Get ready to tantalize your taste buds with the rich and creamy flavors of butter chicken! This classic Indian dish has gained popularity around the world for its tender chunks of chicken smothered in a mouthwatering tomato-based sauce that’s infused with aromatic spices and finished off with a generous dollop of butter.
Whether you’re a fan of Indian cuisine or just looking to try something new, butter chicken is a must-try dish that’s sure to satisfy. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the history of this beloved dish, its key ingredients, and spices, and how you can prepare it at home.
What is Butter Chicken?
Butter chicken (also known as murgh makhani) is an Indian curry dish that consists of marinated chicken cooked in a flavorful and rich tomato-based sauce. The dish typically features a mix of aromatic spices, cream or butter, herbs, and other ingredients such as onions, garlic, ginger, and green chili peppers. The butter chicken sauce is often thick, creamy, and mildly spiced which makes it a great accompaniment to other Indian dishes.
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❤️ Why you’ll love it
Butter chicken is beloved around the world for its flavorful and creamy taste.
- The dish offers a perfect balance of heat, spice, and sweetness (thanks to the addition of tomato puree and cream) that makes it irresistible.
- It’s also easy to customize the flavors to suit your personal tastes – add more or less spices, herbs, or chilies to make it spicier or milder.
- In addition to its delicious taste, butter chicken is also a great source of protein and vitamins, making it a healthy dinner option for busy weeknights.
🥘 Equipment
- Deep pan
- immersion blender or blender
🧾 Ingredients
Get the full list of ingredients, with measurements, and step-by-step instructions at the bottom of the post in the printable recipe card.
- Onion
- Fresh Ginger
- Garlic
- Boneless chicken breast
- Olive Oil or Coconut oil
- Cayenne pepper or Red chili powder
- Salt
- Lemon juice
- Kasuri methi (Dried fenugreek leaves)
- Turmeric
- Garam masala (All spices mix)
- Cinnamon stick
- Diced Tomatoes
- Unsalted Butter
- Greek yogurt
- Heavy cream
- Blanched Almonds
- Fresh coriander
🍳 How to Make
Get the full list of ingredients, with measurements, and step-by-step instructions at the bottom of the post in the printable recipe card.
Cut the chicken into cubes and season with cayenne pepper, salt, and lemon juice. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
In a deep pan, heat the oil and add in the onion, garlic, ginger, and cinnamon stick pieces. Add the diced tomatoes to the ginger garlic paste. Next, add in the almonds with more seasoning. Cook until it forms a paste.
Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes and then blend it until it is smooth using a blender or an immersion blender.
Take the chicken out of the refrigerator. Wipe the pan and add olive oil. Add butter and then slowly add the chicken. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove the chicken.
Combine all spices into a large bowl and mix thoroughly into lean ground beef
Add the tomato paste through a sifter. Then, add butter, Greek yogurt, cream, and cooked chicken. Add another pat of butter and cook for a few minutes. Garnish
After adding to the plate, add extra sauce over top. Serve with your favorite sides.
Hint: You can also add a pinch of sugar to enhance the sweetness.
🎥 Video
🥄 Variations
- For a spicier version, add more cayenne pepper and chilies to the dish.
- You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for juicier tender chicken pieces.
- For an even more flavorful version of butter chicken, try adding some black cardamom pods to the dish. This adds a smokiness to the dish
- Try stirring in some spinach for an extra boost of nutrients and a delicious flavor.
- You can also replace the cream with coconut milk to make it lighter.
- For a vegetarian option, you can make this recipe with tofu or a chicken substitute. I have never tried making this a vegan recipe.
🍽️ What to Serve With the Best Butter Chicken
- Butter chicken is traditionally served with naan bread, basmati rice, or paratha. You can also pair it with chapatis, roti, or jeera rice.
- If you are looking for a keto choice since this recipe pairs perfectly on a low carb diet, you can serve it with cauliflower rice or cauliflower mashed potatoes.
- It can be enjoyed on its own, as an appetizer, or even as a main dish.
🍶 Storing
Refrigerator Storage: Butter chicken tastes best when it is fresh. However, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Freezer Storage: The dish can also be frozen in an airtight container or a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months.
Reheat it either in the microwave or stovetop until heated through.
💭Tip for Making the Perfect Indian Butter Chicken Recipe
- If you prefer less spices, you can reduce the cayenne pepper and ground spices.
- You can add more chilies if you want it spicier.
- If you are using canned tomatoes, make sure to strain them before adding them to the dish. Butter gives the dish a creamy texture, so don’t skimp on it.
- If you want a thinner sauce, add more yogurt or cream.
- Do not forget to add the finishing touches such as roasted almonds and fresh coriander! These will give your butter chicken an extra boost of flavor. If you want an even creamier sauce, add more cream or Greek yogurt.
- For a richer taste, use full-fat yogurt.
- Finally, make sure not to overcook the chicken as it will become dry and tough.
❔FAQs
Butter chicken has a creamy and slightly sweet taste that comes from the tomatoes, cream, and spices. Like most Indian curries, the flavor is strong but not overpowering and not too spicy. This is a mild curry. Like with all Indian food, you can make it spicier depending on your spice blend.
It can be, depending on how much cayenne pepper and other spices are used. You can adjust the spiciness to suit your personal tastes by adding more or less of certain ingredients.
I don’t like to use salted butter in this recipe because of the amount of butter in it. I like to control the amount of salt in the recipe so I use unsalted butter.
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Butter Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 lb boneless Chicken breast
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil divided
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper divided
- 2 teaspoon Salt divided
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon kasuri methi Dried fenugreek leaves
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon garam masala All spices mix
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 6 tomatoes diced
- 4 tablespoon butter + 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 3.5 ounces heavy cream
- 10-12 blanched Almonds
Toppings
- 1 tablespoon butter for topping
- heavy cream for topping
- Fresh coriander
Directions
- First take a large bowl and add 1 kg of boneless chicken cut into cubes. Now add (1/2 tbsp. cayenne pepper, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tbsp. lemon juice) to the chicken. Now mix the spices with chicken well and wrap it up. Make sure to rest the chicken for at least an hour.
- Now take a deep pan. Heat the pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When oil heats up add 1 medium chopped onion with garlic and ginger along with a cinnamon stick broken into pieces. Cook for at least 3-4 minutes on medium high until onion gets softened and develops a light golden color.
- Add 6 diced tomatoes and cook them until they soften. Now add 10-12 blanched almonds, ½ tbsp. cayenne pepper, 1 tsp. All spices mix, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. turmeric and mix well until combines. After it starts turning into paste lift the pan from the stove.
- Rest the tomato mixture for 5 mins to cool it down and blend it well in a blending jar until the mixture gets smooth texture.
- Now wipe out the deep pan and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add 1 tbsp. butter to it. Bring the bowl in which you placed the chicken. Add the chicken to the pan when the oil and butter mixture gets hot. Cook chicken for 15 minutes until it starts getting dry. Take out the chicken from the pan.
- In the same pan, add the tomato mixture through a sifter to prevent tomato skin or any other large particles from mixing in the main sauce. Add 2 tbsp. butter to the mixture on medium heat. Keep mixing until butter gets melted into the mixture.
- Add 1 cup Greek yogurt and 3.5ounces thick cream. Mix it well until the yellowish tone of the mixture appears. Add cooked chicken cubes to the mixture and mix until combined.
- Add 2 tbsp more butter in the mixture. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Now sprinkle Dried fenugreek leaves on top by rubbing it in between your hands. Mix it well, then turn off the heat and lift the pan. Add topping with butter small cubes(optional), fresh coriander chopped, and cream. Serve with Naan, roti, or rice.
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