Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) is one of the most popular curries in the world and yet happens to be one of the easiest! No hunting down hard to find ingredients, this chef recipe that makes the most incredible curry sauce.
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Butter Chicken – a chef recipe!
As someone who loves food with big, BIG flavours, it’s no surprise that Indian is one of my favourite foods. A good curry and binge watching Netflix is pretty much my idea of a perfect Friday night. #NanaAlert! 😂
As much as I love making Indian food at home, sometimes I find the list of ingredients daunting. It’s easy enough to make once I gather all the ingredients, but that’s where I usually fall short because it requires a trip to an Indian grocery store – and my closest one is a fair drive away.
Butter Chicken is one of the few exceptions. I was elated when I discovered a Chef recipe for Butter Chicken and realised how easy it is. But more importantly, you can get all the ingredients from any supermarket. Yes!
Is Butter Chicken really Indian??
YES it is! It’s called Murgh Makhani and it hails from Northern India. It’s quite a mild curry compared to many Indian curries, and outside of India, it’s become just about everybody’s favourite curry!
How to make Butter Chicken – in 3 Simple Steps
Make Butter Chicken Marinade and marinate chicken for 3+ hours (overnight is best)
Cook chicken
Make sauce in the same skillet
The secret to the tender, flavour infused chicken is a spice infused yogurt marinade made with fresh ginger, garlic, lemon juice and spices. The spices in Butter Chicken are turmeric, garam masala, chilli powder and cumin.
Did you know….You don’t need copious amounts of butter for a great Butter Chicken!
The beautiful Butter Chicken Sauce mostly gets its richness from cream. While some restaurants take it over the top by stirring in a (very!) generous amount of butter into the sauce at the end, I find that it’s rich enough as it is. The Butter Chicken flavour and experience – but less oily than restaurant versions!
The sauce will initially be a pale orange colour but as it simmers and thickens, the colour will deepen to a rich orange colour.
What to serve with Butter Chicken
To make a proper Indian feast, sides and starters are essentials! Because every curry needs papadums for dunking and naan to scoop up the sauce with, right?
No-fry quick papadums – just microwave them! Place the papadums around the edge of the microwave turntable and cook on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute or until they are puffed up. They’ll be soft while warm but as soon as they cool down, they crisp up. They don’t expand as much as when deep fried, but neither will your thighs. 😂
Samosas! The ultimate Indian appetiser. Leftovers make great snacks or even lunch!
Proper naan – A recipe in the works for 5 years, I’m thrilled to finally share my proper naan recipe that can be easily made at home (no tandoor needed!)
Shortcut “naan” – For a simpler, no-yeast flatbread that’s just as good, my Easy No Yeast Flatbread looks and tastes very similar to real naan (except it’s much faster and easier!). Try telling me this doesn’t look like it belongs in this feast!
And it’s MADE for dunking in that creamy Butter Chicken Sauce!!
Sides for Butter Chicken
Readers have also asked for Vegetable Side options – to add some greens to a meal. Indian food doesn’t really have fresh side salads like in Western cuisine. Partly because so much Indian food is vegetarian, so you get plenty of veggies in your diet!
But here are some Vegetable Side Options you can add on the side of Butter Chicken:
Indian Tomato Salad – with a refreshing minted yogurt dressing;
Cucumber salad with lemon yogurt dressing – another great refreshing salad that goes perfectly with curries;
Just some sliced cucumber and wedges of tomato – not dressed. Nice cool, refreshing side
South Indian Thoran-style Cabbage and Carrot Salad with Coconut is fresh, crunchy and shot through with gentle spices and coconut!
For a simpler cabbage salad, try my Everyday Cabbage Salad
I hope this has inspired you to try your hand at making an Indian feast at home! You will honestly be amazed how much depth of flavour there is in the Butter Chicken despite how few ingredients are in it. – Nagi x
PS Don’t miss the new streamlined oven version: One-Pan Baked Butter Chicken. Readers are loving it!
Watch How To Make It
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
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Butter Chicken
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1/2 cup plain yoghurt , full fat
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp tumeric powder
- 2 tsp garam masala (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder or cayenne pepper powder (Note 2)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ginger, freshly grated
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1.5 lb / 750 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite size pieces
Curry
- 2 tbsp (30 g) ghee or butter, OR 1 tbsp vegetable oil (Note 3)
- 1 cup tomato passata (aka tomato puree) (Note 4)
- 1 cup heavy / thickened cream (Note 5)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
To serve – choose
- Basmati rice
- White rice
- Coriander/cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Optional blitz: for an extra smooth sauce, combine the Marinade ingredients (except the chicken) in a food processor and blend until smooth. (I do not do this)
- Marinade: Combine the Marinade ingredients with the chicken in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or up to 24 hours (minimum 3 hrs).
- Cook chicken: Heat the ghee (butter or oil) over high heat in a large fry pan. Take the chicken out of the Marinade but do not wipe or shake off the marinade from the chicken (but don’t pour the Marinade left in the bowl into the fry pan).
- Place chicken in the fry pan and cook for around 3 minutes, or until the chicken is white all over (it doesn’t really brown because of the Marinade).
- Sauce: Add the tomato passata, cream, sugar and salt. Also add any remaining marinade left in the bowl. Turn down to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Do a taste test to see if it needs more salt.
- Garnish with coriander/cilantro leaves if using. Serve with basmati rice.
- The Butter Chicken is pictured with my very easy No Yeast Flatbread and no-fry papadums (Note 5).
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published July 2015. Updated for housekeeping matters and a new video added January 2019. But most importantly, Life of Dozer section added!
For Indian Curry Lovers
- Chicken Tikka Masala – kind of like Butter Chicken on steroids!
- Palak Paneer – Indian cottage cheese and spinach curry
- Rogan Josh – fall apart lamb in a rich creamy sauce!
- Dal – the highest and best use of lentils, ever. Period.
- Biryani – the world’s best Chicken & Rice. Full stop!
- Qeema: Curried Ground Beef (Mince) – the fastest way ever to get a real Indian curry fix
- Curry lovers, head here -> Curry Collection
Life of Dozer
Flashback: Dozer’s first time in water. Look at those wild eyes!!! 😂 Fear? Excitement??
ALWAYS a five! My go to recipe when I’m craving Indian flavors at home. I just made it while visiting a friend and her family! They asked me to make sure I made enough so they could have it again after I go home!
My wife cannot have dairy products so I used coconut yoghurt (300g) to marinate the chicken, virgin olive oil to cook the marinated chicken and then used the rest of the marinade with the tomato passata, sugar and salt. My wife loved it. Dairy free version.
This is by far the best Butter Chicken recipe. I’ve been making it for the last 5 years. We simply love it and never get tired of it. Thanks Nagi!
The butter chicken recipe instructions under “Curry” has no curry in them? 🤷♀️
Margaret, this dish is considered a “curry” because it consists of a sauce with spices. I hope this helps.
This was so easy and so yummy! My sauce was watery and grainy though, not sure what I did wrong but will make it again and again until I perfect it
Just wondering if butter chicken can be cooked in advance and reheated or best made on the day?
Amazing next day and freezes like a dream too. Possibly even better after fridge/freezer. Hot tip, add some ground fenugreek to the spice mix and some fenugreek leaves to the finished sauce. I’m guessing the only reason they are not already in the recipe is because you need to get them from Indian grocery rather than supermarket.
This recipe was very easy to make and came out tasting like very good restaurant butter chicken!
I’ve made alot of your recipes and they have always been top notch. This one was no exception. Can’t wait until your cookbook comes out 🙂
Delicious, with a nice kick! I made 3 lbs of chicken thighs with same amount of curry and it was more than enough sauce. Will definitely make again! Thank you!!
Another winner Nagi! Just delicious. Definitely recommend the blitzing of the marinade… and the coriander!
Never been a huge fan of making butter chicken at home as other recipes have always been so full on but oh my gosh this butter chicken is SOOO tasty and simple!!!
Absolutely will be making
Again! Thank you
I’ve made this dish several times now and it is SOOO good. It’s the simplest and quickest butter chicken recipe I’ve tried and it’s also the tastiest! I use chicken breast instead of thighs and like to add 1/2 tsp of kasoori methi when there’s 5 minutes left to simmer. My 7 y/o son really enjoys this too and he’s normally very picky. Super yummy!
I am a full time working busy mum. I decided to be a more organised 2 weeks ago and started a ‘menu plan’. RecipeTinEats is the place to go for my meal ideas.
I tried this and it was good. I would have made the naan if I had time. I used ready made prata from the shops and bought papadum from Coles to make in the microwave. I enjoyed my ‘Indian’ night. 🙂
Hi Nagi, I make this regularly!!
My version uses omits chilli powder, and cream. I instead use tomato paste to enrich the flavour.
I marinate for a min of 3 days!! Next level tenderness.. you must try this!
I also rough cook the chicken in a cast iron pan with a touch of oil to char it…
When I combine it back and create the sauce I allow it to simmer for a min of 2 hrs..
Sometimes I throw a handful of frozen peas in also (have to think of the kiddies)
As I’m serving up, a splash of cream and cilantro, half circle stir, and serve!!
Hope you try this version and reply…
Regards Dan!!
Omg Nagi… I am new to cooking. New as in i only started a month ago. I have now made several of your recipes since moving in with the boyfriend and has asked me where I learned to cook so well. This was just absolutely delicious and divine. He devoured most of it alone. We tried the slow roasted lamb leg too and that was a hit!! Your vanilla cakes as well. I mean nothing ever disappoints. I’m newly diagnosed with cancer and I find great comfort in making these things.
we have some frozen duck breasts and lamb leg chops! Any suggestions how to wow with these 😉 I’d so appreciate it. You’re an absolute goddess
Hi I love your recipes. I’m working my way through them one by one… yum me
Question: Does ghee go bad? I’ve had a crock in my fridge for a looong time and I’m afraid to use it. Thanks for your opinion
Could I use coconut yoghurt to make this dairy free?
Love this curry, I’ve made it a few times (usually when I’m too lazy to go all the way for chicken tikka lol) I was just wondering do you have any recommendations for veggies that can be added? Either in the curry itself or some fitting side dish? I want to try and be a little better lol. Any recommendations would be very welcome 🙂
I stir in a packet of baby spinach leaves towards the end. Yum!
Frozen peas!
I’ve had success in adding a couple handfuls of spinach and even some green beans (normally one or the other ). It’s great. They don’t take away from the amazing flavor of this curry but also makes you feel like you’re getting a little bit of extra goodness in 🙂
How can this be adapted to the slow cooker ? TIA
I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW ALSO 😘
Hello. Do you think this will taste good grilled as whole chicken thighs?
This turned out just like Indian takeout! I added one onion to the sauce and I did puree it in the blender. Thank you!
Yippee!! That’s great Jess! Enjoy! N x