian butter chicken cooked in a skillet. - 4

If you want to make a delicious curry at home, this easy Indian butter chicken recipe is for you! Start with a perfectly-spiced yogurt marinade, then cook up juicy chicken in a creamy, buttery, tomato sauce in just 30 minutes! The sweet, buttery chicken melts in your mouth, and the sauce is pretty mild, so your entire family will be able to enjoy it.

close up of indian butter chicken in a cast iron skillet. - 5

What’s in this Easy Butter Chicken Recipe

Gather your ingredients and make this Indian Butter Chicken in just one pan . The chicken will need some time to marinate, but cooking time is less than 30 minutes!

Chicken: Chicken thighs work best for this recipe because they stay super tender, juicy, and flavorful. Use boneless, skinless thighs, and cut into bite-sized cubes. You can substitute chicken breast if you like.
Yogurt: A full-fat plain yogurt creates the base for the yogurt marinade. Greek yogurt works great!
Butter: You’ll need about 3 tablespoons of butter to cook the chicken in. You can use Ghee as a substitute. If you want a richer sauce, stir in more butter at the end.
Spices : There are so many delicious spices in butter chicken, including a garam masala blend, turmeric, cumin, and cayenne pepper.
Tomato Sauce & Paste: Use both for the base of the tomato curry sauce.
Heavy Cream: This adds a creaminess to the sauce. You can use half and half instead of heavy cream.

Make this Butter Chicken Ahead of Time

This simple Indian butter chicken needs at least 3 hours to marinate in the fridge, but you can let it marinate longer (up to 24 hours). So the easiest way to prep this dish ahead of time is to make the marinade (step 1) and let it sit overnight. That way it’s ready to cook at dinner time!

You can also freeze it 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.

step by step photos for how to make indian butter chicken. - 6

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.

indian butter chicken in a white bowl with rice and a fork. - 7

How to Store and Reheat

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.

How to Freeze Butter Chicken

Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

What to Serve with Indian Butter Chicken

Tender chunks of chicken is the most delicious, creamy butter sauce is a great way to start a meal. It’s best served with rice to soak up the curry sauce, and some fresh naan to scoop it up.

If you want to add some veggies, make cauliflower fried rice , mashed sweet potatoes , or crispy Air Fryer broccoli .

overhead view of indian butter chicken in a white bowl with rice and naan bread. - 8

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 .

Ingredients1x2x3x

▢ ¾ cup full-fat plain yogurt
▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice from ½ lemon
▢ 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 or more to taste
▢ 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
▢ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (⅜ stick)
▢ 8 ounces tomato sauce (1 can)
▢ 1 cup heavy cream
▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
▢ ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
▢ Fresh cilantro optional, for serving

Video

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.

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More Indian-inspired Recipes We Love

Vegetarian Tikka Masala with Cauliflower
Curry Chicken Hand Pies
Skillet Tandoori Chicken
Dairy-Free Chicken Curry
Chicken Tikka Masala Wings
Naan Rolls

Indian Butter Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

¾ cup full-fat plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice from ½ lemon
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 or more to taste
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (⅜ stick)
8 ounces tomato sauce (1 can)
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ tablespoon granulated sugar
Fresh cilantro optional, for serving

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

Video

Notes

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.

Nutrition

By Becky Hardin

Published Jul 12, 2017

This Essential Grocery List is an absolute life saver for my family on the busy weeks. When I started this journey to learn how to cook, I quickly realized that the first step in cooking is having staple ingredients on hand. I want to avoid having to run out to the grocery store every single time I prepare a new recipe. Having a well-stocked pantry has made my life in the kitchen so much simpler, because when it’s time to cook, I have what I need.

Essential Grocery List

It’s so helpful to have a basic grocery list to help me remember which foods to buy at the store. This food shopping list is my go-to!

It’s better to stock up on things like grains, seasonings and spices, baking essentials, oils, condiments, canned and frozen foods, etc. so I can just grab them when I need them. These things have a long shelf life , so I keep them in my kitchen for convenience.

However, I do have to go to the supermarket sometimes, and there’s a way to make that trip easy and hassle-free: I keep a grocery list! If I go in blindly, I’ll leave with things I don’t need, and nothing that actually helps me prepare a good meal.

In the list below, I’ve compiled everything I always have on my stock-up grocery list.

I’ve got you covered! I created an easy grocery list filled with all of the essentials. Plus there’s a free printable version that you can take with you to the grocery store. It has everything you need to stock your pantry, your freezer, and your refrigerator.

Click to get my Free Printable Grocery List

What to Buy at the Grocery Store

This is the perfect grocery list filled with all the basics and essentials. It should help get you going if you’re new to cooking, or if you’re just left staring helplessly at an empty pantry and don’t know how to fill it.

When I first started cooking, things could seem overwhelming. I quickly realized that they more prepared I could be, the more confident I felt. If you already have the basics in your kitchen, then you can shop stress-free.

So print out our easy grocery list, stock up your pantry and fridge, and you’ll be cooking in no time!