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??
Just cooked this one, can’t wait to eat it waiting for hubby to get home!
I also made naan bread for the very first time using your recipe. Thanks for yet another winner!
My family loves this recipe!! I’ve made it several times, trying different modifications each time to suit us personally. This past time we added canned peas to the sauce, and did 1/2 tsp chili powder AND 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper. I think this recipe is fantastic! Thanks so much.
Variety is the spice of life, Allison! Sounds delicious! N x
Hi! I’ve made this for the first time and I find the sauce watery….. what could cause this because it certainly rushy look rich and thick like the picture…… smells amazing and am yet to eat it but concerned about the consistency.
HI Jo – if you think it’s a bit too thin then lift the chicken out with a slotted spoon and simmer the sauce longer to reduce it more! N x
Thank you so much for the amazing recipe! Even my picky little brother loves it! I make it with jasmin rice and naan bread. The curry is flavorful and delicious! If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend trying it!
You’re pretty nice to cook for your picky brother!! N x
Okay, I want to try this but I’m hesitant as I’ve been making butter chicken for many years by marinating the chicken in tandoori paste and then roasting at high heat. Then you make the sauce and put the cut up roasted chicken in that. This is so different! I am worried I’ll miss the texture of the faux tandoori chicken, and I don’t like chicken thighs when any fat is left. Can you reassure me Nagi? 🙂
Just try it Kat! It’s one of the most popular recipes (and the most popular curry!) on my website so I think it’s pretty good!! N x
Thanks Nagi! That was what I needed to give it a go! So, I made it tonight for dinner and it worked out really well. The marinade is great! I was a bit of a dufus and didn’t have my chicken properly defrosted so I think a bit of the water ended up in the marinade. The other thing I kinda buggered up was the chicken cooking, as I used my usual sauté pan instead of an actual frypan so the chicken was a bit crowded. But anyway, it worked! It’s a really nice, full bodied proper curry. It doesn’t taste like butter chicken to me but that doesn’t matter because it’s yum! I will definitely make it again, everyone enjoyed it, specially my husband upon whose portion I sprinkled three chopped birdseye chillies. Thanks for another winner recipe Nagi, you rock! 😊
Hi Nagi, is it supposed watery? This is my first time making it hopefully I’ve done it properly
It should not be watery Hailie – if the sauce is too watery, remove the chicken and cook it down for a bit until it thickens then add the chicken back into it. N x
I made this & it was delicious! I’m making it again tonight bc my 6yr old asked! My question is this, is coconut milk equal to heavy cream? & if so could it be swapped for the cream?
If you use a good quality coconut milk it will have a similar consistency but a very different taste J! N x
I make this once a week, the kids and hubby ask for it constantly! It is so, so, so delicious and not expensive to make. The only problem is that easy Indian takeaway is ruined – they won’t eat it now and ask for Nagi’s.
Hi Nagi this is absolutely a knock out. I have tried to make this recipe for the first time and my son after he had some excitedly asked me have you tried it? He said You killed it!! Thanks to You. Thank you!
Back home, (I’m Punjabi), we use yoghurt, not cream, and murgh makhani is a spicy dish, nothing like the ones I’ve had here! But try using whole chicken, cut into 8-10 pieces.
Nagi, I would love to give you some of my family’s recipes to try. Quite different to the ones on your site and I think you’d enjoy them! Can I contact you via this site?
Hi Nursey – thanks for writing in! You can contact me via the details on this page: https://salesdock.info/nagi-recipetin-eats/%3C/a%3E N x
i make this recipe all the time…for myself and for others, and it’s always a big hit. It’s such a simple recipe and comes together in no time, but the flavour is unbelievable. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Just found this recipe and ready to try.
Any suggestions on best garam masala? Notice different blends have different number of spices 6-11.
I’ve used the one from Harris Farm and Hoyts from Coles with success. You really just need to experiment and find one that you like! N x
So so good, love this recipe. just wondering if you could char the chicken like you do in the tikka masala recipe? I am going to try but just wanted to see if anyone else had tried it?
You could definitely do that Tory if you want that char flavour in the sauce! N x
Hi Nagi, do you think this could be slow-cooked? Maybe just brown the chicken first and add the cream at the end?
I do this in the slow cooker all the time. I leave the thighs whole and just throw everything in together (I also don’t bother browning). I cook on low for about 7-8 hours with round a kilo of chicken.
Thanks for that feedback Aline! I am sure other readers will find it helpful! N x
I also throw in a stock cube for extra flavour and sometimes the sauce needs a quick simmer on the stove to thicken. But so good to come home from work with dinner already done!
It is such a quick recipe in the pan after you brown it that I am not sure why you would bother transferring to a slow cooker? Also it would take more than 20 minutes in a slow cooker and I don’t know the timing. N x
I love all your recipes. A family favourite right now is your sloppy joes 😊
I was wondering if you can make this with chicken breast instead?
I don’t recommend that Hannah as it can dry out. The thigh is much better for curries! N x
Absolutely ridiculous. This is so delicious. I used Sweet Earth chik’n. Marinated about four hours. Mind blown. Nagi’s recipes are always amazing, but this is exceptional!
Better than a restaurant.
I didn’t have cream so I used sour cream and milk. It still tastes delicious and I’m sure the cream makes it.
You have easy to follow and tasty recipes. Thanks for inspiring us all to cook more, explaining the authentic versions of recipes, the substitutions and what you’ve done to adapt it.
This was so good! I’ve made a few Butter Chicken recipes but this one was the easiest and the yummiest. My family loved it. We also made Nagi’s Naan bread recipe which was the perfect accompaniment.
Woo hoo!! I am glad that you all enjoyed it Christy!! N x
Another winner with my family, they loved it and just about licked their bowls clean and were arguing about who had dibs on the leftovers before they’d even finished their meal!
The win for me is the simple preparation, making it a perfect weeknight meal. I always come straight here to see if Nagi has a recipe for what I want to cook before I look anywhere else, everything always turns out tasty and just as expected and I love the videos for a quick explanation of the method. Thanks for another great recipe, Nagi, you’re the best!
I’ve made this a few times and we love it. This time I had half a chicken and didn’t want to spend the time removing bones and skin, so I marinated it whole. When it came time to cook, I lightly scraped off some of the yogurt (into a pan to make the sauce) and grilled the half chicken. It got beautifully charred and remained tender and so flavorful. I think the char added a lot to the recipe, I’ll make it this way again. Then I just made the sauce in a saucepan on the stove. Delicious, again.
Great feedback Lora!! Thanks! N x