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Home » Dinner Recipes » Easy Butter Chicken Recipe (Indian Style)

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Easy Butter Chicken Recipe (Indian Style)

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Easy Butter Chicken Recipe, my take on the classic Indian chicken curry that is popular all over the world. With a rich and heavenly creamy sauce and a fantastic blend of spices, this dish is one of the must-try easy family dinner recipes. 

A white plate with rice and butter chicken

Few are the dishes that make such an impression on me from the very first time I try them. It wasn’t until I moved to the UK some 11 years ago that I first tried a restaurant-style chicken curry. Coming from a country where strong spices are not really a thing, this was certainly different. Good different.

It did take me a while to get used to the heat, since I used to eat food that’s rather plain. I knew I had to cook it myself, and so this easy Indian butter chicken recipe was created. My recipe is a well simplified one, and although I have used the basic spices, I decided to play safe and keep it mild, just the way I like it.

Now, the authentic Indian chicken curry may use a different cooking technique, and a lot more spices, but I must admit I’m kind of rubbish at buying a large variety of spices.

Still Romanian to the bones, I’m cautious not to add to much heat to my dishes, I really don’t think I can handle spiciness too well. Maybe if I have spicy food for a while, I might get used to it a lot quicker, but I don’t really eat spicy that often.

Collage of 6 photos to show how to make butter chicken

How TO make Indian butter chicken

Although the name could make you think this recipe has butter in it, in actually hasn’t. The chicken pieces are marinated in yogurt and spices, and the sauce is made with cream. Still, you get a superbly rich and delicious homemade chicken curry that tastes exactly like the one you get in a restaurant.

  • First, we need to make the marinade. In a bowl, add the yogurt, garlic, ginger and spices, add the chicken pieces, and mix well to coat. Cover with a clingfilm and refrigerate for at least one hour, ideally overnight.
  • Heat up the oil in pan, add the chicken pieces and cook for about 6-7 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink and is cooked through.

THE BEST SAUCE FOR BUTTER CHICKEN

Once the chicken is cooked, add the tomato passata, ginger, garlic, sugar, garam masala, and leave to cook for about 20 minutes until the sauce is reduced and it coats the chicken well.

Add the double cream, give it a good stir, garnish with coriander or parsley, and remove from the heat. Serve it with rice, or flatbread for a true Indian feast experience.

A white plate of Butter Chicken Curry and rice

You can go for more spiciness if you like, depending on your family’s taste buds. My little ones don’t handle spicy food, so my curries are usually mild. But mild does not mean less taste, all on the contrary, I think there is a perfect balance between spices, at least for me.

By the way, did you know that in the UK curry has been adopted as a national dish? Not at all surprising, since it’s so delicious. Although the term curry is a Western one, usually referring to a spiced dish cooked in sauce.

From tikka masala, to rogan josh, korma, balti, to vindaloo and so many more, curries are ever so popular. And rightly so. And by the way, there is no butter is this creamy butter chicken, how funny, isn’t it?

A plate of rice and butter chicken indian style curry

If you’ve tried my EASY INDIAN BUTTER CHICKEN RECIPE  or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.

4 from 41 votes
Butter chicken recipe indian style
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Easy Butter Chicken Recipe (Indian Style)
Prep Time
1 hr 5 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 35 mins
 

Indian Butter Chicken with a rich creamy sauce and a fantastic blend of spices. This is my take on the classic dish that makes a delicious family dinner.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: indian chicken recipes
Servings: 2 people
Calories: 668 kcal
Author: Daniela Apostol
Ingredients
For the marinade
  • 3 chicken breasts
  • 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp Garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander (cilantro)
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp ginger paste
For the sauce
  • 2 cups tomato passata
  • 1/2 cup double cream (heavy cream)
  • 1 tsp garlic paste
  • 1 tsp ginger paste
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • freshly-chopped coriander (cilantro) to garlish
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Metric - US Customary
Instructions
  1. To make the mariande, combine all the ingredients together, toss the chicken pieces in and mix well to coat.

  2. Cover the bowl with clingfilm, and refrigerate for at least one hour, ideally longer.

  3. Heat up the oil in a large pan, and fry the chicken pieces on a medium heat for about 5-6 minutes until cooked through.

  4. Add the tomato passata, garlic and ginger paste, sugar and garam masala and give a good stir.

  5. Leave to cook on a low to medium heat for 20 minutes, until the sauce is reduced by almost a quarter, and it coats the chicken pieces well.

  6. Add the cream, mix well and cook for a further 5 minutes.

  7. Remove from the heat and garnish with freshly-chopped coriander leaves.

Recipe Notes
  • To see the measurements in cups and ounces, please click on the US CUSTOMARY link.
  • The amount of ingredients listed can be adjusted depending on the number of servings you need, just click on the number next to SERVINGS.
Nutrition Facts
Easy Butter Chicken Recipe (Indian Style)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 668 Calories from Fat 315
% Daily Value*
Fat 35g54%
Saturated Fat 20g100%
Cholesterol 227mg76%
Sodium 370mg15%
Potassium 2049mg59%
Carbohydrates 30g10%
Fiber 5g20%
Sugar 14g16%
Protein 57g114%
Vitamin A 2405IU48%
Vitamin C 31.8mg39%
Calcium 137mg14%
Iron 6.1mg34%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

 

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19 Comments

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Comments

  1. cookingwithauntjuju.com says

    September 1, 2017 at 9:03 pm

    This is another Indian recipe I have been wanting to make. Your recipe sounds spicy to me and looks like it has most if not all the necessary ingredients. This kind of dish can always be made to taste and you certainly have done that. Happy Fiesta Friday and have a great weekend.

    Reply
    • Daniela Anderson says

      September 1, 2017 at 9:18 pm

      Thank you! It certainly is tasty, and I am glad you like it! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Jhuls says

    September 5, 2017 at 3:09 pm

    I’ve always wanted to make my own butter chicken. I am a little afraid, though coz I haven’t tasted an authentic one. You inspire me to try. This looks absolutely fantastic!

    Reply
    • Daniela Anderson says

      September 5, 2017 at 4:22 pm

      Thank you, Jhuls! Worth trying, l loved it!

      Reply
  3. sadhna grover says

    September 6, 2017 at 4:11 am

    This curry looks so good. The ingredients and spices you have used in this chicken curry can definitely make it tasty. Thanks for sharing it with Fiesta Friday.

    Reply
    • Daniela Anderson says

      September 6, 2017 at 4:59 am

      Thank you 😊

      Reply
  4. Jay says

    September 17, 2017 at 3:41 pm

    Looks amazing!!!! 😍😍😍

    Reply
  5. Adina says

    July 14, 2018 at 11:02 pm

    Wow what a great recipe! Very easy to follow the instructions. The balance of heat coming from all the spices is just perfect! Absolutely delicious! Thanks Daniela!

    Reply
    • Daniela Anderson says

      July 15, 2018 at 2:41 pm

      Thank you, l’m glad you like the recipe.

      Reply
  6. Brittney says

    June 15, 2019 at 9:07 pm

    can you use regular yougurt in place of greek yougurt

    Reply
    • Daniela Anderson says

      June 15, 2019 at 9:16 pm

      Absolutely! I like the Greek one for its creaminess, but the plain one will work just fine.

      Reply
      • Brittney says

        June 15, 2019 at 10:14 pm

        Thank you i was worried because i grab the wrong yougurt

        Reply
        • Daniela Anderson says

          June 16, 2019 at 1:04 pm

          Not a problem! Let me know how it goes!

          Reply
  7. Zach says

    August 1, 2019 at 11:52 pm

    You should update this to not say “paste” in the parentheses for tomato passata. I’m not sure what the intent was, but 2 cups of tomato paste is an absurd amount. My rookie cooking skills didn’t know any better. Had to trash the chicken unfortunately.

    Reply
    • Daniela Anderson says

      August 2, 2019 at 4:44 am

      I’m sorry if the term was misleading, l should have specified tomato puree instead of tomato paste. The thing is, for different countries the terms tomato passata, tomato puree and tomato paste will have different meanings. I’m sorry if you felt you had to throw the chicken away. I do use the thick tomato paste if don’t have passata on hand, and l don’t think it tastes bad at all. Especially that the butter chicken also uses cream which makes the sauce thinner, and balances well the sharpness of the tomato sauce and spiciness of the dish. I’ll take the tomato paste off then.

      Reply
  8. shrikant sharma says

    September 16, 2019 at 11:43 am

    Daniella, thank you for sharing this post regarding Butter Chicken recipe alongwith pictures so that a thorough impression is made on the readers as well. In India, families with kids who are still not accustomed to hot and spicy food choose Butter Chicken from the restaurant menu. It is a creamy delight.

    Reply
    • Daniela Anderson says

      September 16, 2019 at 3:30 pm

      Thank you, it’s one of my favourite curry recipes, and always a big hit with us!

      Reply
  9. Angela says

    January 20, 2021 at 4:20 pm

    Can you use coconut milk instead of yogurt?

    Reply
    • Daniela Apostol says

      January 20, 2021 at 4:33 pm

      Yes, it can be used the same way.

      Reply

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