Butter Chicken

I made this recipe to celebrate some milestones that I hit on TikTok and Instagram because it’s one of my favourite meals! Butter chicken features grilled chicken marinated in yoghurt and spices, in a sweet and mild creamy tomato curry.

Info and tips for butter chicken

Butter chicken is a popular Indian dish also known as Murgh Makhani. I tried my best to make it as traditional as possible, but there are a lot of different versions and methods out there, and some ingredients I didn’t have access to. For example, ghee is usually used but butter works fine as a substitute. Ghee is basically just clarified butter, meaning there are no more milk solids and has a higher smoke point. Kasuri methi are dry fenugreek leaves, and these are also usually added in butter chicken. So if you have access to these ingredients you can 100% add them in 🙂

When marinating the chicken, obviously the longer you leave it to marinate the better, but 30 minutes is totally fine if you’re in a rush. The longest I would marinate it is overnight for the best flavour and increased tenderness.

When blending the sauce, it may be quite thick depending on how much water content your tomatoes had. You can add water to the sauce 1/4 cup at a time until you reach your desired consistency! Tomatoes can also be quite bitter, so I like to add some sugar to cancel out the bitterness. Some people like their butter chicken more or less sweet, so make sure you taste test before adding more/less sugar!

Equipment

I use this Lodge Cast Iron Pan for this recipe. I love this cast iron. It is good quality, heats well, and lasts forever.

Ingredients for butter chicken

Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 inch of ginger (about a tbsp)
• 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 a lemon juiced
• tsp garam masala
• tsp chili powder
• tsp turmeric powder
• tsp cumin
• tsp coriander seed
• a good pinch of salt

Curry

• 2 tbsp of butter of ghee
• 1 white onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• tbsp ginger (1 inch)
• tsp chili powder
• tsp garam masala
• tsp turmeric powder
• tsp cumin
• tsp coriander powder
• 2 heaping tbsp tomato paste
• 400 ml crushed tomatoes
• 1/3 cup cashews
• 1/4-1/2 cup water (for blending)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1-2 tsp sugar
• 1-2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp butter
• cilantro (for topping)
• rice (for serving)
• naan (for serving)

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken breasts into cubes and add to a bowl along with all other ingredients listed for the chicken. Mix well, cover, and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
2. After the chicken has finished marinating, add butter or ghee to a hot cast iron. Once melted add the chicken and fry on medium high heat for a few minutes on each side until the chicken is slightly charred and cooked through. Remove, cover, and set aside.
3. Dice your onion and mince your garlic and ginger. In the same pan add in the butter (or ghee) and the onion. Cook for a few minutes until slightly softened. Add the garlic and ginger along with the listed spices and cook another 2-3 minutes.
4. After the aromatics are fragrant, add the tomato paste and mix well. Cook 1-2 minutes before adding the crushed tomatoes and cashews. Bring to a gentle simmer.
5. Next blend the sauce until smooth. Add 1/4-1/2 a cup of water to the sauce until it reaches your preferred consistency. The amount of water you’ll need to add depends on how much water content your tomatoes had!
6. After blending add the sauce back to the pan along with the heavy cream. Add the sugar and salt to your liking, taste testing to determine how much you would like to add (I used about 2 tsp of each)!
7. Add the cooked chicken back in and mix in the sauce.
8. Add in more butter and stir until melted and smooth. Top with some fresh cilantro and serve with rice, naan, or both!

See below for a video tutorial!

Be sure to check out my other comforting favourites:

• Easy Coconut Chickpea Curry
• Creamy Lemon Dill Salmon
• Creamy Garlic Smothered Chicken

Print Recipe

Butter Chicken

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Comforting – Indian

By Kenna's Cooks – Serves: 4

Prep Time: 30 minutes – Cooking Time: 30 minutes – Total Time: 1 hour

Butter chicken features grilled chicken marinated in yoghurt and spices, in a sweet and mild creamy tomato curry.

Ingredients

• Chicken
• 4 chicken breasts
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 inch of ginger (about a tbsp)
• 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 a lemon juiced
• tsp garam masala
• tsp chili powder
• tsp turmeric powder
• tsp cumin
• tsp coriander seed
• a good pinch of salt
• Curry
• 2 tbsp of butter of ghee
• 1 white onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• tbsp ginger (1 inch)
• tsp chili powder
• tsp garam masala
• tsp turmeric powder
• tsp cumin
• tsp coriander powder
• 2 heaping tbsp tomato paste
• 400 ml crushed tomatoes
• 1/3 cup cashews
• 1/4-1/2 cup water (for blending)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1-2 tsp sugar
• 1-2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp butter
• cilantro (for topping)
• rice (for serving)
• naan (for serving)

Instructions

1

Cut the chicken breasts into cubes and add to a bowl along with all other ingredients listed for the chicken. Mix well, cover, and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

2

After the chicken has finished marinating, add butter or ghee to a hot cast iron. Once melted add the chicken and fry on medium high heat for a few minutes on each side until the chicken is slightly charred and cooked through. Remove, cover, and set aside.

3

Dice your onion and mince your garlic and ginger. In the same pan add in the butter (or ghee) and the onion. Cook for a few minutes until slightly softened. Add the garlic and ginger along with the listed spices and cook another 2-3 minutes.

4

After the aromatics are fragrant, add the tomato paste and mix well. Cook 1-2 minutes before adding the crushed tomatoes and cashews. Bring to a gentle simmer.

5

Next blend the sauce until smooth. Add 1/4-1/2 a cup of water to the sauce until it reaches your preferred consistency. The amount of water you'll need to add depends on how much water content your tomatoes had!

6

After blending add the sauce back to the pan along with the heavy cream. Add the sugar and salt to your liking, taste testing to determine how much you would like to add (I used about 2 tsp of each)!

7

Add the cooked chicken back in and mix in the sauce.

8

Add in more butter and stir until melted and smooth. Top with some fresh cilantro and serve with rice, naan, or both!