Easy Butter Chicken
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Since making this easy butter chicken recipe, I’ve stopped ordering takeout. My family likes this better than the murgh makhani we used to order, and dinner is on the table in only 30 minutes!
This easy butter chicken recipe has been my go-to for years. My family asks me to make it regularly, and when I serve it to friends, they always ask for the recipe.
My trick for making the smoothest, creamiest sauce is to pull out the blender. Bonus: you can roughly chop the onions and garlic rather than spending ages finely mincing them.
And if you love using your slow cooker, make sure to check out our crockpot butter chicken!
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How to make butter chicken an easy recipe?
We've been making versions of this recipe for many years so we have had plenty of opportunities to tweak the method. Our butter chicken recipe is very easy to make but still every bit as delicious as what you'll find at your favorite restaurant. We simplify the traditional recipe in 2 ways:
- Cook the chicken in the sauce. Rather than marinating the chicken (unnecessary with such a flavorful sauce) and cooking it separately, we cook it right in the sauce. This lets the chicken poach gently so that it stays very tender.
- Simmer the sauce. Since we cook the sauce and chicken together we get to skip the time most recipes take to simmer the sauce by itself. Two birds, one stone, same result.
Ingredients for the Best Butter Chicken Recipe
- Butter or cooking oil – your choice!
- Onions – Just regular yellow cooking onions do the trick.
- Ginger – Since we blend the sauce, just roughly chop the ginger.
- Garlic – Six whole cloves.
- Tomatoes – Reach for a can of tomatoes unless it’s tomato season.
- Chicken – You can use breasts or thighs.
- Cream – Whipping cream will give you the most authentic taste, but yogurt and coconut milk make good substitutions.
- Almond butter – This thickens the curry and adds a wonderful flavor.
- Coconut sugar – Butter chicken needs some sweetness, and I like to opt for this refined sugar-free option. You could use regular sugar instead if you’d like.
- Spices – I like to use garam masala, turmeric, coriander, cumin, chili powder, and cardamom. If you’re missing one, don’t fret, the curry will still taste delicious.
How to make butter chicken
Over the many years of making this recipe we've refined the method so that it is very simple to make. Here's what to do:
- Cook the onions, garlic, and ginger until deliciously caramelized.
- Add the spices and tomatoes then blend the sauce until smooth.
- Now cook the chicken in the sauce so that it's flavorful and tender.
That's it! You've just made your favorite Indian curry!
Tips for making this easy butter chicken recipe
- Brown the onions well. They add the most amazing flavor and contribute to the sweetness of the curry.
- When the onions are browning, add all the spices to a small bowl. This will make it quick and easy for you to add the spices once the onions are brown.
- If you're serving this with rice, you can start the rice first. It will finish cooking before the butter chicken is ready, but you can remove it from the heat and set it aside until everything else is done.
How to serve this easy butter chicken recipe
Like most curries, butter chicken is best served with a side of basmati rice and some naan to mop up the delicious sauce. If you’d like to add a veggie side, here are my personal favorites:
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Sauteed Asparagus
- Curried Carrots in Tandoori Sauce
- Garlic Butter Sugar Snap Peas
Does this simple butter chicken recipe freeze well?
Yes! We often make a double batch and put leftovers in the freezer. It's better and easier than takeout. We love these big reusable Stasher Bags for freezing leftovers.
Simple butter chicken recipe FAQs
Do I need to use all those spices?
Yes, and no. Each of the spices adds a layer of flavor and leaving one out will change the taste of this recipe. But sometimes we all run out of spices or don't want to buy one because we don't think we'll use it often. I get it! If you're craving butter chicken and don't have any cumin on hand, don't sweat it, the curry will still taste great.
Garam masala is the most important spice here. It is a mix of different spices and adds the most flavor to the recipe. You could substitute curry powder, but I like garam masala better.
Is butter chicken healthy?
It can be! Most restaurant butter chicken recipes use copious amounts of butter, cream, and sugar. We reduce the amount of butter, have options for the cream (whipped cream, yogurt, or coconut milk – your choice!), and use just enough sweetener.
Butter Chicken Recipe (easy)
Ingredients
The Curry
- 2 tablespoons butter or cooking oil
- 2 yellow onions (roughly chopped)
- 3 tablespoons chopped ginger
- 6 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 28 ounce can of crushed or diced tomatoes
- 1 lb chicken breasts or thighs (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup whipping cream, plain yogurt, or coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 2-4 tablespoons coconut sugar (can sub brown sugar)
- Sea salt (to taste (I like about 2 teaspoons))
The Spices
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 4 cardamom pods (seeds only – discard the pods)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large-sized frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and cook for about 8 minutes, until well-browned, reducing the heat if necessary. While the onion cooks, place the spices in a small bowl.2 tablespoons butter or cooking oil, 2 yellow onions, 3 tablespoons chopped ginger, 6 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 4 cardamom pods
- Add the spices to the pan and cook for 1 minute to remove their raw flavor. Pour the can of tomatoes into the pan and scrape the bottom to remove any bits that are stuck to the pan. Transfer to a blender and blend on high until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan.28 ounce can of crushed or diced tomatoes
- Add the chicken and water and bring the sauce to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and let the chicken cook through, about 10 minutes.1 lb chicken breasts or thighs, 1 cup water
- Stir in the cream, yogurt, or coconut milk, the almond butter, and the coconut sugar. Season to taste with sea salt.¼ cup whipping cream, plain yogurt, or coconut milk, 2 tablespoons almond butter, 2-4 tablespoons coconut sugar, Sea salt
Equipment
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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For more inspiration, check out all of our curry recipes!
Hi Kristen,
I have been a fan of your site for years and used many of your recipes. I want to try this one for a potluck, but it needs to be nut free. Can I omit the almond/cashew butter?
Hi Sandy! If the person you’re cooking for is able to have seeds, I would use tahini instead of the almond butter. But if not, just omit it. 🙂
Can I make this recipe without chilli or pepper as I have allergy for chilli & pepper
Definitely! It will still be very tasty.
This is a great recipe. I’ve made it about four or five times now. It’s always a hit with the family. But I have some concerns.
1/4 cup of coconut milk is not enough to justify opening a whole can. I used 1/2 cup then made the recipe again to use the rest.
Secondly, the chicken will not cook in 10 minutes. I ate raw chicken, which was really great. The chicken needs 30 minutes.
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. If you are using full chicken breasts (which I’m assuming you are) then yes, they will need much longer to cook. But if you cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces (as per the recipe) then they cook very quickly in the simmering sauce.
Just what I needed. Easy and tasty!