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??
Can’t wait to make this. Can you use chicken tenderloins for this recipe? Also, do you use pure or thickened cream?
Hi Annita – yes to tenderloins for sure! I use thickened cream but really, any cream will work just fine in this!
Making this for dinner tonight looks awsome , was wondering if grilling the chicken slightly before adding it to sauce would give it a slightly smokey flavour
Hi Jason, it sure would! The butter chicken I’ve had doesn’t have a chargrill flavour but I think it will go great!
High Five!! For months I have been trying to find the perfect butter chicken recipe for my partner and I. Whenever we try a different recipe either he will like it and I wont, or I’ll like it and he wont. But thanks to you, tonight we have found a recipe that we both enjoy! hallelujah! thank you
Yesssssss!!!!! 🙂 N x
Based on the reviews I’m about to try this recipe! Looks delicious! Wondering though…what is the minimum time I can marinate the chicken for? I didn’t plan ahead so will a couple hours in the fridge be ok?
Hi Anna! So sorry for the late reply, I was having technical probs with comments this weekend. Yup, a couple of hours will do the trick! This is really all about the sauce 🙂
OMG this is another fantastic recipe. I made slight changes based on what I had. 2 T tomato paste + water because I ran out of passata, and about 1/2 C sour cream instead of cream/milk. And I added 1 tsp ground coriander because I really like it. I marinated the chicken overnight and this came together very quickly. Thank you!!
WOO HOO! So glad you enjoyed it Viva, thanks so much for coming back to tell me! N x
I absolutely love this dish, I followed the recipe exactly last time and it was perfect except I like the chicken to fall apart a little more. How would you suggest doing this in the crockpot?
Xx Sylvia
http://www.fixintothrill.com
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Sylvia! To make the chicken more fall apart, I would add water to the sauce and let it simmer for longer! 🙂
Hi nagi, I was so looking forward to trying this recipe but it didn’t turn out as I anticipated! I followed the recipe to a ‘t’ and used the combination of light cream and milk like you did. My end result was so watery it was not good. I simmered the dish for 20 mins too ?
Hi Jo! The sauce consistency comes from the passata which is thick so the sauce really should be thick and not watery! Did you definitely use passata? It should not be thin like water, it should be thick like a – well, a curry sauce consistency!
Yes I definitely used passata. I wonder whether the milk substitute over a full cup of cream was why it was so thin?
Hi Jo – I missed that point, you used milk instead of cream? Yes, that makes a big difference because cream thickens as it reduces whereas milk does not 🙁 N x
Fantastic recipe, it tasted incredible. I just saved the recipe. I will definitely be cooking this again.
Thanks for trying my recipe Duks! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for taking the time to let me know! N x
I made this last weekend for my Dad’s birthday meal and it was delicious – even the chicken marinating in the fridge smelt divine! Definitely a recipe to keep going back to, thank you so much Nagi!
YAY!!! So glad you enjoyed this Libby – and thank you SO MUCH for coming back to let me know!! N x
Not sure what went wrong but mine was watery and not thick
Woah! Nancy, that’s not good, I’ve definitely never had that problem. You definitely used tomato passata??
Is there supposed to be curry in the curry sauce?
Karl – nope 🙂 The garam masala is essentially the curry powder in this! 🙂
Hi
Can i use tomato paste in place of tomato puree
Hi Fazi, I’m sorry for this you need passata / puree 🙂
Sounds and looks delicious!
Wondering if I can use ¾ cup coconut milk and ¼ cup milk instead of the 1 cup cream?
Thank you!
Hi Maggie! That will be tasty but it won’t be Butter Chicken as such! But honestly, it will still be yum!
Hehe, okay. Got it! Thanks, Nagi!
Made this dish for dinner tonight and it was pretty darn good!
Boyfriend and I both loved it!
First time making curry chicken of any kind from scratch and it was SO easy! 😀
Will be my go to recipe for butter chicken most definitely!
Thanks again, Nagi!
Fantastic to hear Maggie! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know! N x
Hi Nagi,
I’m always looking for quick meals!
I’m wondering if I can throw the chicken in the freezer after it is combined in the marinade ingredients so the butter chicken can be made at a later date?
Thank you, Nagi!
Hi Maggie! Yup, that will work just fine! The yoghurt will probably look a bit separated when you take it out of the freezer and defrosted, but that doesn’t matter, it will turn out fine once you cook it!
Awesome. Thanks, Nagi. 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight after seeing a friend post a picture of theirs, claiming it was easy and delicious. I was dubious that an Indian dish could be easy, but it really was! It tastes just as good as butter chicken I’ve eaten out and will save me a fortune on take out! Even my unadventurous, spice hating boyfriend had some and said he would eat it again if I cut down on the cayenne for him. I think the heat level is perfect as is and get to have all the leftovers! Served with basmati rice and your flatbreat, which was also fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Thank you Elizabeth! I’m so glad you enjoyed this!! N x
Amazing! I love Indian food but have always been too afraid to try it on my own. After reading your “promises” that this was easy, I decided to take a chance. Although butter chicken is something that my husband and I both love, it wasn’t a dish my young daughters had ever had the opportunity to try and I was hoping I could give them a good first impression. It was a huge hit. The girls loved it, my husband was impressed and I finally satisfied my craving for curry. Thank you for giving me the confidence to try cooking a cuisine outside of my comfort zone. This will now be a regular in our home.
Ooops – totally forgot to rate it, I wish I could give it 10 stars. 🙂
WOO HOO!!! So glad it was a hit Kathryn, thank you for letting me know! 🙂
Made this and Qeema Indian Curried Beef with basmati and papadum for dinner. Everyone loved it, most especially my son. Will make this again tomorrow. This is one of my favorite Indian dishes and I’m so happy I can make it at home 🙂 Thank you so much!!!
Oh WOW!!! What a spread! 🙂 Thank you so much for coming back to let me know you enjoyed it Johanna! 🙂
This was fabulous! Easy to make but very authentic tasting. My husband and I loved it.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Nancy! Thank you! 🙂
I am making this tomorrow. I have the chicken marinating as we speak. Am I supposed to throw the marinade out or does it go into the sauce?
Just tip the chicken in, most of the marinade will stick to the chicken 🙂 Then discard the rest
Made it tonight. It was absolutely wonderful and full of flavor. My sauce did not come out as dark as in the photo, however. It was a pale orange color instead.
YAY! So glad you loved it Shantay! The colour of mine might be affected by the lighting in the photo 🙂
I live in Southern California and my entire family loves frozen “Butter Chicken” from Trader Joe’s. But their portion is too small for teenage boys. I’m so glad to find this recipe! It’s so simple, easy yet tasty!! Thank you, Nagi-san.
I’m so glad you enjoy this Junchan!!! Better than frozen, hmm?? 😉 N x
Thank you soooo much for this recipe! My English husband was having a hankering for Indian food and there is no curry houses near us where we live in Louisiana. I’ve tried other recipes before but this was so much easier with ingredients that are readily available. Perfect!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Bri! Thank you for letting me know!!
Nagi, I normally don’t “favorite” cooking blogs, but I have done so with this one. I’ve made butter chicken in the past, but was looking for a simple recipe and came across this one. Just finished eating this with the family and they loved it! Next attempt with the the flat bread.
Nagi, check out the .99 cent chef blog. He’s a chef who makes meals out of items bought at a local .99 cents store. It’s the only other food blog I have favorited. Yours shall sit beside his in my favorites. Looking forward to more of your dishes. Take care.
Woah! What an awesome sounding blog, thanks for the tip Chuck! And I’m SO GLAD you and your family enjoyed this! 🙂 Hope you had a wonderful weekend – N x
Thank you for this recipe. I’ve never been able to make a proper Indian-style dish from scratch. I made this and it turned out PERFECTLY (if I’m allowed to say that about my own cooking, haha). Thank you for such a simple, but excellent recipe. It’s bang on. Cheers!
WOO HOO! I’m so glad you enjoyed this Erin, thank you for letting me know!
Hello, I’m making this dish tonight but need help! I made the marinade, but accidentally added 2 tablespoons of garam masala instead of 2 teaspoons (rookie mistake!). I tried to take some of it out, and then increased the amount of other spices, but do you think it will still turn out okay?
Hi Autumn! I think it will still be yum! 🙂 It will have a slightly stronger “curry” flavour than the original recipe but it will still be tasty, don’t worry! If you increased the other spices as well, another idea is to increase the tomato and cream in the recipe 🙂 That way overall the flavour should be pretty similar to the original recipe. Besides, one can NEVER have too much curry sauce!!!