Butter Chicken
117 Comments
Updated Jan 28, 2024
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This Indian butter chicken with warm basmati rice may just be one of the best chicken recipes you’ll ever have. Juicy chicken thighs are marinated in a deliciously spiced yogurt blend, then sauteed and simmered in a rich and creamy curry sauce that’s ridiculously good.
There’s so much to love about Indian food, especially when rich curry sauces are involved. Coconut curry chicken is an easy weeknight meal, and I have a vegetarian version for chickpea curry in my cookbook. But tikka masala and butter chicken (also known as murgh makhani) are two of the most popular Indian dishes. And while those two may seem similar, there are some slight differences in the sauces.
The sauce for tikka masala is less creamy and has a more prominent spiced kick to it. Butter chicken on the other hand has a creamier, more buttery sauce that balances out the rich spices. So if your preference is ultra-creamy curry sauces, you’re going to absolutely love this butter chicken recipe!
Butter chicken ingredients
I’m usually one who attempts to simplify ingredient lists, but there’s not a lot of room for shortcuts with butter chicken, especially if you hold true to a traditional version. So I’m sticking with authentic ingredients today, but with a few small additions that’ll make this the best butter chicken ever.
- Chicken Thighs: Boneless skinless chicken thighs are preferred as they remain juicy and tender when cooked.
- Spices: Both the marinade and the sauce use similar spices, including Kashmiri red chili powder and garam masala (see note on chili powder below). Additionally, the chicken marinade includes ground turmeric and the curry sauce includes ground coriander and cumin.
- Yogurt: I’m using Greek yogurt for this recipe, but any plain yogurt (even dairy-free yogurt) works as well. Just make sure to use full-fat yogurt for creamy, flavorful, and tangy chicken.
- Lemon Juice: Stick with freshly squeezed lemon! It has more vibrant flavor than jarred lemon juice.
- Garlic and Ginger: You have two options – you can mince fresh ginger and garlic or take the easier route and buy garlic ginger paste.
- Onion: A diced yellow onion adds depth of flavor to the sauce.
- Cashews: Blended raw cashews are my secret tip to make the curry sauce as creamy as can be!
- Tomatoes: One can of crushed tomatoes serves as the base for the sauce.
- Coconut Sugar: While any granulated sugar works in this recipe, my personal preference is coconut sugar.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is ideal, but you can also substitute that with ghee or olive oil if you’re dairy-sensitive or dairy-free.
- Heavy Cream: Both heavy cream and coconut cream work great. So feel free to choose your preference.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below
AMERICAN CHILI POWDER VERSUS KASHMIRI RED CHILI POWDER
To clarify the chili powder used in this recipe, American chili powder is a blend of ground dried chiles with other spices like cayenne pepper, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, and paprika. This savory blend makes it perfect for adding into Tex-Mex dishes, like my classic chili recipe.
But when it comes to Indian food, Kashmiri red chili powder is everyone’s go-to across a variety of dishes. It’s made from ground dried chiles alone, and is actually mild in flavor. Plus, its vibrant red color adds beautiful warm tones – especially in curries!
Pro Tip: Carefully look to make sure the word “Kashmiri” is labeled on the packaging. If it just says red chili powder, it’s going to have much more intense heat. To put this into perspective – Kashmiri chili powder is between 1,000 to 2,000 Scoville heat units, while red chili powder reaches 4,000 Scoville heat units!
Here’s a quick run-down of the different chili powders and their heat level:
- Cayenne – very hot
- Red Chili Powder – very hot
- Deggi Mirch – medium hot
- Kashmiri Chili Powder – mild
- Paprika – mild
How to Make The Best Butter Chicken
The steps below may look intimidating, but once you start cooking, it’s actually really simple. Just remember that each step serves a purpose in making the most delicious butter chicken possible!
Prep and marinate the chicken. Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces. Then marinate it in a bowl mixed with yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, Kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala, turmeric, and salt. Cover and refrigerate this for at least an hour (or overnight for even tastier results).
Cook the chicken. Use a large sauté pan to cook the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes, until it’s opaque and cooked through. Then transfer it to a separate bowl.
Make the curry sauce. Add the onions to the pan and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, red chili powder, garam masala, coriander, cumin, and stir for another minute. Then add the cashews, crushed tomatoes, sugar, and water. Stir, reduce the heat to low, and let it simmer for 5 minutes to let all those aromatic flavors meld together.
Blend it up. To make the sauce extra smooth and creamy, use a blender! Just pour the sauce into a high-powered blender and blend for about a minute, until it’s perfectly smooth.
The final steps. Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel, then stir together the blended sauce, butter, and heavy cream. Add the chicken back to the pan and stir it together with the sauce for 3 to 5 minutes, until it’s warmed through.
Common Questions
While yes, you can, I do recommend you use chicken thighs. I’m a little biased given how much I love chicken thigh recipes – but for good reason. They’re much more tender than chicken breasts and won’t dry out as you continue to simmer the chicken in the curry sauce. Also, traditional butter chicken uses chicken thighs. So that’s another good reason!
If you’d like a smooth and velvety sauce, I think it is. But you could also transfer the sauce to a bowl or large mason jar and use an immersion blender as well.
Storage Tips
This is a recipe that’s perfect for meal prep (just think of how you might buy butter chicken at the supermarket in the frozen food aisle).
- To store: Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- To freeze: If you’ve got leftovers or simply want to make a batch for the future, freeze this recipe in a freezer-safe container or my favorite Souper Cubes. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More One Pan Chicken Recipes
Let’s be honest, chicken reigns supreme when it comes to flavorful, filling, and easy dinner ideas. Here’s a few extra recipes to keep in your back pocket.
Nothing beats this butter chicken when you’re in the mood for some Indian comfort food. If you make it, let me know how it turned out! I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.
Butter Chicken
Description
Video
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ cup full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil
For the Butter Sauce
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar, or other sweetener
- 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, or ghee
- ½ cup heavy cream, or coconut cream
For Serving
- basmatic rice
- freshly chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Dice the chicken. Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces and place it in a bowl.
- Marinate the chicken. Add the yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, red chili powder, garam masala, turmeric, and salt to the bowl. Stir it all together, then cover and refrigerate for an hour (or up to overnight).
- Cook the chicken. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan. Place the marinated chicken in the fry pan and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until the chicken is opaque. Transfer the chicken to a separate bowl.
- Make the sauce. Add the onions to the pan and saute for 3 to 4 minutes, until softened and translucent.
- Add the ginger, garlic, red chili powder, garam masala, coriander, cumin, and stir for another minute. Then add the cashews, crushed tomatoes, sugar, and water. Stir it all together, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the sauce to a high-powered blender and blend for a minute, until smooth and creamy.
- Combine it all together. Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel (if you'd like to remove any lumps from the final sauce), then stir together the creamy butter sauce, butter, and heavy cream.
- Add the chicken back to the pan over medium heat and stir with the sauce for 3 to 5 minutes, until the chicken is warmed through.
- To serve. Enjoy the butter chicken on it's own, or serve it over basmati rice topped with fresh cilantro.
Lisa’s Tips
- You can typically find Kashmiri red chili powder at your local Indian market. But you can also purchase it online! Alternatively, you can use a combination of paprika and cayenne pepper for a similar taste and heat level. And if you’d like to “up” the heat level, just use regular red chili powder instead of Kashmiri red chili powder.
- If you’d like to save time making this recipe, don’t mince the ginger and garlic at home. Just buy a jar of ginger garlic paste. You can substitute 1 tablespoon in the marinade and 1 tablespoon in the sauce for both the garlic and ginger listed in the recipe above.
- You can substitute the cashews with blanched almonds, sunflower seeds, or pine nuts, or simply leave them off (the sauce will just be a little thinner).
Nutrition
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This recipe was originally published April 2022, but updated to include new helpful information.
This was delicious! So smooth with complex flavors!
Happy to hear you enjoyed this butter chicken, Anna!
This delicious dish is now a family favorite. It’s flavors are complex and simple at the same time. We often have it on Sundays now so that my daughter can take leftovers back to her college dorm for the week. We double the recipe because we like it so much!
Hi Karen – Thrilled to hear this butter chicken has become a family favorite! I’m sure this makes for a great meal prep recipe for your daughter.
Not a fan. It was very spicy for my taste and while it tasted Indian, it wasn’t quite like the flavor of butter chicken we get at the restaurant. I love Lisa’s recipes, but this one didn’t do it for me.
Delicious! Relatively easy. I used all fresh ingredients including the turmeric and ginger A lot of dishes and some ingredients that you might have on hand but worth it.
Hi Patricia, this butter chicken is definitely a labor of love! But it sounds like the results were worth it. Enjoy!
The butter chicken was so good! I’ve been trying to recreate the wonderful meal I had in a restaurant in Lake Louise, Canada six years ago. Finally nailed it!
Yay, I’m happy to hear you nailed this recipe, Elaine! And that it brought back fond memories for you. Enjoy!
Hi Lisa. I made this recipe tonight exactly as written and think that it is spectacular. One question: my husband does not like citrus. Do you have a recommended substitute for the lemon juice in the marinade? Maybe rice or white wine vinegar? If so, would you use the same amount as the lemon juice? Thank you very much for your recipes. Melissa
Hi Melissa – yes, you could try vinegar as an alternative for the lemon juice. I’m happy to hear you loved this recipe, and hopefully your hubby loves it as well with that little tweak. Enjoy!
I’ve made this recipe quite a few times now. My husband’s birthday was a few weeks ago and when I asked what he wanted for dinner he “didn’t care”, so I opted to make this butter chicken recipe as I knew he liked it. That night, he said to me “I think this is the best recipe you make”!
We typically don’t need to freeze leftovers as we want this for dinner the next night as well. I also usually get some Naan for him as well.
I’ve made slight variations, all because I forget an ingredient at the grocery store, and no matter what it comes out great.
I have always made it with American Chili Powder, as we like the extra kick. But next time I’m going to try out the recommended one!
Thrilled to hear both you and your husband love this butter chicken recipe, Meghan!
I have made this recipe a few times and love it. I wonder if this recipe can be made dairy free with coconut milk or cream?
Hi Tatiana – Yes, you can use coconut cream instead of heavy cream!
The first time I made this I felt the taste was not complex enough despite the various spices used. Made again last night sauteeing a few cloves and green cardamon pods in the pan to flavor the ghee and removed before adding a diced, deseeded green serrano chile. Then added the onions and other ingredients per recipe. Once the sauce was made I simmered on low for 20 mins to remove the raw taste before cooling and blending. I left the chicken thighs whole in the overnight marinade so I could cook on the bbq and get a nice char, then cut into smaller pieces before adding to the gravy and heating through. This gave the dish a mild “kick” of heat and lots of flavor
This is the best butter chicken. This will be on repeat. I had flat bread an jasmine rice. I used dairy free heavy cream and butter for a dairy free option.
I’m so glad you love this butter chicken recipe, Cheri!
This is such a delicious recipe and relatively easy to make. I had tried several other highly rated butter chicken recipes in the past but this one blows them all away. The depth of flavor and combination of spices is so rich amd smooth. The entire family loves this recipe so it is on repeat!
Wonderful! I’m glad the whole family enjoyed this butter chicken recipe, Tara.
I found the recipe easy and simple to follow but the sauce taste lacked spices and I found it was very acidic. It lacked the spice taste and flavour we all love butter chicken for. I would maybe try to add more garam masal next time. I did mine with chicken breast and was pretty good in replacement of chicken thighs.
Fab recipes. We had friend over for dinner, I did the Cajun shrimp with salad to start, butter chicken, and the fruit crisp for pud … all were stunning … thank you Lisa.
Sounds like a delicious dinner menu, Deb! Happy you loved it all. :)
Delicious recipe. Great for the whole family. I doubled the quantity so our daughter could take home to reheat. Love the fact the it can be made from basic pantry supplies. I substitute cashews for macadamias. So that way it was Lectin free also used coconut cream
served with an extra crunch element: roasted macadamias, lime zest & parsley leaves. Thank you so much Lisa.
You’re welcome, Susanne! I’m glad you and your daughter enjoy it!
Another hit! I made this for dinner tonight despite being short for time, so I only marinated the chicken for a few minutes before making and it still turned out AMAZING.
We had 1 lb chicken breast on hand only, so we added in a can of kidney beans and it was delicious. Next time we want to try paneer!
Will be making this time and time again. Full chili powder wasn’t too spicy either-my 18 month old daughter even loved it!
Hi Sarah – I’m so glad you butter chicken turned out great and the whole family loved it!