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This Butter Chicken Recipe is rich, creamy, and mildly spiced — made with pantry-friendly spices, a simple marinade, and ready in about 40 minutes. Better than takeout!
This Butter Chicken Recipe is everything you want from an Indian restaurant favorite: tender marinated chicken in a rich, buttery tomato sauce that’s mildly spiced and full of flavor. It uses spices you can find in any regular grocery store, so there’s no special shopping trip required, and the whole thing comes together in about 40 minutes of active time once the chicken has marinated.
We discovered Indian food years ago and it quickly became a staple in our house, and butter chicken was one of the very first dishes we fell in love with. It’s a great “gateway” curry if you’re new to Indian food, since you control the heat level yourself, and it’s a dish that even picky eaters tend to enjoy. Serve it over rice with warm naan for an easy, comforting dinner that tastes like takeout but comes together at home.
Erin’s Notes
- Restaurant-quality flavor at home — uses simple, grocery-store spices instead of a long list of hard-to-find ingredients.
- Mild and family-friendly — you control the heat, so it’s easy to make kid-friendly or spice it up.
- Great make-ahead meal — the marinade and sauce both come together ahead of time for an easy weeknight dinner.
- Ready in about 40 minutes of active cooking, once the chicken has marinated.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: Chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces work great, or use boneless, skinless chicken thighs to keep the chicken extra juicy.
- Plain Greek yogurt: Tenderizes the chicken and helps the marinade cling. Regular plain yogurt works too.
- Garam masala: The key warm-spice blend in both the marinade and the sauce, look for it in the international aisle of most grocery stores.
- Ginger and garlic: Fresh is best here for flavor, but jarred minced versions work in a pinch.
- Crushed tomatoes: Forms the base of the sauce.
- Heavy cream: Stirred in at the end for that classic rich, velvety butter chicken texture.
- Butter: Used to cook down the onions and build the base of the sauce — it’s a small amount, but it’s essential to the flavor.
Butter Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
Marinade
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon garam masala
- 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sauce
- 2 Tablespoon butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
- 14.5 ounce crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- In a bowl mix together the yogurt and the rest of the ingredients for the marinade. Add the chicken pieces and mix until they are well coated. Cover and refrigerate for 4-24 hours.1 pound chicken, 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 Tablespoon garam masala, 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, 3 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoon lemon juice, 2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Preheat oven to Broil. Place chicken pieces on a baking sheet. Cook for 3-4 minutes, flip the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Remove from oven.
- In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. add onions and cook for 5-6 minutes, until they are soft. Mix in the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute, until it is nice and fragrant.2 Tablespoon butter, 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
- Add the tomatoes, chili powder, coriander, cumin, turmeric and garam masala. Add water and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes.14.5 ounce crushed tomatoes, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 1/2 Tablespoon ground coriander, 2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon garam masala, 1/4 cup water
- Using an immersion blender, traditional blender or food process to puree the sauce until it is smooth.
- Add the chicken and the juices to the sauce. Stir in the cream and cook for about 10 minutes until the cause is bubbling and thick.1/2 cup heavy cream
- Serve over white rice. Garnish with cilantro if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How To Make Butter Chicken
- Marinate the chicken. Mix the yogurt with the marinade spices, ginger, garlic, and lemon juice in a bowl. Add the chicken and stir until every piece is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, up to 24 hours — the longer it marinates, the more flavorful the chicken will be.
- Broil the chicken. Preheat the oven to broil and arrange the marinated chicken pieces on a baking sheet. Broil for 3-4 minutes, flip, and broil for another 2-3 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and lightly charred at the edges. Set aside.
- Build the sauce base. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5-6 minutes, until soft. Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Simmer the tomatoes and spices. Add the crushed tomatoes, chili powder, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and garam masala. Pour in the water, bring to a simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Blend until smooth. Use an immersion blender (or carefully transfer to a stand blender or food processor) to puree the sauce until it’s completely smooth.
- Add the chicken and cream. Stir the broiled chicken and any accumulated juices into the sauce. Add the heavy cream and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the sauce is thick and bubbling.
- Serve. Spoon the butter chicken over white rice and garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t skip the marinating time — even the minimum 4 hours makes a noticeable difference in how tender and flavorful the chicken turns out.
- Broiling the chicken first (rather than just simmering it in the sauce) gives it a slightly charred, grilled flavor that’s closer to traditional tandoori-style butter chicken.
- Blend the sauce until it’s completely smooth for that classic silky, restaurant-style texture — a few extra seconds in the blender goes a long way.
- Taste the sauce before adding the cream and adjust the salt or cayenne to your preference — it’s much easier to season before the cream goes in.
- If the sauce seems too thick after adding the cream, thin it with a splash of water or extra cream until it reaches the consistency you like.
Recipe Variations
- Chicken thighs: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are a tested swap for the chicken breasts — they stay extra juicy and work perfectly with the same marinade and cook times.
- Spice it up: The cayenne pepper amount in this recipe is intentionally mild. Add more cayenne or a pinch of red chili flakes to the marinade or sauce for extra heat.
- Dairy swap: Swap the heavy cream for canned coconut milk for a dairy-free version with a slightly different, but still rich, flavor.
- Vegetable add-ins: Stir in a handful of spinach or peas during the last few minutes of cooking for extra vegetables.
Not really. Butter chicken is known for being rich and flavorful rather than spicy-hot — the cayenne pepper in this recipe is a small amount. If you like more heat, feel free to add extra cayenne or chili powder to taste.
You will notice there isn’t much butter in the sauce, so how did it get its name? This dish was originally created in Northern India in 1948, by Kundan Lal Gujral. There isn’t a lot of history known of the dish, some say it is because the chicken is so tender and just melts in your mouth, like butter. Some say sauce is so rich and creamy. But it does seem that over time more and more actual butter have been added to a lot of the curries to live up to the name.
Chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes work great, but boneless, skinless chicken thighs are a tested swap if you prefer dark meat — just cube them the same way and follow the rest of the recipe as written.
Yes — this is a great make-ahead dish. Make the sauce, let it cool, and store it in the fridge or freezer. The day before serving, thaw the sauce (if frozen) and marinate the chicken overnight, then cook the chicken and reheat the sauce together when you’re ready to eat.
Storage & Freezzing
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freezer: Butter chicken freezes well — both the sauce on its own and the fully cooked dish (chicken and sauce together) can be frozen for 3-4 months.
Reheat: Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.
Make ahead: You can make just the sauce ahead of time, cool and refrigerate or freeze it, then marinate and cook the chicken fresh when you’re ready to serve.
Serve Butter Chicken over Basmati Rice or Instant Pot Jasmine Rice along with homemade Naan bread for a delicious dinner everyone will enjoy.
One of my favorites!
Love all the flavors you used in this recipe. I cannot wait to make this!
Oh wow!! This is such a fantastic dish! The flavors are amaaaazing!! I am so excited to try it!
Why does this look so mouth-watering?
This was very good. I added cayenne pepper to the sauce to make it spicier as Indian food tends to be pretty spicy. Thanks for the recipe!