Easy Butter Chicken (30 minute recipe!)
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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!
Key ingredients for butter chicken
- Onions, ginger, and garlic – This dynamic trio is the base of the masala.
- 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 substitutes.
- Almond butter – This thickens the curry and adds a wonderful flavor.
- Sugar—Butter chicken needs some sweetness, and I like to use coconut sugar as it has a slightly malty flavor that goes well with reicpe. You could use brown or granulated sugar instead if you’d like.
- Spices – I like garam masala, turmeric, coriander, cumin, chili powder, and cardamom. If you’re missing one, don’t fret; the curry will still taste delicious.
You’ll also want to put on a pot of basmati rice!
What makes this recipe easy?
I’ve been making versions of this recipe for many years, so I’ve had ample opportunities to refine the method. My butter chicken recipe is straightforward to make, but still every bit as delicious as what you’ll find at your favorite restaurant. I simplify the traditional recipe in two ways:
- Cook the chicken in the sauce. Rather than marinating and then sauteeing the chicken (which is unnecessary with such a flavorful sauce), I cook it right in the sauce. This allows the chicken to poach gently, keeping it very tender.
- Simmer the sauce. Since I cook the sauce and chicken together, you get to skip the time most recipes take to simmer the sauce by itself: two birds, one stone, same result.
How to make butter chicken
Over the years, I’ve refined the method for making this recipe to make it very simple. Here’s what to do:
- Cook the onions, garlic, and ginger until deliciously caramelized. You’re going for a dark brown and ultra-flavorful here.
- Add the spices and tomatoes, and let them cook for a moment to release their flavors. Then, blend the sauce until smooth.
- Now, cook the chicken in the sauce so 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.
Store, freeze, and reheat
Store: Leftovers taste amazing, so you may want to make a double batch. Let them cool, then store them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freeze: Butter chicken freezes excellently, making it an excellent option for a freezer meal. I often make a double batch and put leftovers in the freezer. It’s better and easier than takeout. I love these big reusable Stasher Bags for freezing leftovers. It will keep for at least 3 months in the freezer.
Reheat: I like to reheat curry in a pot over medium-low heat, but you can also reheat it in the microwave.
Easy Butter Chicken (30 minute recipe!)
Ingredients
The Curry
- 2 tablespoons butter (see notes)
- 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
- ½ cup whipping cream (plain yogurt or coconut milk)
- 2 tablespoons almond butter (see notes)
- 2-4 tablespoons coconut sugar (can sub brown sugar)
- Sea salt (to taste – I like about 2 teaspoons)
- Cilantro (to serve)
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 butter in a large-sized frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and cook for about 8-10 minutes, until well-browned, reducing the heat if necessary.2 tablespoons butter, 2 yellow onions, 3 tablespoons chopped ginger, 6 cloves garlic
- While the onion cooks, place the spices in a small bowl.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.28 ounce can of crushed or diced tomatoes
- Transfer the sauce to a blender and blend on high until smooth.
- Return the sauce to the pan, 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 for 10 minutes, until it is fully cooked.1 lb chicken breasts or thighs, 1 cup water
- Stir in the cream, almond butter, and coconut sugar. Season to taste with sea salt.½ cup whipping cream, 2 tablespoons almond butter, 2-4 tablespoons coconut sugar, Sea salt
- Serve with rice (and if you have it, naan) with some cilantro on top.Cilantro
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
This is so quick and easy and was a great family meal. Thank you so much ☺️ 💗
Almond butter as in the nut butter?
That’s right!
This recipe definitely takes more than 30min, however it was worth the time and effort. So cool learning how to make the sauce in a blender! I’ve never done that before! It really is delish. I will make this again for sure.
I cooked this recipe exactly as written. The recipe took me much longer than 30 minutes to make. Transferring a large volume of hot liquid from a pot to a blender and back does not make for an easy recipe.
Also, the option to use coconut cream, full fat yogurt, or dairy cream was confusing because each of those ingredients will produce a very different end product. The yogurt has tang, the coconut milk has a distinctly coconut taste, and the dairy cream has a higher fat content. I unfortunately used yogurt, which amplified the tomatoes’ tanginess. Regardless, the fat content of the recipe is nowhere near enough to give it the creamy Makhani taste that I was hoping I could cheat my way to. Looks like you can’t. Regardless, it’s fun watching people creating new recipes.
This is seriously a crowd pleaser! It’s so easy to make and everyone loves it. Thank you for another awesome recipe!
This was delicious and so easy compared to other butter chicken recipes. I didn’t have almond butter, loved it anyway.
I have Cardamom seeds, not pods. How much do I use?
¼ teaspoon should be all you need. 🙂
This is the best recipe for butter chicken I have ever tried.
An absolutely delicious, and easy recipe thank you so much…. This is my new take on Butter Chicken with my whanau (family)…
Yummo defiently will make this again didnt have cardamom so will buy some next time but still was delicious
Oh my life!!!
Just delicious!!
Could have been from a shop ?
Maybe just a “little” less coconut sugar otherwise right on point!!!
I don’t keep almond butter around and don’t want to buy a whole jar. What would you substitute, or should i just leave it out? Add a bit of extra yogurt or cream?
You can omit it and add a little extra cream.
I used this recipe. Amazing, absolutely delicious, thank you,
Made this for dinner and its a winner! Substituted almond butter with Tahini and left out sugar and it tastes sublime!
This is simple and the spices are complex and it is delicious!
I used 2lbs of meat and made 6 portions. I also added a can of tomato paste, and instead of almond butter i used powdered peanut butter. Overall i think it turned out pretty well! I was too lazy to blend it but i wish i would’ve
Also i would definitely say only half a cup of water was needed