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Indian Butter Chicken
A popular Indian dish made with tender chicken simmered in a rich, Indian spiced tomato cream sauce
I love introducing my kids to unique flavor combinations and Indian food is no exception. Butter chicken is one of their most requested dishes! There is good reason why this is one of the most popular Indian food recipes.
We are huge Indian food fans in our house because it is always full of spice and flavor. When I was following a gluten-free diet, I lived on Indian and Asian foods because rice is such a staple. I fell in love with Indian food!
This Butter Chicken is so tender since it is marinated in whole milk yogurt and spices. This is a key step to allow the chicken to become moist and tender. The chicken breast is marinated in an array of spices which are popular in Indian cuisine — turmeric, garam masala, chili powder, cumin, ginger, and garlic. You can even add a touch of cinnamon if you want to add some extra warmth to the dish.
What is Butter Chicken?
A popular Indian dish made with chicken marinated in yogurt and spices. It is sautéed and then simmered in an Indian spiced tomato cream sauce.
The tomato cream sauce is made by sautéing butter and onions together and adding in tomato puree, Indian spices, and cream. It is velvety smooth and full of rich robust flavor.
Butter Chicken can be served over rice or with a side of Naan bread. We are obsessed with naan bread in our home and have it stockpiled in our freezer at all times. I love to heat it up in a skillet with a touch of butter and dip it into the butter chicken. Trust me…it is heavenly!
How to make Indian Butter Chicken:
- Start by marinating bite-size chicken breast pieces with whole-milk yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, garam masala, chili powder, cumin, ginger, garlic, and salt. Place all of the ingredients in a gallon-size Ziploc bag and let marinate for at least 1 hour. Overnight is ideal.
- After marinating, sauté the chicken in a skillet, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil, and set over medium-high heat, until cooked through. Set aside.
- Heat butter in the same skillet and add onion. I suggest finely dicing the onion. Saute until the onion starts to become tender. Stir in tomato puree, spices, sugar, and salt. Cook until onions are completely translucent and soft — about 10-15 minutes. Stir in heavy cream. Taste and add more salt, if needed.
- If you desire a smooth sauce, carefully add the sauce to a blender and puree until smooth. Always be careful when using a blender with hot sauces. It can explode so make sure to slightly vent the top.
- Add chicken to the sauce and heat for 5-10 minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve on top of rice or with Naan bread.
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Indian Butter Chicken
Equipment
- vitamix blender (Optional)
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade:
- 2 lbs. Chicken Breast (cut into bite-size pieces)
- 3/4 cup Whole Milk Plain Greek Yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Garam Masala
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Cumin
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Ginger (or 1 teaspoon dried ginger)
- 3 cloves Garlic (minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Butter Chicken Sauce:
- 4 Tablespoons Salted Butter
- 1/2 medium Onion (finely diced)
- 1 1/2 cups Tomato Puree
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 Tablespoon Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes (add more if you want it to be more flavorful)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons Salt
- Cilantro (chopped, for garnish)
- Rice or Naan Bread
Instructions
Butter Chicken Marinade:
- Start by marinating bite-size chicken breast pieces with whole-milk yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, garam masala, chili powder, cumin, ginger, garlic, and salt. Place all of the ingredients in a gallon-size Ziploc bag and let marinate for at least 1 hour. Overnight is ideal.
Butter Chicken Sauce:
- After marinating, sauté the chicken in a skillet, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and set over medium-high heat, until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes per side. Set aside.
- Heat butter in the same skillet and add onion. Saute until onion starts to become tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in tomato puree, spices, sugar, and salt. Cook until onions are completely translucent and soft -- about 10-15 minutes. Stir in heavy cream. Taste and add more salt, if needed.
- If you desire a smooth sauce, carefully add the sauce to a blender and puree until smooth. Always be careful when using a blender with hot sauces. It can explode so make sure to slightly vent the top.
- Add chicken to the sauce and heat for 5-10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve on top of rice or with Naan bread.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My family loves this recipe! The instructions are easy to follow and understand. We also made the Naan bread recipe and we are hooked!
Amazing recipe 🙂
AMAZING! So much flavor! Everyone in my family loved it!
This recipe is amazing!! I love it and my kids love it!! It is my 4 year old’s favorite food. She asks for me to make it all the time and when I do make it, she literally asks for the leftovers for breakfast, snacks, and lunch (until it is gone). The amount of spice and cream paired with the tangy tomato sauce is perfect.
SO flavorful! Seriously an incredible dinner recipe.
YUM YUM I Love Indian food, thank you for the recipe it looks delicious!
I love Indian food too, and this is one of my favorite recipes! I hope that you love it!
Oh my goodness this chicken is INCREDIBLE. I can’t hype it up enough! Great flavor, and it doesn’t make you feel heavy or icky after eating it like some Indian food does. We love it so much!
This was my first attempt at Indian food and I was a little worried about how it would turn out…..but this recipe was so easy to make and my family absolutely loved it….licked the pan clean! Thanks for all your recipes…..I always know they will be good.
Great Flavor, easy recipe!
Fantastic recipe!