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A serving bowl of Butter Chicken Recipe in a rich orange sauce, garnished with fresh coriander leaves, with lemon wedges and naan bread in the background.

butter chicken recipe

A creamy, family-favorite butter chicken recipe that balances authentic flavors with kid-friendly mildness. Tender yogurt-marinated chicken in a rich tomato-cream sauce, perfect with naan or rice.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Marination 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 5
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 lb Boneless chicken - Cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 cup Plain Greek yogurt - For marinade
  • 1 tablespoon Ginger garlic paste - Or fresh minced
  • 1 tablespoon Lemon juice - Fresh preferred
  • 1 teaspoon Garam masala
  • ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon Red chili powder - Adjust to taste
  • 1 teaspoon Salt - Or to taste
  • 2 tablespoon Ghee or butter - For cooking
  • 2 medium Onions - Chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Fresh ginger - Minced
  • 3 cloves Garlic - Minced
  • 1 ½ cups Tomato puree - Or blended canned tomatoes
  • 1 cup Heavy cream - Full-fat for richness
  • 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi - Dried fenugreek leaves, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon Paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Brown sugar - Balances acidity
  • 2 tablespoon Butter - Stirred in at the end
  • ¼ cup Fresh cilantro Chopped-
  • Extra cream - Optional swirl

Equipment

  • 1 Large heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch oven (For cooking sauce and chicken)
  • 1 Sharp knife (For chopping chicken, onions, herbs)
  • 1 Cutting board (For prep work)
  • 1 Mixing bowl (To marinate chicken)
  • 1 Blender (To puree sauce until smooth)
  • 1 Wooden Spoon (For stirring while cooking)

Method
 

  1. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, mix with yogurt, lemon juice, and spices, and rest 30 minutes.
  2. Heat butter, cook onions until golden, add garlic and ginger, then stir in tomato puree until oil separates.
    Onions sautéing in a pan until golden brown, with a dollop of rich red tomato paste added to the center for cooking.
  3. Add ground spices, then the marinated chicken; cook until just no longer pink. Remove chicken.
  4. Blend tomato mixture smooth, return to pan, stir in cream, and simmer with chicken until thickened.
    Chunks of chicken simmering in a pan of bright red tomato-based curry sauce on the stovetop.
  5. Adjust seasoning, stir in kasuri methi and butter, garnish with cilantro, and rest 10 minutes before serving.
    A skillet of creamy butter chicken garnished with fresh coriander, placed on a lace cloth with naan on the side.

Nutrition

Serving: 300gCalories: 420kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 322gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 620mgPotassium: 240mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1600IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 110mgIron: 2.5mg

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be considered an approximation. Actual values may vary based on specific ingredients used and portion sizes

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