Indian butter chicken is the most popular dish in any Indian restaurant. Similar to the chicken tikka masala or chicken biryani. This is my quick and easy version with spiced morsels of chicken in a creamy yogurt sauce is surprisingly simple and easy to make in just 20 minutes.
Table of Content
It is said that butter chicken was made by a chef in a New Delhi restaurant for a VIP customer that wanted a chicken dish. There was only a half tandoori chicken left over and not enough spices around. So, he shredded the tandoori chicken, flavored it with butter and tomato puree, added a bit of cream and additional spices. The dish was a big success. And, from then on, has been made in many different variations. I have eaten many different variations of this recipe during my travels and it's honestly hard to say which is the best.
My husband loves Indian butter chicken. But, he thinks it's unhealthy to eat because it's loaded with butter. In truth, a good butter chicken should be creamy and delicious but not loaded with butter.
About this recipe
You will be surprised how simple and easy this Indian recipe is. Takes just 20 minutes and uses ingredients you can easily find in any supermarket.
I am serving this with Indian chapati so I have not made too much gravy but if you serve it over rice you can add a bit of water to make more gravy.
Today, I am using curry powder but if you want you can also use individual spices. If you want to use Individual spices you can follow this butter chicken recipe which I shared recently too.
Curry powder is a common Indian spice mix found in most supermarkets but you can make your own as well. You may even have the spiced you need to make your own curry powder or garam masala.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Chicken - this is a quick version so you can use chicken breast. Personally, I loving using boneless chicken thighs in Indian dishes.
- Butter - just a tad added for flavor but you can omit or substitute with coconut oil or cooking oil.
- Ginger and Garlic - these are an absolute must in Indian cooking. I honestly think there is nothing like fresh so please use fresh ginger and garlic. The powders don't really give the same flavor as fresh.
- Curry Powder and Garam Masala - If you don't have a stocked Indian pantry but love Indian food? These two are a must have and you can use it to create many favorite Indian classic dishes.
- Paprika or Cayenne - I like using sweet paprika for the color minus the spice but if you can handle a little bit of heat - I highly recommend using hot paprika or cayenne pepper
- Almond meal or cashews nut powder - This adds a nice richness to the sauce as well as thickens the sauce. Almond meal is quite easy to find these days. Cashews are more affordable in India compared to Almond so often cashews nut powder is used.
- Red tandoori color - most Indian/Asian grocery shops would have these - does not add any taste - just authentic color. I only use it when I have guests, or I need it to look authentic. For the family, I avoid any additional food coloring.
I always serve this with our family favorite Indian Spiced Potatoes and Indian Chapati so keep the consistency thick. If I were to serve it with white rice then I'd add a little water to make it saucier.
Step by step instructions
Sear chicken
- Clean, drain and pat dry the chicken.
- Then, cut the chicken into bite-size pieces.
- Season with salt and pepper and paprika.
- Heat one tablespoon oil in a saute pan on medium-high.
- Add chicken pieces and sear on all sides for 2 minutes.
- Remove chicken, set aside and keep warm.
Make the sauce
- In the same pan, add the remaining oil.
- Saute ginger and garlic for 30 secs.
- Add spices (curry powder, garam masala, and paprika) along with ¼ cup water.
- Saute until the water is evaporated and the spices give a nice fragrance.
- Then, add tomato puree, lemon juice, and yogurt.
- Let the sauce comes to a boil then add the chicken back to the pan.
- Add the almond meal and red tandoori color (optional).
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Let the chicken cook on medium-low for about 10 minutes.
- When chicken is cooked - taste and adjust seasoning.
- Check consistency - add water if you need more sauce or cook until water is evaporated to make a thicker sauce.
- Finally, add the butter, garnish with a few cilantro leaves and lemon slices.
- Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
The word butter refers to the smooth and satin-like characteristic of the dish which is actually how we see butter. Smooth and silky. The creaminess comes from actually straining the fiber from the ingredients like tomatoes and onions and adding a little bit of cream. So you see the sauce is strained to make it smooth and silky. You can add butter to flavor the chicken but a good butter chicken does not have to be drowned in butter.
The authentic recipe I learned from my mom so you can see the difference in the recipes and also see the real stuff. It does take a while to make. My kids love Butter Chicken so I came up with this 20-minute version for my family which I think you will love too.
For those who want to make this dish Parve or non-dairy, substitute the butter with butter flavored margarine and use non-dairy coffee cream instead of fresh cream. A little tip on the cream - Heat the cream before you add the cream into the hot sauce to avoid splitting.
If you want to make this non-dairy - you can also add coconut milk instead of cream. It will have a different flavor but still delicious.
What can you do with leftover butter chicken?
Indian Butter Chicken is great to have on hand for many things, so leftovers are always a great thing to have on hand.
- Butter Chicken Wraps - This quick butter chicken makes a great snack for kids' school meals. You can buy or make tortilla or Indian chapati.
- or Butter Chicken Sandwiches - Use them as the base for sandwiches of course - add some sliced cucumbers and tomatoes.
- Butter Chicken Noodles - Make a batch of butter chicken and instead of serving it with chapati or rice - serve it over a bed of steaming hot noodles.
- or Butter Chicken Pasta - Do the same with Pasta - serve it with a bowl of penne.
- Butter chicken pizza - sprinkle butter chicken pieces on your favorite pizza before the cheese.
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Printable Recipe
Indian Butter Chicken in 20 mins
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Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
- 1 lb (500 g) Chicken (boneless)
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 2 tablespoon Canola oil
- 1 tablespoon Ginger (grated)
- 1 tablespoon Garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoon Curry powder
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Paprika or cayenne
- 2 tablespoon Tomato puree
- 1 cup (250 ml) Yogurt (plain)
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Cilantro (for garnish)
- ⅛ teaspoon Red tandoori color (optional)
- 2 tablespoon Almond meal (or ground cashew nuts (optional))
Instructions
Sear Chicken
- Clean, drain and pat dry the chicken.
- Then cut the chicken into bite size pieces.
- Season with salt and pepper and paprika
- Heat one tablespoon oil in a saute pan on medium-high.
- Add chicken pieces and sear on all sides for 2 minutes
- Remove chicken, set aside and keep warm.
Make the Sauce
- In the same pan add the remaining oil.
- Saute ginger and garlic for 30 secs.
- Add spices (curry powder, garam masala, and paprika) along with ¼ cup water.
- Saute until the water is evaporated and the spices give a nice fragrance.
- Then add tomato puree, lemon juice, and yogurt.
- Let the sauce comes to a boil then add the chicken back to the pan.
- Add the almond meal and red tandoori color (optional)
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Let the chicken cook on medium-low for about 10 minutes.
- When chicken is cooked - taste and adjust seasoning.
- Check consistency - add water if you need more sauce or cook until water is evaporated to make a thicker sauce.
- Finally, add the butter, garnish with a few cilantro leaves and lemon slices.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Notes & Tips
What can you do with leftover butter chicken?
Indian Butter Chicken is great to have on hand for many things, so leftovers are always a great thing to have on hand.- Butter Chicken Wraps - This quick butter chicken makes a great snack for kids' school meals. You can buy or make tortilla or Indian chapati.
- or Butter Chicken Sandwiches - Use them as the base for sandwiches of course - add some sliced cucumbers and tomatoes.
- Butter Chicken Noodles - Make a batch of butter chicken and instead of serving it with chapati or rice - serve it over a bed of steaming hot noodles.
- or Butter Chicken Pasta - Do the same with Pasta - serve it with a bowl of penne.
- Butter chicken pizza - sprinkle butter chicken pieces on your favorite pizza before the cheese.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Brenda
Hi Veena,
This looks amazing! Will be making it for dinner tomorrow 🙂 just to check, if I were to add in almond meal, what is the quantity and when do I add it in? Thanks!
Veena Azmanov
Hey Brenda, yes you can add 2 tbsp of the almond meal just after you add the chicken back to the pan as mentioned in the post. (I added it) Thanks
Jessica
I've never tried to make my own butter chicken. Your recipe looks delicious! Pinning for later..e
Veena Azmanov
You must Jessica.. It's so super easy.
Judith
This is delicious! Made the sauce this afternoon and added the leftover meat from my rotisserie chicken. Perfect! This recipe is a keeper!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Judith, for the lovely feedback. Happy you enjoyed this recipe
Kristina
Wow, this is such a comprehensive recipe. I love that you included so much information about each of the ingredients and also provided history of butter chicken and variations. I will definitely be making this recipe soon!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Kristina. Glad you like my style of writing the post. Let me know what you think when you try this recipe.
Monica | Nourish & Fete
I love that you simplified this popular dish! I have always wanted to make butter chicken but admit I've been a little intimidated at the prospect of buying new spices, etc. So happy to know it can be more accessible!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Monica. So happy to hear you going to try this. I'm sure you will love this. let me know what you think