Indian Butter Chicken
2021 Edit: I've struggled with how to handle the fact that this recipe is the highest earner on my site, and a recipe from a culture that isn't mine. I'm not sure what the right course of action is, and previous apologies here have resulted in incredible backlash - so much so that I've often considered taking this post down altogether. I've decided, for now, to leave it up and donate the proceeds generated from pageviews on this recipe to Snehalaya - an organization supporting Indian women, children and LGBT communities, who have been affected by HIV and AIDS, trafficking, sexual violence, and poverty. I'm open to respectful conversation about the best way forward, but will not tolerate any racist comments.
If you want a lighter version of this recipe - made in a slow cooker - check out my recipe for Healthy Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken!
You guys, I am not joking one tiny bit - not even exaggerating - when I say this recipe is a total game-changer. Literally, it has CHANGED MY LIFE! I know I sound dramatic. Get on board! Remember on Tuesday when I said I never thought making Indian food at home was possible? Well... it is. AND OMG IT'S AWESOME. I'm gushing through and through because when I made this last week, Derek and I pretty much ate the entire pan in one sitting because we were so wrapped up in the sauce! And then we were waaaay too full because this is definitely not a 2-person recipe.
According to the tiny bit of research I did, butter chicken and chicken tikka masala are NOT the same thing. And, in all honestly, this recipe may be more in line with chicken tikka masala for the simple reason that this chicken does not have bones. Butter chicken originated from using leftover dry tandoori chicken and giving it moisture with a creamy spiced tomato sauce - plus some butter, and we have butter chicken. According to Epicurious, chicken tikka masala was born when restaurants saw butter chicken's popularity, and started cooking boneless chicken specifically for the tikka masala. Have I confused you yet? One thing I have found, is that information everywhere is a bit different. Some say there are deeper differences than that (starting with, and not limited to, the inclusion of butter/ghee in butter chicken), but others call them virtually the same thing. EITHER WAY: I LOVE IT.
Let me just put out this huge disclaimer and say: I am aware that this recipe is probably not anything like your Indian grandmother's authentic butter chicken recipe. Hers probably takes way longer, has some ingredients I've never dreamed of, and tastes like absolute MAGIC. Mine, doesn't take quite as long, doesn't have any crazy ingredients, and pretty much tastes like ABSOLUTE MAGIC. We're all about accessible recipes here, right? RIGHT! Get to making this. It's honesty really easy, and you probably have most of the ingredients already.
First off: make your naan! Oooh yes make some naan (edit: this link is a non-yeasted naan recipe, I've since added a yeasted naan that's even better!). You shouldn't even consider eating this recipe without naan. It's probably a sin of the highest kind, and you definitely don't want to go down that road! Next: brown your chicken. Seeing as I have only one skillet over here, I browned my chicken before starting the recipe. I've written the recipe as if you'll do the same, but in reality you could start the sauce and brown the chicken at the same time - if you want to dirty two pans and speed up cooking time. Do whateva! Once the chicken is browned, you'll throw together the sauce, let it simmer away for a while, add the chicken and then try not to drool in the pan too much. Also, don't burn your tongue trying the sauce very three seconds (I may or may not be speaking from experience).
Pleeaaaase let me know if you try this out, especially if you've never cooked Indian food before! I want someone to commiserate with: WHY DID WE NOT TRY THIS BEFORE!?!? Enjoy!
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Indian Butter Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This easy Indian butter chicken recipe makes Indian food a synch! This creamy tomato sauce is similar to chicken tikka masala, but maybe even better!
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1" chunks
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp garam masala
- 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ cups tomato sauce**** (or one 14 oz can would work)
- 2 cups cream*
- salt & pepper
- lime & cilantro, for garnish
- naan & rice for serving
Instructions
- Using 2 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the pieces of the chicken so each side is browned. They do not need to be fully cooked all the way through. Work in batches, and set aside when you're done.
- Melt another 2 tablespoon of butter in the pan over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until beginning to soften — about three minutes. Add the garlic, garam masala, ginger, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne. Stir to combine, and cook for about 45 seconds before adding the tomato sauce.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and let cook for five minutes before adding the cream. Bring the mixture back to a simmer, add the browned chicken, and let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Keep the heat low here — not a rolling boil.
- Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoon of butter, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve garnished with lime and cilantro, alongside rice and naan.
Notes
*I used 1 cup HEAVY cream, and 1 cup water. You could use table cream, or sub 1 cup for milk (but be careful for curdling if you lessen the fat content!).
**** There have been MANY questions about tomato sauce. If you aren't in the USA, you probably call it something else (maybe passata?). This is not ketchup. I used something very very similar to this product.
Yum!
I hope we get some of this in Feb!
I've made it with 14oz diced tomatos. Cream may be put in at the END of simmering to prevent curdlng. Low fat or regular yogurt , or coconut milk can be used instead of cream if you put it in at the end. (Just simmer for about 5 minutes)
This is the first mention I've seen in all the recipes that actually mentions that milk or cream will separate if you cook it too long. Whenever making any cream or milk sauce or soup, add it at the very end.
I'm also surprised that this blogger says that cooking chicken longer will make it more tender. Over cooking chicken makes it into rubber and makes it dry, regardless of how much sauce is on it. Stew beef is something that gets more tender and not dry if you cook it longer, but certainly not chicken.
The lower and slower you cook chixken the more tender.
Agreed! Just not too long else it disintegrates!
I impressed my boyfriend, but most importantly MYSELF with this dinner last night. I do not cook ever but decided to try this one and we both loved it. Thank you for inspiring me and giving me confidence to cook! I will look to see if you have any more recipes, because this one was such a delightful experience. Thank you!
Your right about chicken getting tough and dry, but if it's cooked long and slow in a slow cooker, it will definitely be very tender.
I have been served too much chicken turned to sawdust in a slow cooker. Not tender, not good.
Longer cooking, or higher internal temperature, helps chicken thighs in particular breakdown the cartilage and connective tissue. Chicken is "done" at 165F but going to 175 or 185F on the thighs definately makes them more tender.
This actually tastes like store bought butter chicken finally! No more sauce in a jar. Made it in NZ so equivalent would be tomato paste
★★★★★
Chicken Breast will get rubbery, however chicken thights which should be used for butterchicken will get over cooked not rubbery
Is this butter chicken recipe very spicy?
★★
I always use a can of diced tomatoes. Instead of cream, I use a can of “lite” coconut milk. In place of some of the butter, I use coconut oil. I put the sauce in the vitamix to make it super smooth.
I’ve always found that boneless skinless thighs taste better and cook much better than breast meat - they rarely dry out or overcook. I use them in place of breast meat always.
I first made this and wrote a review 5 years ago! Still loving it!
No disrespect but if your chicken is coming out dry and rubbery the longer you cook it in broth then you do not know how to cook. It means you are cooking at too high a temperature. A skilled and experienced cook would know that.
Wow Janet... rude and wrong!
Janet, what a nasty, condescending comment. It literally offered no advice, nor was it made for any other purpose than to show superiority. Why not explain how you (a master chef, OBVIOUSLY) would better prepare chicken so we can all learn from your expertise? Then you could condescend, giving yourself a boost of superiority, while also allowing others to grow. I would imagine you're incredibly fun to be around. Oh... Forgot to add - no disrespect, of course! That makes saying any horrible thing okay!
I agree. Chicken, as with all meat should be treated with respect.
Amen to that
You are very wrong!
I have experienced the milk to curls e when added to food with high lemon content.
Indeed, chicken does get more tender and falls apart when cooked for lengthy periods.
I am an expert Indian chef and cook chicken all the time.
I have been cooking butter chicken for over 35 years. when cooked low and slow, especially thighs definitely become very tender. Better not to be in a hurry.. I also use Coconut oil and coconut cream as they are both shelf stable and can always be on hand. i drop a table spoon of butter in at the last minute just to kiss it with a bit of butter flavor.
Thats been my experience with this dish. Was taught how to cook it by friends from Fiji.
I'm 4 years after the fact here but would you add the same amount (2c) of yogurt? I can't "do" cream and we aren't fans of coconut so the yogurt would be a perfect swap.
I would, Alli!
I love this recipe, I make it for my husband all the time. Can it be made in the insta pot?
Yes I agree with Noella, add cream at the end. I've used this recipe 4 times but made changes to make a healthier option by using less butter by 2 tablespoons.I add 1/2 cup water to spices before combining with onions. Also I whizz up 2 large onions (instead of 1) with tomatoes (I use a can of diced tomatoes, or plum peeled) in NZ. I put in a glass bowl to do this then add bk to pan with chicken & cream. I also add a little flour in water to thicken sauce. Delicious. My family love it.
I cooked it this past summer for my college-going son and his friends. It was my first time but it turned out perfect! Just googled it again to make for my friends this time. This one is a keeper 🙂
★★★★★
I made it with coconut milk, turned out great!! (don't use almond milk though, not so good,lol)
instead of meat i had non. i did swede/rutabaga, potato & carrots cubed gave some pan color did the rest the same but i added (allergic to milk) 1 small can unsweeten coconut milk plus water to make the 2 cups plus 1-2 tbsp corn starch to thicken. but rest was the same was good. i had it with rice and onion bhaji we like it cut and served in the curry then naan and white rice on side. ty. good fast simple dish to make.
Thank you for your disclaimer. Just recently I have been more intentional about finding authentic recipes from cooks who that are within that culture. Well I have been using your butter chicken for a few years now and didn’t even think until today about where it came from. Thank you for recognizing your privilege and doing what you can to help those who are not in the same situation as you.
★★★★★
Like when did we start being so soft, who cares what culture she belongs to. She has learnt how to cook something that sure was traditionally cooked by indians but like who gaf? As an Indian student myself I have benefited from her recipe. Don't take it down and thank you.
★★★★★
I appreciate anyone who explores recipes outside of their own “cultures”. I’m Dutch, I would never tell an American their privilege was added into the equation if they tried making stropwaffles. Just doesn’t register and is extremely strange to even mention. Let the girl cook.
Can't wait to make this tonight! Indian food is our comfort food. Have you made it will milk? I am just wondering how it changes the dish. Do you mix the two or just do one or the other? I'd like to make it a little healthier, maybe.
Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks, Brittany! I haven't made it using 100% milk — but I think if you used a fatty enough milk (like whole milk) it could work. I have made it using 1/2 cream and 1/2 water — so just diluted cream. That worked great for me! Two cups of cream is a lot, I know! Let me know how it goes if you do try with all milk!
All milk will change the consistency. You can use low fat cream instead.
One more tip, when the chicken is shallow fried or browned, use the same pan to make the gravy as well. The burnt chicken crust at the base of the pan adds flavor. You can even grill the chicken with Tandoori masala and add it to gravy. Or use left over tandoori chicken to make the butter chicken, its quick and super yum... Happy cooking.
Hi can you tell me , tomato sauce in your recipe. Is it tomato passata, tined plum tomatoes (which you purée your self) or something else. Thanks. ?
Hi Michael! I'm not sure what tomato passata is... I used canned tomato sauce — not just puréed tomatoes.
Tomato passata is just tomato paste! I think some non-American English-speakers borrow the Italian word =)
Aha! Thanks for the clarification, Kaytie!
Tomato sauce is a lightly cooked tomato puree with a touch of sugar added to cut the acidity o the tomato
Passata IS tomato sauce without the flavouring and sugar - it's just tomatoes. I used that in my recipe and it was perfect.
Thanks for the tip, Tammy!
I have used yogurt or sour cream lite, yogurt is great as it has a slight tang but still makes the curry creamy.
Great idea — thanks, Simon!!
Hi Im Rosa.
I try you recipe today the first time.
I take everything directed in you recipe and followed the instructions.
Turn our very well.
Thank you
probably not the healthiest dish on earth, but this looks incredibly good. Great photos!
Haha, definitely not the healthiest dish on earth. BUT SO WORTH IT! Thanks, Howie!
Do you know how many calories a serving of this dish contains?
Hi Haley! I have not calculated it for this recipe, sorry! Feel free to do so!
Just made this for my daughter and niece. All agreed it was delicious! I’m now obsessed. Will be making it again soon!
Made this so many times. It's a keeper. Simple, fast, delicious. I've made it for a crowd and blew their minds!!!! Thank you for this recipe!
I have also recently discovered that you can make delicious Indian food at home. Its awesome! So far, I've been using lite coconut milk in place of cream. Maybe changes the flavor a bit (more Thai curry-esque maybe?), but its a bit lighter and still adds creaminess.
That's a great idea! I'll have to try that — since we ALWAYS have coconut milk on hand (and it's waaaay cheaper than cream over here!). Any Indian dishes you've made that you recommend I try? I'm not sure what to try next!! I have restaurant-style aloo gobi coming up soon (pretty similar to this butter chicken sauce, actually), but I'm honestly just not familiar enough with a big variety of Indian dishes. I NEED MORE!
I've really only made tikka masala and saag. I'm trying to perfect those. 🙂 And usually with homemade paneer - I use the recipe from Journey Kitchen, always comes out great.
Ooooh homemade paneer is on my list! I need to see if that's doable over here! Thanks for the recommendation!
Does anyone know if it is possible to make gluten free paneer (without wheat flour)) My wife cannot eat anything with wheat in it
Hi Pat — My understanding of paneer is that it does not contain flour or gluten to begin with. Are you just referring to the cheese, paneer? Good luck!
The same sauce can be used with paneer to make paneer butter masala. Also i wanna know if i can use tomato puree instead of tomato sauce.
I keep meaning to try this with paneer! You could use tomato puree, but I would cook it (apart from the chicken) a bit longer to concentrate the flavor a bit. Good luck!
Chicken jalfrezi is a great one to try...its Chicken and green/red peppers with onions and tomatoes and spices. Sooo good with naan.
Please comment on the coconut cream as opposed to the dairy cream.
Hi Mike. I've made this many times now using coconut cream instead of dairy cream. It's wonderful!!
We made it! Delicious. Thanks for the recipe. Maggie, Sam and Bear (although he didn't get to eat any).
YAAAAY! Glad you liked it! I am LOVING the pictures of Bear (and you! Damn, mama!) — keep them coming! xo
I used to eat butter chillie chicken all the time when I lived in London, this recipe, plus a dozen hot chillies comes very close!
★★★★★
We're a dairy free household, but the idea of using coconut cream is interesting! I think I will have to try this!!
Yes! I think it would still be wonderful!
Made this tonight...tastes amazing! BUT how is yours so vibrant and red?!? The cream made mine orange...not that it matters but maybe the 2 cups was too much?? I don't recall skipping out in a spice...did you tweak anything? Just curious!
I think the pictures make it look more red than it really was! I was surprised about that too. Also, the fact that I used cream combined with water may play into it here. I'm glad you liked it, though!!
The actual butter chicken is always orange, buttery and slightly sweet. if a red butter chicken is served then it surely has added color..
AHH, butter chicken is my favorite! I think of it as tikka masala + butter, so of course this is preferable. 🙂
I'm so going for it, AND trying naan for my first (how?!) time.
Awesome! I hope you love it! With tikka masala + butter, you really can't go wrong. 🙂
Thank you soo much! The chicken was great. I added a little coconut milk (100ml) and the naan...mmm, yummy!
Greetings!
Yay! I'm so glad to hear you liked it! Thanks for the comment, Monica!
Made this tonight using 1/2 coconut milk and 1/2 cream, was wonderful - especially for a cold Oregon night! I have never cooked Indian at home and this was super simple, thank you!
Thanks for the comment, Cathy! I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
made this tonight for dinner and it was a hit with the WHOLE family, including my picky 6 year old. its totally going into our dinner rotation. thank you so much!!
Yaaay! I love hearing this! So glad it was a hit for you, Ashley! Thanks for the comment! 🙂 xo
Made this meal tonight and I will say that it was some of the best butter chicken I have tasted! Mary thanks so much for the recipe and keep them coming!
Thanks for the comment, Tom! Glad to hear you liked it!
I have no words! Ok...I do because I must tell you that this has changed MY life as a cooking housewife! I waited until the kids went to bed and my husband and I made this dish along with some homemade naan and I'm not even sure how life existed before this! Thank you so much for sharing this with us...ugh...*licking my bowl...literally*
Haha! Jen! This is the kind of comment I LOVE! Thank you so much! This recipe seriously changed my life too... I had no clue I could cook something THAT DELICIOUS! Glad you two liked it! xo
Great recipe...flavorful, not too spicy. Made your naan too. I only had whole chickens in the freezer, so after it thawed, I cut it up and cooked it with everything but the cayenne (which we omitted completely) and the milk on med in the oven for 1.5 hours, added milk and let simmer til it thickened a bit. consensus was that it was AWESOME and I have kids 3-15....all scarfed it right up. Thanks for sharing!!
Hi Amy! Thanks for sharing — sounds like a delicious way to make this!! Glad everyone liked it 🙂 xo
Hey.
I have a stupid yet confusing question. By tomato sauce you mean ketchup or tomato purée ?
I really wanna try this.
Please help
Thanks.
Hi Aleena — Not a stupid question! Definitely tomato puree — NOT ketchup. Enjoy! xo
In moments of sheer desperation when I'm out of tomato sauce (suffering from withdrawal symptoms of not having had my weekly Butter Chicken fix), I have resorted to using ketchup with very good results! Whatever it takes....!! 🙂
Ha! Thanks for the tip, Stanley! When you gotta have butter chicken, you GOTTA HAVE BUTTER CHICKEN!! xo
OH. my. gosh. This was sooooo delicious. We tried another recipe for this before; it was severely lacking and we had to make several modifications to make it only okay. NOT THIS. My husband made it and called me into the kitchen for the final taste test before dinner, and it was exquisite. Our 2 year old even complimented her daddy on making it (Good, daddy) and actually ate her dinner all the while repeating that it was good. I had no part in it's creation except for pinning it, and even I was thanked for that :). He used a heavy hand on the garlic, ginger, and spices (because we always do), but other than that zero changes and it's freaking amazing. We all licked our plates it was so good. Thank you for this awesome recipe!!
Yaay! Thanks so much for the comment, Sarah! I'm glad your family loved it as much as mine! Enjoy 🙂
Made this today! Great taste and also good for a cold winter day!
Glad you like it!!
I just made this, and I think I probably ate half of it while waiting for my partner to finish work. Absolutely delicious! I used ketchup instead of puree as we didn't have any and it still tasted fantastic. This is going in the recipe book. Thanks a million!
Woohoo! Thanks for the comment, Meg! I'm so glad you liked it 🙂 xo
Hi,
I was just wondering what sort of tomato sauce you used? Ketchup like sauce or are you talking about tinned tomatoes or tomato puree? I'm from New Zealand and they are all really different here!
Thanks
Chloe
I used tomato puree — but I am now wondering what that means in New Zealand! Some other people have said they used ketchup and had success, but to me ketchup is absolutely NOT what to use... is it the same as the condiment in the USA? Like the kind you put on a hot dog or hamburger? I need to learn about international tomatoes!! Good luck!
Haha tomato purée is tomato purée in NZ too, basically a smooth tomato sauce so I guess it's the same? 🙂 Yes ketchup is the same, basically like sugary tomato sauce... I bought some tomato passata sauce, which is pretty much the same as purée just plain tomatoes puréed strained with a little salt and I'll let you know how it goes! The recipe looks fabulous though! 🙂
Wonderful. I hope you love it!
I have made this a few times now, and it's my new favorite meal! I have tried a few different variations: once with white meat chicken, once with dark meat, once with chicken and potatoes, and next I want to try adding spinach! All of my friends are jealous until I tell them how easy it is to make. And of course the naan is essential (and super simple) too!
You rock Mary! =)
Yaaay! Thanks, Haley! So glad you're enjoying it! Xo
Made this for dinner tonight, with a few small changes:
Used a cup of pureed silken tofu and a cup of non-fat milk instead of cream, and used margarine instead of butter to make it a low-cholesterol meal. Was super tasty with leftover rice and homemade naan!
Great idea, Dee! Thanks for letting is know. Glad you enjoyed it!
I made this recipe last night for dinner. I love Indian food and have always wanted to make it, but have usually been intimidated by a long and exotic ingredient list. I saw this on Pinterest and thought I could definitely do it.
We are up in Duluth MN where we are in the midst of our January -20 degree cold snap and my sister in law was driving up from the Twin Cities for a visit, so I wanted to make something delicious and warming.
I did as the recipe suggests and made the naan, which was very easy. I used more than a half a cup of milk for sure.
Then the chicken - I used 1.75 lbs of boneless skinless thighs, which I generally prefer instead of breasts. There was more than enough sauce for it an next time I would maybe add a little more chicken. Also, I did the 1 c milk & 1 c cream mix, since I am doing the calorie counting thing, I thought the substitution worked well. And my final slight modification was that I threw the sauce in the vitamix to get it nice and velvety (before adding the chicken back in of course). Next time, too, I might skip the final 2 tbsp of butter, for calorie sake.
Thanks for the super delicious recipe!!
Thanks, Moriah! Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Mary, even though I am quite versatile in the kitchen I had never tried cooking Indian food before and thought I should try it. I was looking for a recipe but most have too many ingredients, your one seemed simpler and I loved it straight away. I just cooked and it turned out amazing. Thanks for the great recipe!
Yay! Thanks, Monika — I'm so glad you liked it! xo
I made this last night and let me just say DELICIOUS! This is definitely a keeper in our house. Modifications I made was I subbed one cup of 2% milk for one of the cups of cream and I did not add in the 2 tablespoons of butter at the end. I loved the flavor of the sauce as it was. I did add a few more spices just for flavoring but all in all this was so yummy! Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks, Nicole! Glad you enjoyed it!
Oh my gosh!! Thank you so much!! After living in The UAE for a year and then coming back to the states I really missed my Indian "fast food." This Butter Chicken was amazing! It really was everything that I had hoped it would be! The recipe was well written and super easy to follow! Now I just need to work on my naan : )
Thanks, Robin! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I thought "life changing" really did sound a bit dramatic! Nonetheless, I tried this recipe because it did sound pretty damn good, and life changing is an understatement! So amazingly good! I'm vegetarian, so I substituted the chicken with paneer and it might be the best dinner I've ever made! Piece of cake to make too. Thanks so much for sharing!
Ha! Such a great comment! I'm glad you agree that it is life changing — sooo good! I've been wanting to make this with either tofu or paneer — thanks for trying it out for me! 😛 Enjoy!
Are these pictures staged? i made the recipe as written, but there's no way you can get a sauce that red after adding 2 cups of cream to 1.5 cups of tomato sauce. i get more of a light brown sauce, which is fine ... i just don't trust recipe sites that use photos that clearly didn't come from following those recipes.
They're not staged, and definitely came from the recipe! I hope you enjoyed it!
Ryan — Your comment stuck with me, so I've re-made this a few times now and have concluded it has a LOT to do with what type of tomato sauce you use! I originally used Cirio tomato sauce, which is by far the most flavorful and vibrant tomato sauce I tried — making this dish much more red than you'd think! Other brands definitely didn't turn out as red (or as delicious... I'm sticking with Cirio for now!). SO, it's all about the sauce! xo
Thanks for posting this dish! Delicious! However, I used half n half and it curdled
Oh no! I wonder if that's because of the half n half, vs. cream... I'm not an expert on the science here, but I think it you use real cream it's less likely to curdle, or perhaps try heating the dairy a bit first! Hopefully it tasted alright!! xo
This was AMAZING! Thank yo so much for sharing. Tastes just like our local restaurant, but better (and fresher!).
Yay! Thanks, Jenny! Glad you liked it!
Just made this on a cold February night. Easy AND delicious. Bursting with flavor!!
Thanks, Eileen! Glad you liked it!
I've made this a couple times now. I turned this into a low fat, low cal version of itself, surprisingly not sacrificing flavor. Still tastes much like what I get from the local Indian joint. I subbed cream with unsweetened plain almond milk, which has a very creamy texture, but only adds 60 calories and 5 grams of fat (unsaturated). I also omitted the butter completely (I guess I can't call it butter chicken!), using olive oil for the chicken browning and sautéing of the onion/spices. Coconut oil would probably work great too, but I have an unfortunate allergy. I also upped the chicken from 1 lb to a 2.5 bag of chicken breasts. Feeds my family of 6, with leftovers. And there is still plenty of sauce with all that extra chicken. Thank you for the great recipe!
Thanks for the comment, Autumn! It's nice to have some great variations listed here in the comments — your version sounds delicious! xo
I made this last night and it was a HUGE hit with my family!!!! The flavor was outstanding!!! I will be making this again very soon!! I did use the two cups of cream and really loved the thick creamy sauce that made. Next time I think I'll add more chicken, maybe mixing in some thigh meat, along with chunks of potato and carrots. I can't wait to make this again. Super easy and very full of flavor!!! Thank you, Mary!!
Thanks, Sally! I'm so glad you liked it! Xo
Will this recipe feed 4 hungry indian butter chicken lovers or should I double the recipe?? Making it tomorrow night 🙂
Hmmm.... I would at least make 1.5x to make sure you don't run out! Enjoy!!
Thank you for your recipe. It is freaking delicious! My husband can't get enough of this butter chicken 🙂 I modify the recipe for our slow cooker though. I make the sauce, and then cover raw chicken on high for ~3 hrs. I usually throw in chick peas too. We have been making this once a week! Thanks!!
You're welcome! Thanks for sharing your version — I was actually thinking of making a slow-cooker version next week, so it's good to hear how others are doing it! xo
I didn't see any salt or pepper listed on this recipe, is that not needed since there's so many spices?
Hi Corsie! There is salt and pepper listed, and I've only instructed to add both to taste. I do find it needs some salt! Enjoy!
This recipe was outstandingly delicious, and from my limited experience rather authentic as well. Much like Autumn, I'm going to cut back on the fat next time by using whole milk or even 2% instead of cream, but we will definitely be enjoying this recipe again. Thank you so much for sharing it (and for the naan recipe).
Thanks, Kristine! So glad you liked it!
I'm so addicted to this butter chicken, and I got my dad, sister, and lab mate hooked too! It was so great to see you in Bozeman. I think I will try and add a train ride from Seattle to Portland to my road trip itinerary, so hopefully I'll see you soon!
Yay! Thanks for the comment, Becky! It was great to see you and Pilar in Bozeman — and I would love to see you if you pop down from Seattle! Good luck with the writing! xo
We just made this. (found it on Pinterest.) It was amazing. We both really liked it. You got the spice picture just right! I made the naan, too - what an easy recipe to whip up! - but since we are kind of trying to cut back on gluten, it really didn't need it, and I would only make it again if I was making it for a dinner party. The butter chicken is going in the dinner rotation!! My husband was licking the bowl!
Thanks for the comment, Vicki! Glad you enjoyed it! Xo
I have made this twice now and it is soooo good! I didn't have garam masala but I did use a butter chicken curry mix. I followed the rest of the recipe step by step. Fantastic!
Thanks, Layli! Glad you liked it! xo
I am wanting to make this.
When you say 1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce, do you literally mean tomato sauce as in Ketchup?! Or do you mean canned tomatoes. I just thought it might be weird with tomato sauce, but also might taste alright.
Wanted to check before I attempted it 🙂
Hi Louise — definitely not ketchup! I mean canned, smooth, tomato SAUCE... Which may be an American thing. Like what you'd make red pasta sauce out of!
Found this browsing Pinterest. Made it today and it was soooo goood. Tasted pretty much the same as butter almond chicken at out local Indian restaurant. My tweens, very picky and prejudiced eaters, refuse to eat Indian take-out but today they even took seconds! I had to cut down the spices a bit (left chili out and used only a tiny bit of cayenne pepper) because it would have been too spicy for my 5 yrs old but it worked well anyways. And I added some almond flakes as garnish like they do at this restaurant. So thank you for this recipe! Definitely a new family favourite!
Thanks for the comment, Satu! Glad it was a hit! xo
Super easy!!! Great substitute for chicken tikka, which i have been wanting to make. Would DEFINITELY make this again. I wish we could put a rating on this so it would show up on a google search for everyone to find. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Thanks, Jack! Glad you liked it! xo
I was wondering what kind of brand cream should I get?
Hi Brenda! Any brand will do!
I'm at the store. I'm totally lost. Is it sour cream or cream cheese?
Neither — it is just CREAM. Like, whipping cream. Or half&half, if you want something a little lighter.
I made this last night for dinner(my 1st time making Indian food). My husband is not a big Indian fan, but loved it!!!
I can't wait to finish the leftovers to make it again!!!
Great recipe! Thanks for sharing!!!!!
Yay! I'm so glad you both liked it, Courtney! Thanks for the comment! xo
I was looking for the legit indian butter chicken for a looooong time and i came across your recipe and tried it last night. it was so good!!! my husband loved it!! thank you so much! it was delicious 🙂
Yay! Thanks so much for the comment — I'm glad to hear you both enjoyed it! Xo
I have made this 5 times already. Love it! Thanks for the recipe!
Yay! Thanks, Brenda! I'm so glad you like it! Xo
thanks for posting such useful recipes.
I made this tonight for my family. They loved it! I increased the amount of seasonings because my family prefers bold flavors.
Thanks, Linda! Glad you all liked it! xo
This recipe looks great and I can't wait to try it! I would love to make it this week but I was wondering if I could substitute ginger (powder) for the fresh ginger. My little one is recovering from a bad case of the flu so I really don't want to drag her to the store with me.
Hi Lex! Ground ginger would work, but I would recommend fresh if at all possible! Enjoy! xo
Thank you so much for the recipe! I've made it a couple times already, husband said he could eat this everyday 🙂
Yay! Thanks, Ina! Glad you two like it!
This was delicious! Restaurant quality butter chicken.
Thank you for sharing the recipe <3
Thanks, Genevieve! Xo
Oh my gosh! I made this tonight and not only was it heavenly but it was incredibly easy too. This is the first time I have ever attempted to make Indian food but I have eaten it out many times. This tasted pretty authentic to me. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I have already shared it with my friends.
Thanks, Doris! Glad you like it! Xo
I'm from Australia and over here tomato sauce is our term for ketchup. And for the 'tomato sauce' youre saying, we just call it tinned tomatoes or crushed tomatoes lol it can be very confusing but I had a feeling you weren't meaning ketchup. Going to make this tonight with coconut cream and potatoes and pumpkin instead of chicken to make it Vegan 😀 pretty excited!
Aha! Thanks for the clarification, Eliza! I had no idea! Using ketchup would NOT be awesome in this... I hope you enjoy it! xo
You have definitely nailed it with this recipe! This was SO SO DELICIOUS. I made this night and brought in leftovers for lunch. This recipe has finally ended my search for the perfect butter chicken recipe. Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks for the kind words, Anita! I'm glad you like it! xoxo
I made this for dinner tonight, it was excellent!
My husband loves Indian food, I tried to make tikka masala few times but it was like middle east-Indian-African dish (clearly I'm not good at cooking Indian cuisine). I found this recipe tonight and decided to give it a try. I couldn't find any cream or coconut milk, and hesitant to use milk. So I used cream cheese instead, and it was soooo yummy! My husband said 'finally our dinner is home made Indian dish'...lol Thanks! its an easy, fast, and delicious recipe!
Yay! So glad to hear it!! xo
If i wanted to slow cook this recipe, what do i do?
Hey Anderson — I have a version of this recipe (HERE!) for the slow cooker. The ingredients list is different, so play around with whatever one you'd like! Enjoy!
I just made this last night and it was sooo good! I ended up using 2 cups of 2% lactose-free milk and it was amazing. I read some reviews about curdling so I decided to add the milk just a little bit at a time and let the mixture heat up again in between additions. I'm not sure if it made a difference but I definitely had no curdling and a deliciously creamy sauce. I too left out the last 2 tbsp of butter. I also made the naan and my husband couldn't get enough! We will not be getting take out any longer! Thanks for the awesome recipe 🙂
Thanks for the comment, Maggie! I'm glad to hear that the gradual addition solved the curdling issue — I think that's the way to go! Glad you liked it! xoxo
Oh. My. Gosh. This recipe changed my life! My husband and I devoured this last night. SO dang good! We didn't have heave cream, only whole milk and coconut milk so we did half coconut milk and half whole milk. It was still super yummy, but next time we'll try the whole milk. We made some naan and coconut rice and were in Heaven! My husband hates left overs but begged to take the small amount we had left with him for lunch today. We now have a new "go to" meal. Thanks for sharing!
Haha yaaay! So glad to hear you both liked it, Whitney! This is definitely a recipe I make with the goal of having leftovers... they're so good! Thanks for much for the comment! xoxo
Omg. Just made this for my family last and it was amazing. I have been trying to branch out my family's pallette and so once a week i have taken recipes from a different culture and made nothing else all week. This week is Indian food. Im so happy i found this recipe first! It tastes just as good as the Indian restaurant in town. Although I adjusted the spices levels to increase the heat, I stayed true to the rest so I would have an idea on what makes what taste like what. Thank you!
Yay! I'm so glad to hear it, Jennifer! What a fun/tasty adventure to take your family on each week! Thanks for sharing the success with me! xoxo
I love cooking Indian food! My spin on this recipe is to marinate the chicken in 2 Tbsps Tandoori Curry paste - for about 4 hours. This is what my favourite Indian restaurant does. I did this and found this recipe to be excellent. Thanks for sharing it!
Sounds awesome! Thanks, Katharine! xoxo
I tried this out to surprise my husband who's an avid butter chicken lover. Let me just say he came back home with a bunch of chicken breast and puppy eyes look asking that i make a huge batch and freeze em so he can eat every day!! I followed the recipe and i uou were right,i totally couldn't stop licking and tasting!! I dont know if it freezes well though, what do you think?
Thanks so much for this recipe
Oh yay! I'm so glad it's a hit, Coko! I've never frozen it myself, so I'm not totally sure... But I imagine it'd work really well! Let me know if you try it! Xo
Loved the recipe! So easy! Added a touch more cayenne.... Perfect blend of spice & sweet; thank you!
Yay! Thanks for the feedback, Elizabeth! So glad you liked it 🙂 xoxo
Always a First For Everything! And coming from Hawaii this comes as a rare ordeal! But I'm always up for something New and Different and Ever So Delicious! Thankyou for your post! Fabulous Dish! I almost feel like Andrew Zimmermon but doing all the work! Haha...Mahalo Timra...(Jazz)
Just finished eating dinner with my hubby and we were both impressed with this tasty dish! I made as directed with 2 cups of cream. Next time may try to lighten it a bit, but why mess with a great thing! Thank you so much for making it possible for us to experience a great, easy and fabulous dish! Will definitely be in the #willmakeagain file!
Thanks, Tina! Glad to hear you both enjoyed it! I totally struggle with the "lighten it a bit" thing: I always feel like I SHOULD, but... Ugh. It's so tasty as is!! Enjoy! xoxo
Made this for dinner tonight. Delicious! Thanks!
Thanks, Nancy! I'm glad you enjoyed it! xo
What the hell is "tomato sauce"?? That's not really an ingredient, is it? A sauce made of tomatoes can be anything from salsa to ketchup or a gravy for a cured pork roast.
Hi Bjarne! Here in the US there is a commonly known canned "tomato sauce" that is basically pureed tomatoes that have been cooked down a bit. I realize that most international readers have issue with this — what do you call it?? Thanks! xo
Oh, my! This was fantastic!! I was scouring the Internet looking for a butter chicken recipe. Most were very complicated and required a gazillion ingredients. My family (who thinks they don't like Indian food) totally devoured it.
Now, if you can make a recipe like that for Pho...
Ha! I love it when people "think" they don't like something... and then they TOTALLY DO! Glad this was a hit! I am 100% with you on finding a pho recipe that's as easy as this. If only!! I made this one way back in the day, but it's definitely not REAL pho. I wish!! Thanks, Tara! xo
Hi! I'm making this tonight for 10 people. Do you recommend doubling the recipe? I don't mind having leftovers, just want to make sure I have enough! Looking forward to trying this!
Hi Maren! Sorry for the delayed reply — I hope you figured it out! I'd recommend at least TRIPlING this recipe for 10 people! I hope everyone loved it! xo
CAN'T WAIT to try this, this week!!!
What are your thoughts on using half/half cream?
Or should I just pick up heavy?
Thanks!! Xx
Half and half would be great!! Enjoy, Shasta! xo
I ate 2 helpings even thought was full after the first helping, So dam delishshsh!!!
Didn't have cream so I used some extra butter to brown the chicken in, then used
2% milk, water, and sour cream. Was fantastic!! Didn't use onion but might do so
next time.
Excellent! Sounds like a delicious improvisation, Janet! Thanks for sharing 🙂 xoxo
I finally had a chance to make this dish tonight. And WOW!! It's Just incredible!!!! I have just recently discovered my love for Indian food. And I have to say, I am SO glad that I can make this dish in my kitchen!! It's simple and delicious and truly satisfied my craving for take out. And my kitchen smells exquisite. Thank you thank you!! From the tip of my taste buds, thank you!!!! 🙂
Oh yaay! Thanks for the kind comment, Michelle! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! xoxo
Awesome recipe this was perfect!! I can't wait to make it again!! Thanks for the detail direction
Thanks, Rose! So glad you enjoyed it! xo
This was amazing! Will definitely become a regular for my Wife and I. Plus the yeast less naan was so easy and good!
Thanks, Jordan! So glad you both enjoyed it! xo
I'm slightly confused by what "tomato sauce" is. Do you mean canned tomatoes?
Hi Niki! I mean canned tomato sauce... if you're not in the USA, they might call it something else — but it's basically cooked, pureed tomatoes!
Can you tell me what tomato sauce you used please
Hi Andrea! I used something very similar to this. Enjoy!
I used 1/2 whipping cream and 1/2 water. The only thing I would change is cutting the chili powder by 1/2, it was just a little hot. I like my mild curries better. Thanks for the recipe. You satisfied a craving.
Thanks, Karen! xo
I see that most of the comments on this are pretty old but somehow on glorious pinterest I found this gem and I am soooo thankful I did! I did change a few things like I took out the ginger (Im just not a fan of it at all) and I did both cups of cream instead of using water and I used Tofu instead of chicken. I made it last week and it was so amazing that I ate it for lunch 3 days in a row after that because I literally couldnt get enough of it. Im making this again tonight and I am sooooo excited! Thank you sooo much for sharing this because Im sure this is a new staple!
Hey Emily!! So glad to hear you enjoyed it — your changes sound delicious!! xoxo
would non fat plain yogurt work, instead of cream? like 1 cup of it.
Hi Shar! It would certainly be different, but it would be a healthy alternative! I'd make sure to mix it in gradually right at the end (be careful of curdling). Enjoy!
I've made this several times already and it's reallly good. I used curry instead of garam masala. Great recipe!
So glad you like it, Hans! xo
This looks delicious! I'm wondering: I should it very spicy? (I love spice) If not, are there any specific spices you would recommend to heat it up a bit? Thanks!
Hi Lexie! It isn't very spicy naturally, but you could add more cayenne or another hot red spice to bring the heat level up! Enjoy! xo
i decided to try to make butter chicken for the first time and i chose this recipe . i cooked it low and slow and OMG it is awesome my daughter tried it and she said it was amazing . i love this and i just wish to say thank you for sharing this .
great meal on a cold December day.
Hi Roland! Woohoo! So glad it was a hit for you two. Thanks for the comment! xo
Excellent recipe! The whole family loved. I used a combo of 15% cream & 1% milk.
Added a bit of tandoori powder to "redden" things up a bit. I made a side vegetable dish with curry powder & some leftover coconut milk as well. Basmati, naan & a Guinness = perfect Friday night dinner
Ooh yum! That does sound like a great Friday night, Daniel! Thanks for the comment! xo
I love this recipe!!! We used chicken thighs instead and subbed in some coconut cream in place of some of the cream. It was amazing!!!
Oooh that sounds like a delicious variation, Matt! Thanks for sharing! xo
Hi!
I just made this recipe and wow!!! Its soooo good I was for sure I would mess it up but its simple and delicious . Thx!
So glad it worked for you, Precious! xo
My family LOVED IT!!! Hubby and I ate Butter Chicken in Florida last week and enjoyed it so much that he asked me to make it at home. I made brown rice and used store brought Garlic Naan. Also my sauce didn't turn out as red or thick, but it's a hit for my family of five!!!
I searched several recepies before I came across yours.... Thank you for sharing!!!
So glad you all liked it, Kdee!! Thanks for the note! xoxo
Made this and loved it! I used coconut milk instead (my husband is lactose intolerant and cream would mess his stomach up!) and it turned out delish! I was wondering, have you ever made it ahead of time and froze it? If so, how did it turn out after you thawed it and heated it up? if not, do you think it would work to freeze it?
Thanks so much for the recipe!
Hi Nicolena! So glad you found a version that works for you two!!
I definitely have made and frozen this — works totally fine. Enjoy! xoxo
I just came back from India and I loved the Butter Chicken there so I thought I would try and make it myself. It is good, and similar to some stuff I had in Delhi, but not quite at the level of the Punjab dish. I will have to keep experimenting. I think part of it was the fat content there was alway a good layer of fat and melted butter on top, it probably does need that second cup of cream and not the water. Thanks for sharing this!
P.S. I tried the naan recipe as well and that was great. The puffy naan may be more in the South, but this flat naan is what they had in the North where I was. Thanks for that recipe as well.
You're welcome, Lydia! Glad you enjoyed them. xoxo
Made it with chicken legs - easy and totally amazing!! Thanks so much for this recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it, Kelly! xoxo
Made naan bread and both butter chicken recipes- preferred the regular recipe made with light cream. Delicious! New family favourites 🙂
Thanks for the comment, Michelle! I also prefer the regular recipe — I'm glad your family enjoys it! xo
This was absolutely delicious! I didn't have any cream on hand so I used 1 cup of coconut milk and 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt and it was fantastic! Thank you very much for sharing this recipe. ?
So glad you liked it, Stacey!! xoxo
Thank you for sharing ! This was amazzzingly delicious and will be added to my 'regular dish list' 🙂
Thanks, Rebecca! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! xoxo
I followed the recipe but stopped at 1.5 cups heavy cream as it was turning very pale.
Next time I'll stop at 1 cup cream and will follow suit with a some water as well.
Not bad so far.
Hi Mary
I'm not from the USA and am wondering what is the equivalent product to the tomato sauce you use. I have read your comment about it and am still confused. We have here concentrated tomato puree (it's very thick)...would that work? Am eager to try out this recipe!
Hi Aya! I think what you're describing would be more akin to what we call tomato paste — which is not what I'm going for. The tomato sauce I'm referring to is like what you'd use to make a red pasta sauce — still runny, but smooth, and already cooked down just a little (as apposed to fresh pureed tomatoes). I wish I knew what it was called in your country! Good luck!
I used passata for the tomato sauce and it was lovely!
Thanks for the feedback, Lucy! xo
Did u use the same amount of Passata that's required in the recipe?
Wow this recipe changes my life too ? We've been searching for a perfect India dish that mimicks this one we get at a local restaurant and this is seriously divine. Thank you!!!!
Thanks, Robin! So glad you liked it! xoxo
We have literally just finished devouring this delicious dish that was oh so easy to make!! I've been thinking about making Indian food for a while now, but I could never find the right spices at the right time. Yesterday I bought everything I needed and today I made this as a special birthday lunch for my boyfriend. I know what you mean when you say this recipe changed your life!
Yay! So glad this worked well for you, Martina!! xoxo
Had a craving for Butter Chicken and saw this on Pinterest. Totally knocked it out of the park with this one! Great recipe/flavor profile and incredibly easy to pull off. This will be forever in my repertoire!
★★★★★
So glad to hear it, Chris! Thanks for the great feedback! xo
Butter chicken is one my faaavourite Indian curries and I've always been scared to make it, I'd watch youtube videos on how to make it and cry to myself because I'll never triumph making my favourite dish but just recently my friend sent me this recipe and I'm forever grateful. I was anxious to try it but I finally plucked up the courage and gave it a go. I would just like to say a maaaassiivee THANK YOU for sharing this recipe and taking away my worries. It's a quick and easy recipe and my husband loved it !! Will definitely be making it again! And I saw a comment down below about the coconut milk, will give that a go too!
★★★★★
Thanks so much for the note, Aisha! I'm glad this worked for you and wasn't too intimidating!! xoxo
Made this today, was really good. Finally did it right. Thank you . Xoxo
Woohoo! Thanks, Tom! xoxo
I do all the cooking in my house, so I'm always looking for something new to make.
I made this last night and I'm now enjoying it for lunch.
It was super easy to make and we were in flavour heaven.
Great recipe!
★★★★★
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Nicholas!! Thanks for being here! xo
This turned out so great! Thank you for the recipe!
Glad to hear it! Thanks, Mimi! xo
Hello! I had this recipe for a school project and my teacher didn't enjoy it ): But I did and I guess that's all that matters/:
★★★★★
Ha! Well, I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for trying it, Stephen! xo
Reading all the comments, this sounds like a recipe I need to try!
I'm a little confused though, in the ingredients you list 2 cups cream, but then in the note you say you only used 1 cup of cream and 1 cup of water. Which one should it be?
Thanks!
Hi Rachael — Use 2 cups of cream! I've made it with a variety of cream/water combinations, and it's definitely best with more cream! Enjoy! xo
Hi ! I was just wondering , I don't have ground cummin , if I did this recipe without that one ingredient would it come out okay ?
Hi Megan! It'll still taste good, but won't be quite the same. Definitely give it a try, but get cumin next time!! xo
Such an amazing recipe!
Do you think it would freeze well?
Hi Lisa! I haven't personally tried it, but I do think it would freeze well!! Let me know how it goes if you try! xo
I believe it is possibly tomato soup thick can of it. it seems to have that texture and not as strong as puree.
★★★★★
This recipe is amazing! So yummy. I used a can of crushed tomatoes and it turned out great but following the comments I might try a jar of plain passata next time. I was really surprised how delicious and simple this was. I put it in a pie! Yummos.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it, Annika! xo
A very good recipe.
I decided to cook Indian for the first time after finally eating Indian in a restaurant in Prague. It was the most memorable dish I have eaten in a long time. I was hoping to have the same experience while eating this.
It was definitely different and I am not quite sure why but I still enjoyed it a lot. I only used 1,3 lb of chicken breast and i think it is plenty.
I think the spices make a whole lot of difference so I´ll definitely be experimenting with the combo in the future.
Also, after scanning a lot of recipes of butter chicken on the internet, I found out that the chicken marinating process is a big part of it, but to be honest, I actually picked this recipe because it skipped this part and the marinating part felt too tedious and too messy. I´ll try doing that too next time.
But, as I wrote under your naan bread recipe, I´ll definitely be trying out more of your recipes!
★★★★
Thanks, Majka!!
Hi Mary! Thank you for this fantastic recipe. I made it tonight and the husband loved it 🙂 I wanted to know though if you used salted butter? The sauce turned out nice but not quite as buttery as I wanted, so I'm wondering if it's the unsalted butter I used.
Hi Kubi — I don't think salted/unsalted would make a huge difference on the 'buttery' factor... but who knows!? I almost always use unsalted, too, so I can control how much salt goes in. You might try it again and just use more butter! xoxo
Great recipe! Followed the spice mix and ratios, but substituted potatoes, carrots and turnip to make it vegetarian. I used half coconut cream and half coconut milk instead of the cream asked. Super tasty and will be making again!
★★★★★
Thanks, Stephane!! So glad to hear it worked for you! xoxo
I made this last night and my husband and I both loved it! We live in the Middle East and have access to an abundance of delicious Indian food - and we both thought this was just as good as eating out! I added 1 tsp of curry powder and 1/2 tsp turmeric. I served it over basmati rice with homemade naan. This will go on the regular rotation for sure. Thanks for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Omg! What a wonderful compliment — thank you, Natalie!! Glad to hear it was a hit! xoxo
Used haloumi instead of chicken for my vegetarian sister - still delicious and my dad raved about it!
★★★★★
OMG. Brilliant!! Why have I never tried that!??! I love halloumi, so will definitely be trying this. Thanks, Sarah! xo
*AMAZING* I altered it do to what I had on hand and added peas oh yummmmm!
ooohh peas sound like a WONDERFUL addition!! thanks, Sondra! xoxo
I made this with 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup coconut cream and it turned out delicious! New favorite. Any chance anyone knows the macros on this?
Hi Jessica! YAY! So glad you liked it — your coconut/cream combo sounds delicious. I don't have the macros on this — sorry!! xoxo
Loved it. It came out exactly as it should've! Successful first timer! Thanks for the recipe
★★★★★
Glad to hear it, Tara! xo
So, I am an Indian... But a bit of a health freak, so you know I don't eat such dishes often. But it's my gf's bday and she loves good food. Thinking of surprising her by cooking this. Just one question, should I marinate the chicken the night before or something?
Hi Dev – I do not marinate mine, but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt! I would discard whatever marinade you use before cooking. Enjoy! xo
Not proper
Hi Hameem! Thanks for the unhelpful, trolling comment! If you take time to actually read this post, you'll notice I make it 100% clear that this isn't an authentic recipe, and I make no claims to having any authority on cooking Indian food.
I encourage you to think about being useful and kind next time you write anything on the internet.
Thanks!
Thank you Google ... You came up and I started reading from the top. I, well, I closed your blog because it was dripping with Trump (...so you must be lying...) Sorry, Really sorry! After closing your site and reading other recipes I thought to myself you must have written this a long time ago and did not know what will follow so I opened it up again and tried it.
Now I am even more upset, hahaha because how do you stop tasting???? It is so delicious I had to drag myself away from the kitchen to come and tell you! I LOVE IT!
I am in South Africa (with a president... which is why I follow yours to make me feel better..) so I used our Wimpy tomato sauce 1 cup plus 1/4 cup and I used 1 cup cream and 1 cup coconut cream and omg it is delicious! Thank you and thank you fate that I decided to read the recipe hahaha.
Hi Linky,
I'm confused: what about Trump? I'm 100% sure I've never said anything supportive of him, and have only mentioned him in one post ever, so I'm curious what you read.
I'm glad you liked this recipe!
Mary
What do you mean by tomato sauce ?
Tomato paste, tinned tomatos or like ketchup?
Hi Brittany! It depends on where you're from — everyone has a different word for this. I'm working on reading through all of the comments here to add notes to the recipe, but until that's done you might read through other commenters here (as they've figured it out!) to find someone from your same country! Good luck!
Thanks for sharing this recipe Mary! It's so delicious!! I kicked it up a notch on the spice level by adding more chilli powder and it was great! Never would I have thought i would able to make butter chicken from scratch! Saying goodbye to those jarred products in the grocery shelf now! Thanks again! =)
★★★★★
YAY Carol! So glad you liked it!! xoxoxo
Good footnote about the tomato sauce.
Here in New Zealand we call it Tomato Paste. (concentrated pureed tomatoes).
Tomato sauce is same as ketchup.
Good to know! Thanks, Dave! xo
Had a huge pack of boneless chicken breasts so we marinated and grilled them for multiple meals...made butter chicken with 3 of them and it was really good liked the Smokey taste it added to your yummy sauce recipe!! Great way to use leftover chicken!
Thanks, Suzanne! Sounds like a great way to use extra chicken! xoxo
Wonderfully easy to prepare,and so delicious! A must try for anyone with a taste for flavor.
Thanks, Linda! Glad you enjoyed it! xo
This was hands down the best Indian dish I have tried . Very easy and quick to make I ate it every day for lunch and dinner. My bf is from pakistan and he's very picky to who makes this kind of food but he loved it . The only thing I would change is just smooth out the sauce by blending it but honestly it was still awesome!
★★★★★
Thanks for the kind words, Chantal! I'm glad you two liked it! xoxo
Hey, It sounds great. I had owned a thai/oriential/Asian restaurant in Mount Shasta years ago,and perhaps if we become buddies, I will share it Thai Basil Garlc Chicken. Its browned toooo. It is magic too, and YES the Butter chicken recipe is truly divine. I just wanted to note that Ghee to the American palate is like clarified butter, but in essence it is not. The deep reverence for the Divine Mother, ( in us all) in the cow of the Indian peoples has a definite and subtle effect on its taste aside from the lack of milk solids, it can be reused too. But I am sure by the love and way you cook, iti s sacred so your food will have that extra bliss, the way food is intended to be. I choose to make my own Ghee from unsalted butter, and european if I can afford it. I will visit you often now and when I make the chicken, ( already have a couple of quiches to polish off. I will make the Butter Chicken. Namaste: Brian
Thanks for sharing, Brian! Glad to have you here. xo
Omg! Most amazing & quickest recipe for butter chicken! I tried making it for the first time today, and I'm so in love! The Garam Masala was had to find so I Googled the combination and it was perfect! My husband is SUPER picky when it comes to food & has never tried an Indian dish before. He loved it! Only thing I would say is if you use 1 & 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream & 1/4 cup of water, the consistency would be a little thicker. But so great!
Thank you!
★★★★★
Yay! So glad you both liked it, Katie!! xoxo
It looks lovely. Must try it. I like the colour of it.
Thanks, Deborah! I hope you enjoy it! xo
In Canada we have tomato sauce, but for others use 1 can of tomato paste mixed with equal parts water. I perfer the later my self. Great recipe by the way!
Thanks for the tip!! xo
Delicious! My first time cooking butter chicken curry or any indian food and my family loved it! Thank you for this recipe.
★★★★★
You're welcome, Jo-Anne! I'm glad you all loved it! xo
Tomato soup in a can. Not tomato sauce.
Hmm. I definitely do not mean tomato soup — I mean tomato sauce.
This was delicious!! I made it last night and even my very picky and stubborn 11 year old was dipping her naan bread in the sauce. (We had to pretend we didn't notice.). My husband has travelled through India and makes Indian food on his own, and he even said this was the best butter chicken he's tasted. It was my first attempt at butter chicken, and i won't be looking elsewhere for a recipe. Thank you!!
YAY! Glad it was a hit for all of oyu, Danielle! Sounds like your 11 year old might be a budding Indian food fan! 🙂 xo
This was my first time cooking a true Indian dish. My husband is from a place that has a strong Indian influence on the cuisine; so it had to be good. I followed your recipe nearly to the T and it came out GEAT. This was so easy and delicious. I also made your easy no yeast naan bread; which was delicious and easy too. Thank you so much for this. I feel like I can attempt more Indian dishes now with confidence.
★★★★★
So glad to hear it, Amanda!! Glad to have you here! 🙂 xo
I made this last night and it was amazing! I've been wanting to try my hand at Indian food for a while now, but never got around to it. This recipe is definitely going into the vault!
Instead of 2 cups cream, I used 1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup lite coconut milk. I also added 2 tsp of sugar for just a tinge of sweetness.
I sprinkled some cilantro over it and served it with (homemade)naan and Basmati rice and couldn't have been happier.
This recipe is a winner!
Thank you!
★★★★★
YUM! Glad to hear it worked well for you, Jim! Thanks for sharing how you did it! xoxo
My sauce came out too liquid. How do I make it thicker?
Hi Jenna! If you want a thicker sauce, you could let it cook longer (uncovered, to let some moisture evaporate), or introduce a roux. I haven't personally tried it with a roux, but I don't see why it wouldn't work! Good luck!
I love this recipe, unfortunately it makes way too much for just me and my hubby, and after eating it for a week I get tired of it and don't cook it again for months! Plus naan it's only good fresh (I'm kind of picky lol) I also am about to have a baby so being able to cook will be on the back burner for a while. My question is if anyone has tried to freeze the excess and then reheat in the oven, does it stay smooth with some stirring, or would the cream and tomato parts separate and leave the sauce broken up and watery?
★★★★★
Hi Erin! I've had success freezing this recipe before! I let it cool completely, then freeze in 2x-serving-size portions. I haven't had trouble with separating. Good luck! xo
I made it! Absolutely delicious. I did mix my chicken with plain yoghurt and tumeric before browning in batches. Being the first time I made anything Indian, we loved it! Even the picky kid!
I made (tried) the non yeast naan, but that was disastrous with a very hard dough that I won't make again. I'm just glad the out of the 2 new dishes the butter chicken was the winner!!!
I'm so glad you liked the chicken, Kat! It might be time for me to do more testing on the yeastless naan — I developed that recipe when I was living in Asia and didn't have measuring cups, so it could be WAY off. Have you tried the regular naan recipe? It's more involved, but totally worth it!!
Awesome recipe I've made it a few times now. This most recent time I used coconut milk and whole milk bc I was out of heavy cream which turned out just as well. My 18 month old loves this dish 🙂
Yum!! Thanks for sharing, Stephanie! xo
Best Indian recipe I've tried also. Thank you for sharing it
Thanks, Scott!! Glad you enjoyed it! xo
That was goooooood. I used ghee instead of butter and threw in some lightly steamed vegetables. I highly recommend this recipe. Tone down the cayenne if you want less spicy.
★★★★★
Sooo yummy !! Used to it being sweeter for some reason though? Maybe just a variation.
Hey Kim! I've never considered the sweetness of this, but now that you mention it: I think you're right. I generally go for less-sweet versions, so I'm not surprised that others may be sweeter! If that's more your speed, I think you could easily add some sugar to the sauce!! xo
This sounds v.g. But alas, I am very highly lactose intolerant ???
Not to worry, Edna! Try using coconut cream!!
No where it mentions about when to mix the cream.
Hi Shyam! First sentence of step 3 tells you to add the cream 😉 enjoy!
Cool - thanks. I am new to this recipe. Thanks.
★★★★★
I just made this tonight. I was a little short on cream so had to substitute a half cup of yogurt, and in addition didn't have any garam masala so had to use Patak's curry paste for that, but it still came out great. Thanks for the recipe!
Glad it all worked out, Nathan! xo
Two questions! First, could you clarify the heavy cream amount? Do I add 2 cups of heavy cream or 1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup water or milk? I was confused by this. Second, is there any way to substitute powdered ginger for fresh? If so, what would the measurement for that be? Or could I omit the ingredient entirely?
Hi Aubrey! Sorry for the heavy cream confusion: it's really up to you. If you're okay with using two cups of heavy cream — do it! It's delicious. If you're not into that much fat/calories, you could do 1/2 cream 1/2 water, or a lower fat-content option.
As for the ginger, you could replaced fresh with powdered if you want — I haven't personally tried it, but I'd start with about 3/4 tsp and see how that tastes. Good luck!!
Omg, this turned out amazing! I expected to have to do some adjusting like I do most recipes, but not this time. I ate so much I hurt myself and didn't want to stop, and today it's all I've eaten (breakfast and lunch). If you don't want to make naan bread and can't buy any, homemade tortillas will work really well too. I bought them from the local Rosa's Cafe. The only thing I was worried about was my sauce turned out pale, but it tasted amazing, so I stopped worrying pretty fast.
Ha! Glad to hear you're as addicted as I am, Miranda!! Good tip on the tortillas — I usually have those around here! xo
I have sour cream in the house and I was wondering if I could use it instead it's not low fat. Also I have kerrygold butter and was wondering if that was okay to use?
I also have request 4 curry dishes that may be this simple. Any links that you can send me will be great.
Hi John! The kerrygold butter will work for the butter, and I suppose you could replace the cream with sour cream and water mixed together, but I'm not sure that sour cream is the best option. I haven't tried it! As for simple curry dishes, I'd check out pinterest or google for some ideas! Good luck!
I just made this right now. It is so good. Took me right back to India! Love it.
★★★★★
Yay!! So glad to hear it, Kat! xoxo
i made this was quick & easy used yoghurt for healthy alternative.
Thanks, Pam! Glad you liked it! xo
Hi! Just came across this recipe and it looks delicious. I am not great at cooking for big groups but would like to try this weekend. Do you know how I would make this recipe for 15 adults for a party? Thank you!
Hi! Just came across this recipe and it looks delicious. I am not great at cooking for big groups but would like to try this weekend. Do you know how I would make this recipe for 15 adults for a party? Thank you!
Hi Kate! 15 people!! Definitely multiple pans — I cannot imagine a pan large enough to make this for 15! I think if you could double the recipe, twice (so, two pans with 2x recipe in each) you might have enough. You could also try making some in a slow cooker (see this recipe).
Honestly, you might just want to make a huuuuge thing of sauce (in a stock pot), and then a ton of chicken separately. You could even bake it, or cook it another way if that's easier. Then, combine them at the end. It'd be a tad different, but might be the easiest approach for that many people.
Good luck! Let me know what you end up doing!
I would marinate and cook the chicken separately, and make the sauce separately. For the chicken:
The chicken can be marinated with some yoghurt, tandoori spice (you can buy this ready in an indian grocery, about 2 tbsp of spice mix / chicken), some crushed ginger, garlic, lemon and oil.
The chicken can be bbq'd. Its my favorite way to do it as the char adds a lot of flavor to the sauce.
Follow the recipe on this page for the sauce.Then split into 2 different pans and distribute the cooked chicken evenly into both to simmer the chicken and let the sauce get the taste of the marinated chicken.
i'm making this for 12 tomorrow and have made the recipe before. Its very good, but i made the changes to cooking the chicken as above. Also, you can add some dried crushed methi leaves into the sauce (also available in the indian grocer). About 1 tbsp dried leaves / chicken and crush in your hand before you put in the sauce. It adds these nice little speckles in the curry.
Great advice, Natasha! Grilling the chicken is awesome for ANY size batch of this recipe — I love that char also!! Glad to have you here 🙂
Made this tonight and everyone was amazed. I cannot have cream so I substituted a can of coconut milk and after cooking turned off the heat and added 1/2c greek yogurt. It did need a good blend before I added the chicken back in, but after that it was amazing! Ill be making this one again....and again..!! thanks!!
Awesome — so glad you all liked it, Kristin!! Thanks for the notes on what you used for cream!! xo
I'm making this recipe for the 4th time? 5th time? I've lost count! The whole family loves it, but tonight it's just my husband and me, so I'm turning up the heat by adding a jalapeño. Super excited. Thanks for the recipe!
Oooh what a fun addition!! Thanks for the kind words, Tami — I'm so glad you both like it! xoxo
This is the best recipe! Easy to follow. Fast. It might be the only one I tried but I will defiantly only make this one from now on. Why mess with perfection?!
Yummy!!!
★★★★★
Yay! Glad it worked for you, Natalie!! xoxo
It was a good recipe. First time making it so I wasn't sure how much tomato paste to use as I didn't have that much sauce. The tomato paste really overpowered it but I diluted it with thick almost like cheese consistency yoghurt and a ton of full cream milk. I also added a dash of curry powder.
My husband who usually hates curries said it was quite good and ate it. It definitely has that butter chicken flavour but I stuffed it with the tomato paste haha. I also added some sugar. Just a table spoon to take some of the bite out of the tomato. I'm used to quite sweet butter chickens.
Trust me was a good recipe even after I stuffed it. I had three servings!
I made this a couple of months ago and it was heavenly! Making it again this week. Thank you so much! ♡
★★★★★
Yay! Glad to hear it, Sarah! xoxo
Wow! I just made this and it tastes amazing...even my 2 & 4 year olds finished their bowls. Thanks so much. I'm from SA wasn't sure about the sauce so used paste but was a bit strong so next time I'll try tomato puree. But still tasted amazing. Thanks so much!
Woohoo! Thanks for the notes, Evone!! xo
Quite possibly the best butter chicken recipe outside of an authentic Indian restaurant and to think I made it myself. The whole family enjoyed it.
I was wondering if I could make a large quantity of the sauce and preserve it like I do my tomato sauce in the Fall? Do you have any idea if this would work?
Hi Donald! So glad you all liked it!! As for preserving: I think because of the dairy content, you can't can it and preserve at room temperature — that's my understanding of canning dairy things, at least — but you could freeze it! Good luck!
Hi, This looks amazing, but your link didnt work for the tomato sauce.
Is it like a pasta sauce?
Thanks
Sophie
Hi Sophie — It depends on where you live! You might look through the comments for more people from your area — people have answered with what "tomato sauce" is called where they live. One of these days I'm going to get around to consolidating a list and putting it in the recipe... I just haven't gotten there yet! Thanks! xo
Absolutely love the recipe, easy and simple to follow for a novice like me and smells divine! Just wondering how many days do you think this will last in the fridge? Just worried about the cream...
Hi Jess! This is not my area of expertise... but I'd be comfortable eating this for 3-ish days. If you have too much, I'd freeze some of it!! Enjoy! xo
So quick & delicious! Full of flavour, especially considering there was no marinating! Loved it 🙂
Thanks, Julie! Glad you enjoyed it!
I made this (I had to improvise on a few ingredients) my Husband ( a real chef) said it was the best thing I've EVER cooked!
It came out more tandoori style because I made it in the Big Boss Oil-less Air Fryer. It cooks quickly and doesn't heat up the house. I'm planning to make it again in the slow cooker next time. I substituted milk and sour cream for the cream and smoked paprika for the chili powder. So yummy!
★★★★★
Yay! Such great tips — thanks, DeeAnn!! xo
This was so delicious!!!! And super easy I forgot to get lime but still Great!
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed it, Renita! xoxo
Made this for dinner tonight and it's yummy ?
This is the first time making an Indian curry from scratch. Love it!
I used 1 cup of cream and 1 cup of plain yogurt .
Will definitely make it again. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Thanks for sharing, Pat! I'm glad you liked it! xo
It was okay not all that great. I tweaked it a bit, I added some cordimom pods. That really brought some flavor to the dish, since it was so plain. My family really loved it also I added more garam masala.
So I'm from Australia and I read your recipe and tried it and LOVED IT best butter chicken I have ever had or made... after making it I had a re read and relalized your reference to tomato sauce or ketchup in US terms I ended up using tomato sauce instead of tomato PASTE is what I think in Australian terms you were meaning not entirely sure but either way it still turned out absolutely delishious
Hi Sarah — I'm glad it worked out, despite a possible tomato confusion! I'm still confused on the tomato thing, tbh! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Sarah, Passata is uncooked tomato puree. Tomato paste is the thickest, and used to thicken sauces or flavor dishes. Canned tomatoes are used for texture while puree and paste are consistently smooth.
Tried it and it was great for a 40 min prep time. I too agree that I will blend it next time to get a smoother thicker sauce. I also added a pinch of paprika and will use a tad less cream next time. All in all it was a great dish and will be a regular staple in my lineup
Glad to hear it, Jason!! xo
Outside the USA, we use Tomato Passata which is the base for all Italian tomato sauces. It is uncooked tomato puree without seeds or skins which is seasoned liberally with salt, bottled and preserved to be used in sauce dishes throughout the year. Essentially, it is tomato sauce in its rawest form, unlike some pasta sauces that rely heavily on herbs or creamy sauces. One could use a can of crushed tomatoes instead, but with the work having already been taken out of the pureeing process for Passata, it's less fussier to use. Some Passata sauces are chunkier than others, while others are also infused with herbs. Basically it is pureed tomatoes in their purest form. Hope this helps.
YES! That sounds like EXACTLY what I mean when I say "tomato sauce" — not a pasta sauce, but a smooth/seedless tomato sauce. Thanks so much for helping out! xo
I just wanted to add that for a healthier option, I swap out the heavy cream for a can of organic light coconut cream. I also substitute butter for ghee (a clarified butter) to brown off my chicken and spices. Ghee is traditionally used in Indian cooking because it has a high smoke point and provides a crisp saute. However it also has more fat and cholesterol than alternatives such as vegetable oil. I do finish this dish with butter, as suggested.
One of the best recipes ever! I love butter chicken and never realized it was this easy to make!
★★★★★
So glad to hear it, Deborah!! xoxo
Can we use tomato paste instead of tomato sauce?
Hi Olivia — Not if you're referring to the American versions of paste vs. sauce! They are very different things! If you're elsewhere in the world, you might be looking for Passata.
Just put 3tbsp of garam masala instead of 3tsp (why not just write 1tbsp in the recipe?!?) ugh. Hope I didn't ruin it!
Good point, Morgan! I'm surprised nobody else has pointed that out. I, too, hope your dish isn't ruined. Thanks for pointing it out — it's fixed now!
Could I use coconut milk as a sub for some of the cream? I have some in my fridge I'm hoping to use. Thanks! Can't wait to try this.
Absolutely!! Coconut milk would be a great replacement! Enjoy, Kate! xo
I prefer Indian dishes with coconut milk! It adds so much more flavor!!
Could i make this in a crock pot?
Hi Nicole! You absolutely could! I have a healthier crockpot version, and you could definitely follow those instructions (while using the ingredients for this recipe). Enjoy! xo
Hi, Lovely reciepe, thankyou. I'm Australian & for the tomato suce I used Passata and 1/2 tablespoon of tomatoe paste. Our measurements are different too. I have added Australian conversions is its helpfull for anyone:-)
2LBs of chicken = 900gm chicken ( I used 1 kg).
1 American cup = 225ml. 1 American Tablesoon = 15 ml ( Australian Tablespoons are 20ml). Teaspoons are about the same.
★★★★★
Oh yay! Thank you so much for the help, Annie!! xoxo
If I used creamed coconut to substitute the 2 cups cream, would I also need 2 cups of the creamed coconut? Thanks 🙂
Hi Cara — If you're leaving the cream out, you can definitely replace it with 2 cups of coconut cream. Enjoy! xo
This recipe is the best!
Thanks, Solitda!! xo
This recipe is so yummy! I doubled the recipe so I can have extra sauce to put on top of fresh caught baked salmon ??
Oooh yum!!! What a great use of the sauce!
Absolutely awesome recipe!! Thank you so much. My husband loved it!
★★★★★
Thanks, Heidi! Glad it was a hit! xo
This was amazing!!!! I have only had butter chicken once or twice, and have never attempted to make anything like this at home. Not a novice in the kitchen by any means, but this was simple and absolutely DELICIOUS!!! I made minor adjustments, such as not using all of the butter, and about 1/8 tsp more cayenne. Ingredients were all readily available at my local Food Lion, which was also great. Thank you for posting this phenomenal recipe!!!
★★★★★
Yay! Thank you Shannon — so glad to hear you liked it and found it easy! xo
H
For the Cooking cream. ? Can I use 10% coffee cream? (Lol). This is what I have in fridge. Also I don't have the garam masala, can I continue? I have everything else! Thanks Isabella
Hi Isabella — I think 10% coffee cream is the same as half and half (I'm not positive), so that should work... but I would not continue without garam masala! Good luck!
You can make Garam Masala at home. There are many recipes for the spice blend. I bought enough garam masala for a trial run of this Butter chicken, and loved it! So I set out to find a good blend to use in place of store bought garam masala. You might be surprised like I was when I noticed I already have the spices on hand 🙂
I can't get enough of this Butter chicken!
★★★★
Thanks for the tip, Lela! Glad you enjoyed this recipe 😉 xo
Fantastic recipe - far easier than I'd thought! Thanks for putting this one up!
★★★★★
Thanks, Shea! Glad you liked it! xo
By tomato paste do you mean tomao ketchup? Im an amateur indian cook and a little confused with the terminology
Hi Anmol — Where are you from? Depending on where in the world you are, it might be called passata! Take a look through the comments for someone from your country — I'm amazed at how many different terms there are for (what I call) tomato sauce! It is not ketchup. Good luck! xo
Is the chilli powder you used the regular grocery store variety (like what you'd put in tacos) or Indian chilli powder?
That's a great question Lorrie... I use regular chili powder (NOT taco seasoning, if you were thinking that though). To be honest, I've never used Indian chili powder — I bet it'd be even better, if you can get your hands on it! Good luck!
So what kind of cream can I use in my country I don't think they have cream but my a be whipping cream they have
Hi Rida! You could use part cream, part lighter milk (skim) — or use coconut cream. Really, the fat content is totally up to you — the more fat (whipping cream) the heavier and perhaps tastier it will be, but it could be overwhelming for some. I'd start with half whipping cream, half skim, and see how you like that! xo
I made this for dinner tonight. Loved it!! Thanks! ?
★★★★
Woohoo! Glad you liked it, Trulee! xo
Soooo so so so good! Made this for lunch super easy and it won my Indian boyfriend’s seal of approval!
Ooh what a great steal of approval to get!! Glad you both liked it, Paula! xo
Can I use sour cream?
Hi Allison! You could... but I don't think I'd recommend it. It'd change the taste/texture quite a bit. At a minimum, I'd dilute the sour cream a bit with water. Good luck!
You know id love to try to make this but the add sitting over the method doesnt let me, ive tried getting rid of it but it wont exit so sorry going elsewhere
Oh what a bummer — sorry Tracey! The ad shouldn't be placed like that... could you tell me what browser you're using so I can try to fix it? Thanks!
We have many friends who use tomatoe soup instead of paste, sure gives it a wonderful flavor, we also use it. Yummmm.
Interesting!! Thanks for the tip, Elva! xo
Hi how spicey is this?
Can i reduce the amount of chilli and cayenne? Our family is a mild spice family as it upsets a few stomachs.
Or would you add extra cream to dull the spice a bit?
Hi Toni! I don't find it to be very spicy at all, but you certainly could reduce the chili and cayenne! I'd do that before reducing the amount of cream. Enjoy! xo
Mine didn't come out as red ?
Hi Krystle! That happens, depending on the tomatoes/spices you use! Hopefully it still tasted great 🙂
I made this recipe last night and it was delicious! I didn't make any substitutions or additions other than adding naan bread and rice as you recommended. Thank you for sharing. I would definitely make this again.
★★★★★
Thanks for the kind review, Allison! I'm glad you enjoyed it! xo
My husband is Indian and I am from Pakistan so we have had lots of butter chicken in our life. This recipe is legit. Neither of us is great in the kitchen lol. We followed this recipe step by step and it came out soooo amazing!! Now we make it once a week and the leftovers don’t last long!!
Omg! Thanks for such a kind recommendation, Tayyabba!! I'm so glad you both enjoyed it! xoxo
I read the recipe incorrectly the first time I made it. I used a can of diced tomatoes instead of tomato sauce. It came out great but the color wasn't as rich looking and the sauce was a little thinner, but still amazing! I made homemade pita bread to serve next to it- YUM!
Aah woops! I'm glad it worked out anyways, Angela! xo
I’m making this for the first time ever using you recipe to a tee! It tastes delicious a so haven’t even started yet! I’m so excited as I’m making the rice! Thanks so much for the recipe!
I'm so glad you like it, Nellie!! xoxo
Hi, I'm cooking for 5 big eaters, should I double the recipe? How much gravy is there in the end product otherwise?
Hi James! I would definitely double the recipe, and perhaps even triple the chicken. Many people here in the comments have said there is way more sauce than they want (I love extra sauce) — so it can handle more chicken! Enjoy! xo
Can we use coconut milk instead of the cream?
Absolutely!!
First time making butter chicken and the
Family loved it!! Thanks for the recepie 🙂
Used half cream, half coconut milk and threw in some red bell pepper.
Sounds like a delicious version, Trista! I'm glad you all liked it 🙂 xo
Made this tonight for dinner alongside your quick naan and it was soo good!! I'm in New Zealand and after googling I used a 400g tin of smooth tomato puree.. not sure if it was right but it definitely did the trick!
Yay! Thanks, Steph! Smooth tomato puree sounds perfect — I'll keep that in mind for future New Zealanders who ask!! Thanks for the tip 🙂
Thank you thank you thank you for this recipe.
Indian food is a bit expensive for us, especially how much we like to eat and this tasted spot on to our fav Indian spot down the street.
★★★★★
Oh wonderful! I'm so glad you have another option now, Katie! Thanks for the note! xoxo
My partner & I enjoyed making this butter chicken. We normally just cook it with the ready made sauces u buy. So this was our first one from scratch. Only change we made was adding some ground coriander as well and we didn't have chilli powder. Love love love this recipe
Oh yay! I'm so glad you both liked it, Zoro! Ground coriander sounds like a great addition! xo
Can I marinate this over night? And is there any substitute for cayenne pepper
Hi Ly! What do you plan to marinate it in? You could sub in paprika or chili powder if needed.
I made it today! It was last min cooking n so I hurried up n googled n found this awesome recipe! Thank you so much! I guess we will be making this again!
Hi Tina! So glad to hear you enjoyed it! xoxo
Love this receipt. I noticed that you don't include ginger?
Hi Rob! I actually do — it's about halfway down the ingredients list!! Enjoy! xo
Hi Mary
I am making this for diner tonight for the first time I normally use jar which isn't that nice but I am wondering I am in Australia so do I use tomato sauce passta or tomato paste/puree I'm confused on this I would of thought 2 use tomato paste/puree
Thanks misty
Hi Misty! It sounds like most people in Australia go for passata — it should be runny, not thick like (what I think of as) tomato paste. Hope you figured it out!! xo
I love this dish it is so easy to make
★★★★★
Glad to hear it, Wanda! xo
Freaken awesome! Thank you Mary.
★★★★★
Woohoo! You're welcome, Michelle! xoxo
Hello. Thanks a lot.It is a best recipe for cooking butter chicken.I love that
Thanks, Sheyda! I'm glad you like it!
I love your recipe. I always forget the ginger but it still is tasty addictive. Thank you so much!!
Yay! I'm glad to hear you like it, Denise!! xoxo
I love garam masala and can not wait to try this recipe! Thanks for posting it. I would also be interested in the crock pot version.
Hi Karen! I hope you enjoy it!! Definitely give the crock pot version a try, too — I enjoy them both!
Made this for the first time tonight, and will definitely be making it again. I used 1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup water like you said in the note. I felt like the sauce was thin and it was definitely not the same rich red color. Still very tasty and will be trying the suggestions made by others in the comments.
Glad you liked it, Kate! I agree — half water makes it a bit thin for my tastes. As for the redness, I'd say it's the tomatoes!! Have you tried Pacific Foods tomatoes? I think their strained tomatoes are awesome for this!
can i use cooking cream instead of heavy cream?
Yes!! Enjoy!
As I read through this recipe it keeps bringing an other Indian recipe to mind that I had made a few months ago. I may not get this right, but I think it was something like Chicken Tikka. Hope I get this close to right and u recognize the name. Anyway, in my mind's eye they seem to be the same.
What, if anything, is the difference?
I'm anxious to try this as I love Indian food.
Just recently found you, and am enjoying looking through your recipes.
Have a good weekend.
Going to look for slow cooker recipes.
Hi Lydia! Chicken tikka masala is VERY similar to butter chicken — the internet will tell you all sorts of differences that people agree/disagree about: white vs. dark meat, bone in vs. bone out, UK vs. Indian version, etc. The main difference, which I don't see contested, is that butter chicken is heavier on the cream and butter — much creamier, and fattier! Enjoy! xo
Really nice flavor and this isn't a hard meal to quickly put together. Thanks.
Glad you liked it, David!
Hi
Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Would you please let me know which cream do I need to buy ? I think the tomato paste you are referring to is known as tomato purée in india.
Good to know about the tomato puree — thanks, Ramya! For cream, it's really up to you. The heavier the cream, the heavier the dish. I use half and half, personally.
Thank you Mary
Hi I'd like to make this recipe for Indian guests I'm having over. Can I do this recipe in the oven? What if I baked the cut up chicken and seasonings with the tomato sauce and after it's done baking add the heavy cream?? Please let me know what you think! Thx
Hmmm. I'm honestly not sure, Dolly. I guess it wouldn't be that different from doing it in the slow cooker, which does work, so ... go for it! Let me know how it goes!
Just put it all together without cooking the chicken and leave cream out until ten mins before serving. Thats what i did. Cooked wonderfully
Thank you for this recipe!
It is fabulously delicious 🙂
Thanks, Anna!! xo
Had some brining chicken and decided to make this 20 minutes before bed. Let is sit overnight after being heated and warmed when we were ready for dinner. The 1 year old ate the meat and the 4 year old inhaled the meat and sauce with his brussel sprouts.
It was a really nice flavour especially after the first 18 hours or so. Cannot wait to have it again with some roti!
★★★★★
Yum!! So glad it was a hit with the kids, Jeanette! xo
I made this last night, it was so good! I halved the recipe, and added a bay leaf during the simmering time. I used half and half for the cream but I think it would have been better with heavy cream. Thanks so much for the recipe!
You're welcome, Hannah! I've always wondered if I should throw in a bay leaf... I'll have to give it a try next time! xo
When I first tasted butter chicken 6 years, it the best thing I ever put in my mouth. I love to cook so I looked up the recipe and decided it was impossible to make. I look forward to trying this simple approach. Thank you.
I hope you like it, Jim! xo
Help! I forgot to get cream, can u sub with yogurt!? 🙂
Yes!! Hopefully you have plain yogurt... good luck!
Butter chicken is one of my favorite recipe from the Indian cuisine. I liked the method you tried to make butter chicken and that looks and must have tasted absolutely magical as you have mentioned but I would like to add a small simple step to your 1st step which may add more magic to the chicken pieces i.e. we should marinate the chicken with salt, pepper, yogurt(optional), ginger-garlic paste and set it aside for 15-20 minutes and then we should go for browning it. Try this trick and I hope you would like the results. Moreover, if you want a more authentic method to try then try the one from the link. They make most amazing Indian foods. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a03U45jFxOI
Thanks for the tip, Sambal!
? i am Indian and I am going to try making it - looks nice and easy
I hope you like it, Archana! xo
Mary is NOT exaggerating! THIS IS AMAZING! I've made it twice now. My husband and daughter (age 13) are Tikka Masala aficionados and I made sure to tell them it was NOT tikka masala so their expectations would not work against liking this. (They are also picky eaters - who like Indian food....go figure!) They LOVED it. I made it again tonight for company (6 of us in total) and doubled the recipe. I used 4 cups of heavy cream (of course!) and was less precise with the measurements. EVERYONE loved it and we have plenty for leftovers. The only problem with this recipe is restraining myself from making it every week! (Also we are both working full time, and can still throw this together easily at the end of the work day!) Thank you!!!
Thank you for the kind words, Gail! I'm so glad you all enjoy it!! xoxo
Hey Gail, what is your Tikka Masala recipe that you use? Is it spicy? I too have a fussy eater aah but would love to try yours! My partner LOVES this recipe which is a damn god send! But we can’t do too much spice
This is the best butter chicken and it's so easy to make... love love love it...
★★★★★
Yikes! Too much cayenne pepper for my taste; I will definitely use less next time. Otherwise, a fast and easy recipe.
Hii.. I made it and it just turned out awesome..thank you
★★★★★
Glad you liked it, Samina! xo
Hii.. I made it and it just turned out awesome..thank you
★★★★★
It was very easy and turned tasty even though I'm not good at cooking! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Sounds like maybe you're better at cooking than you think, Kate! Glad you enjoyed it! xo
Yum. I totally made this vegetarian with chick peas, black lentils, cauliflower, peas, and zuccini. I used some Mexican crema I had on hand too. It was delicious and passed the kid test too minus the cayenne. Will definitely make this again.
★★★★
This sounds delicious with all of those vegetables!! Such a great idea. Thanks, Amber! xo
Well, for starters -- 5 stars just isnt enough. My wife and I most certainly enjoyed this meal. I added Yellow Jasmine Rice -- this just put the meal over the top delicious.
Thank You for Sharing this.
★★★★★
Thanks for the kind words, Robert! So glad you both enjoyed it — yellow jasmine rice sounds like a wonderful pairing! xo
Just finished eating this. And, let me just back up Mary by saying this was straight up one of the best dishes I've made in a LONG time. Absolutely delicious! Thank you, Mary!
★★★★★
Thanks for the kind words, Alex! I'm glad you liked it as much as I do! xo
So easy to make and so flavorful! It was a hit in my family and I can't wait to eat the leftovers today!
★★★★★
Thanks, Cari!! I usually make a double batch of this so I have leftovers — they're so good the next day!! xo
Easy and sooo delicious. Had never heard of the spice garam masala . Found it at the grocery store and it was quite expensive. I was a little worried that it might be a waste if I didn't like it. Worth every penny! Definitely will be making this again. Husband raved about it! Thanks, Mary, for sharing!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it, Nancy! Garam Masala is totally worth it — I'm glad you took the plunge!
Great recipe! I use Kashmiri mirch chile powder instead of cayenne for heat and better flavor. This chile power is really hot so use caution when adding it to the curry.
★★★★★
Thanks for the tip — I've never used it before!! I'll have to check it out! xo
Oh my goodness! This is beyond yummy. I have made it 3 times so far. I’m making it tonight for guests. It is easy and so so good. Usually I make a recipe and make changes as needed. None are needed. It is perfect everytime. When I told my husband we were having it tonight he got very excited. Then I told him we were having company he said nooo. Butter chicken is for me. Haha. Thank you so much for posting this recipe!
So glad you like it, Jennifer!! xoxo
Hi, thanks for the recipe. For tomato sauce, can I just use fresh tomatoes, make a puree in the blender and just use it? Or do I have to take that puree, cook it separately to remove the raw tomato smell and then use it ? If I can use the puree from the blender, I think cooking separately may not be needed because it will be cooked with the rest of the ingredients anyway. Please let me know.
Also, please report the link to the product to used for the tomato sauce. The link you posted earlier didn't work. Thank you.
Hi Hkr, I haven't made this using fresh tomatoes... and I don't think it'd be the same. The sauce I use has already been cooked down into a more flavorful, concentrated tomato sauce. Yes, they will be cooked with the other ingredients, but not nearly long enough to achieve the same results. If you use fresh tomatoes, I'd follow a classic "tomato sauce" recipe and simmer for a long time before continuing with this one! Good luck!
I made this the other day and it was so easy and quick! Not to mention so so delicious! I used shrimp and paneer instead, my husband is a pescatarian. I added sugar since I like mine on the sweeter side, and I have to say, it was close to my favorite restaurant’s dish. Thank you so much for this recipe! Definitely saving it for future use!
Yum! So glad you both liked it! Shrimp and paneer sound like a wonderful replacement for the chicken! xo
This is the first butter chicken recipe I've ever tried, and it's perfect. Been using it for years now. I just add a pinch of cinnamon, that's my only adjustment. And if you use rotisserie chicken, it's done in 20 minutes!! Thank you!
★★★★★
Omg! What great tips — thanks, Jelena! I'll have to try it with cinnamon next time! xo
This is absolutely DELICIOUS!
My diehard italian husband loved it. We didnt have rice or bread. Had a salad. Definitely make again ..thank you!
Oh yay! Thanks for sharing, Barbara! I'm glad you both loved it! xo
Actually I am a student studying in 8 grade.. I love cooking simple and delicious food. This recipe is really really good.. My Parents loved it thank you..
★★★★★
Thanks so much, Bhumika! I'm glad you all enjoyed it! xo
I have homemade pasata from our garden. It’s much thinner than store bought. Should I reduce it before or after adding the cream?
Before! The cream should really be added right at the end, and just brought up to heat (not boiled and cooked for a long time). Enjoy, Megan! xo
I am preparing to make this but I do not have garam masala Is there a substitute that you would recommend? I have many spaces in the pantry, unfortunately not that
Hi Brandi! Unfortunately, there's no real substitute for garam masala; however, you can make your own! Maybe you have the right ingredients for that — cardamom, coriander, cumin, peppercorns, cloves, fennel, cinnamon, and anise. I'd make a batch with as many of those as you have! (google "garam masala recipe" and you'll find instructions!) Good luck!
It was the easiest butter chick recipe ever, my old recipe has 21 ingredients and takes twice as long. Loved the taste of yours it was quick and just as tasty. Love it 10/10
Awesome!! Thanks for the great review, Jacqueline! xo
I used the 2 cups cream (just regular cream, not heavy cream) and mine was nowhere near the deep orangy-red color yours is. It tasted like it had twice as much cream as it should and lacked the rich deep flavor of other butter chicken dishes I've had. I made absolutely certain all my other ingredients were measured correctly so I'm not sure what happened... Next time, I think I'll do half the cream and maybe add in some tomato paste...
★★★
Sorry to hear it, Courtney! I'd definitely check out what tomato product you're using... it should be a fairly dense, cooked-down tomato sauce with tons of color and flavor. Not all "tomato sauce" I see out there matches that, so maybe you had a watery one?? Who knows. Better luck next time! xo
hi, just wondering if you would use coconut milk as a substitute for the cream? does it make less authentic tasting? I assumed that's what you would use, and was surprised it wasn't. what do I know???
thanks for the recipe! looks great!
Coconut cream is a great option, Sarah!! Definitely go for it!
Ive made this a few times now. With added bay leaf. And also fenugreek seeds and sometimes fenugreek leaves. Just wonderful!! Its a treat with biryani rice or saffron rice!!
★★★★★
Ooomg what great additions!! I will have to try the bay leaf and fenugreek — thanks, Kelly! xo
This butter chicken was made without any hassles and was delish!! Thank you!
You're welcome, Rukmini! Thanks for the note! xo
Sometimes these reviews annoy me with people saying "I did this" or" I did that". Well I just followed the recipe and man, this recipe is beautiful. My naan bread also was beautiful although I did follow the yeast recipe. Thanks for a great dish that I would serve to anyone on any occasion.
Paul
★★★★★
Ha! I'm so glad you enjoyed this, Paul. I love the yeasted naan recipe, too — such a great partner to this one! xo
Mmm!!!! I just gorged myself on this!!!! So yummy!!! So full!!! A bit spicy for my hubby and kiddos... but perfect for me!!! ? I will definitely make this again!!!! Next time hopefully I will have time to attempt my own naan!!
Yummm! Glad you liked it, Maret! xoxo
Such an easy and delicious recipe! Loved it!
Thanks, Chesney! Glad you liked it! xo
I've made this about 6 times now- and it has always been fantastic! Thank you for this awesome recipe. I always impress the people I cook this for.
Yay! So glad you like it, Patrick!! It's one of my go-to "impress guests" recipes, too! xo
I made this for the second time tonight. It was just as fabulous as the first time. We've definitely added this to our favorites list.
Thanks so much!?
★★★★★
Just made it and it’s amazing! Thank you!
Thanks, Trisha! I'm glad you enjoyed it! xo
*Cinch
I made this nearly vegan, with quorn and coconut milk in place of chicken and cream (I still used some butter). It turned out well and is a lot less work as one can skip the first step altogether. I halved it but used the original amount of spices.
Yum!! Sound like a delicious variation, Julianne! Thanks for sharing! xo
Great recipe. Surprisingly easy to prepare. Had the right amount of heat. We had it with fried brussel sprouts which went well with this dish and was also a big hit (especially when that particular veg is not an easy sell).
ooh YUM! Brussel sprouts sound like a delicious addition here, Bill! Thanks for sharing 🙂 xo
Hi! This sounds like such a delicious recipe and I will most likely be making this for dinner tonight. Is this in any way spicy? Some of my family cannot stand any spice at all!
If it is what ingredients should I take out to make it mild? Thanks!!
Hi Claire! Some people do find this recipe too spicy — the main culprits being the cayenne and the chili powder. It'll change the taste significantly if you leave them completely out though, so keep that in mind! Enjoy! xo
Our whole family loved it!!! Full cream is the way to go!
★★★★★
Woohoo! Glad you all enjoyed it, Monique! xo
Great recipe thank you!
You're welcome, Casar! Glad you liked it! xo
Made this tonight, excellent recipe. I've always struggled to make a great butter chicken curry. Being in Australia I used passata. I did vary it a little bit by including a can of crushed tomatoes and increasing all spices to a splash rather than a measure, i also added some sugar to sweeten it a little as that what the restaurants here seem to do, again not measured just added to taste. I also prepared tandoori chicken, cooked it over a charcoal grill and added it in the last five minutes of cooking just to heat through. Great recipe I highly recommend this anyone looking for a simple yet very tasty chicken curry.
★★★★
Thanks for the notes, Cee! Sounds like a great variation — glad you enjoyed it! xo
My taste buds are going nuts right now ??? feel free to tag me on your Instagram page with this comment haha @prateek_phogat
Good one
★★★★
Not as creamy as I'd like, but making it tonight for coworkers tomorrow as a surprise Christmas Eve treat! We're doing a pot luck in my department, and I know this won't be topped! Thanks so much for the deliciousness!!!
Thanks for sharing! Going to give it a try today.
Hello there. Greetings from Riyadh! I have tried this recipe...and lemme just tell you that this recipe is definitely for keeps! *chicken dance*
Mine didnt turn out as red as yours though, but i think it might have something to do with the chilli powder that i used...also prolly because I didnt have any cayenne powder? But, tastewise...this is fantastic! I hope there will be some sauce left for later because you are right...i keep on tasting the sauce...every few seconds. Very hard to resist because they are SO good.
Thank you once again for sharing this recipe...the house smells wonderful and next will be the naan. Thank you and enjoy the holidays!
★★★★★
Thank you, Maria! I'm glad you enjoyed this! xoxo
Great recipe, been craving butter chicken sauce for a while. I’m vegetarian so I used a faux meat substitute but it was still tasty and easy to whip up.
Thanks, Char! This is also really great with vegetables in it (cauliflower!) — another meatless option! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂 xo
First butter chicken I've made, and save to say it was an absolute hit! Thanks for the recipe. Easy and tasty and will use again.
★★★★
Glad you liked it, Prue!! xo
I saw this recipe last night and I made it today!!! It’s so easy to make, I made one before but this one is wayyyyy better (I never knew I have to put cream lol).. I’m glad found your recipe. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Ha! So glad you liked it!! xo
How many servings does this recipe make?
About four, Savannah! xo
Can you do this in an instant pot? If so how would you vary the recipe? I just got one for Christmas.
Hi Deidra — I do not have an instant pot, so I can't answer this! It has a slow cooker setting, doesn't it? You could do it as I've instructed in this recipe for a slow cooker... but I don't know about the other settings. Good luck!
What brand of chili powder do you use?
Hi Deidra! I use whatever they have in bulk at my grocery store — I believe it's Frontier.
This was better than I thought it would be! Very yummy and better than a takeaway. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it, Stephanie! xo
Ok, I'm a cook and I never can make Indian food as good as the places around here in Vancouver B.C I moved for a year to Texas and California and could NEVER get any good Indian food. I made this recipe in my Instant Pot....... Its so simple and so unreal good! This is literally equally as good as the Indian food I remember from Vancouver....
At the beginning of the recipe you said this changed your life and its seriously that good! It filled a HUGE hole in my life i cant tank you enough!
Oh yay!! This is what I love to hear, Stephan! I'm so glad you're enjoying it as much as I am 🙂 xo
2 lbs of chicken really makes 4 servings? Seems more like it would make 8 servings...
I guess we have big appetites over here, Bonnie 🙂
I tried this variation of the recipe and enjoyed it quite a bit. I will share a little secret. Add 1-2 tablespoons of ketchup 🙂 And you must must add 1 tablespoon of fenugreek leaves (Kesoori Methi) at the very end just before the garnish.You will be amazed with the transformation to Restaurant quality. Cheers. Happy cooking!! Good, Quick, Clean Recipe. Love It!
★★★
Thanks for the tips 🙂
This was truly an awesome recipe. I love Indian food but eating can get costly. This was sooooo satisfying. Thank you!!!
So glad you liked it, Danielle!! xo
Definitely hit the mark on this one! One of my favorite dishes that I thought I would never be able to make at home. A great recipe to impress our next dinner guests.
★★★★★
Thanks, Sue! I'm glad you enjoyed it!! xoxo
Amazing recipe thank you!
You're welcome, Tara! xo
Made it today. Both myself and gf loved it. Made my own garam masala to go in it. Will certainly make it again.
★★★★★
Awesome! So glad to hear it, James! xo
What type of rice do you use?
Hi T.C.! I use whatever I have on hand, but that's usually jasmine of some sort. Enjoy! xo
I have been trying out butter chicken recipes for years. This is the best one!! A crowd pleaser. I am no longer looking. Thank you!!
★★★★★
OMG! The search is over!! So glad to hear it, Isabelle. xoxo
Great recipe, thank you! For the first time I made butter chicken from scratch, without buying a jar of ready - made sauce. Delicious! And not too difficult.
★★★★★
Glad you liked it, Ela!! xo
Has anyone tried substituting heavy cream for yogurt? I always use plain yogurt when doing tikka masala and love the texture it gives the sauce. Thoughts/ input? Thanks!!
Hi Cait! I do this all the time! The only thing to be careful of is curdling. I add small amounts of the warm sauce to the (room temp) yogurt, then add it all back in once the temperature difference isn't too great. It's a delicious/healthy alternative!! Enjoy! xo
I made this last night - so good! I followed your recipe exactly, except that I used chicken thighs instead of breasts and I added a little turmeric. I served it with naan and lemon herb basmati rice from Aldi. My boyfriend couldn't get enough! Thanks for a great and easy-to-follow recipe.
Oh yay!! I know chicken thighs would be soooo much better in this than breasts — I'm just too lazy to eat anything with a bone! Ha! I'm so glad you both liked it, Rae! xo
I made this recipe and we loved it! Used it as the base sauce for a butter chicken pizza. YUM! Will definitely be using this recipe on a regular basis!
OMG! You're brilliant, Janet!! I will absolutely have to try that — thanks for sharing!! xo
Made this Butter chicken recipe last night. It was the best I've ever had
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Amanda! I'm glad you liked it! xoxo
So much amazing
★★★★★
Ha! Thanks, Robin!! xo
Oh my yes! Why did I not try this before! This is going on my list of comfort foods. The only things I did different were: I "roasted" a chicken in my Instant Pot the day before. I cut those pieces up and browned them in the butter. I left out the cayenne bc weren't not fans of the heat. I forgot to buy the things for garnish so I can't wait to make this again and ad the garnish! Thank you for this deliaciousness!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it, Heather! Thanks for the notes! xoxo
This is my go-to Indian Butter Chicken recipe. I have made it at least 3 times and it couldn't be more delish. Mine doesn't look as red as this pic. It's much creamier redish brown color. But Thank You so much! Let me know where I can send pics!
★★★★★
Glad you like it, Theresa! A lot of people report varying sauce colors — I think depending on your tomatoes there can be a big difference. Do you have instagram?? I love seeing posts tagged #thekitchenpaper so I can see you all cooking!! xo
this recipe is so darn good. i love it. i cooked it for my family and they wanted more. definitely going in my recipe book thanx guys
★★★★★
Thanks, Bex! So glad you all liked it! xo
In the US, it's called tomato sauce. Passata is a European word. In the US just like in Europe there is tomato paste, but this recipe calls for the sauce, not the paste.
Agreed. Thanks, Melinda! xo
I have trouble getting. my rice nice and fluffy it's always sticky when I do it what am I doing wrong
Hi Betty! I'm no rice expert, so you may want to google rice recommendations — but I do know what I do: rinse my rice thoroughly, and make sure not to use too much water (otherwise it will get gummy). I let it sit for 5-10 minutes after it's done cooking (with the lid on), then fluff it with a rice paddle. Good luck! xo
This was crazy delicious and so easy! I'm eating the leftovers as I write this! The only changes I made were to use 1 cup of heavy cream and 1/2 cup of water and added 1teaspion of chicken bouillon granules. Also cut back the cayenne to 1/4 teaspoon, because I don't really like things too hot. It was perfect!
Sounds perfect, Mari! Thanks for sharing! xo
I love The Indian butter chicken That’s all I ever order and it’s not too spicy at the restaurant but when I make this recipe are the ones that always call for chili powder and cayenne I want to know if I take that out will it still have the flavor I have no tolerance for heat ,thanks
Hi Tanya! I think you could absolutely take those two out and still have a delicious meal! Give it a go, and let me know how it is! xoxo
We just had this for dinner and as a fan of butter chicken, I really liked it and was so easy to make. No sign of the cream curderlng! Will defo make again. And coming from the UK the tomato sauce is Passata!
So glad you liked it, Jo! Thanks for the note on Passata! xo
Have made this twice now. 2 times in a week!
First time I used the full 2 cups of cream and diced tomatoes.
Second time I grinded the onions to make a paste. Also used 1 cup of cream and 1 cup of water to bring out more of the tomatoe sauce flavor.
Super great each time but I must admit the second time was gold. The onion paste made the sauce thicker with adding the water and less cream. (I also did some googling and found out after I did it that Punjabi's actually grind up onions for certain recipes)
Great Recipe Mary! Thanks a bunch! Now I don't have to order from my local indian food resturant and spend alot of $$.
Awesome tips, David! I'll have to try the onion paste method. Glad you enjoyed it, and made it better!! xoxo
Great recipe! I changed it a bit though. I used cream cheese and marinara sauce instead. No need for salt. It's so dirty...in a good way. Bread was needed for sure.
★★★★★
Glad you liked it!! xo
This is hands down one of the best recipes I’ve found online. My whole family absolutely devour this meal. Absolutely fabulous. I’ve made this at least 10 times. I’ve yet to make the home made nanns simply because I haven’t found the time yet but I’m sure they are delicious too.
Would recommended to all to give it a go. Follow the recipe as stated (I personally used less chili and cayenne as I don’t like too much heat) and you’ll have the perfect meal every time. Good luck!
Thanks for the kind words, Ruby! I'm so glad you all enjoy this as much as I do! xoxo
I made it and WOW WAS IT DELICIOUS !!!!!
Thanks for posting this recipe
So glad you liked it, Beatrice!! xo
Absolutely delicious, it's an instant family favourite. Thank you for sharing the recipe+method.
★★★★★
You're welcome, Farah! I'm glad you all enjoyed it! xo
I overhauled it, added stewed strained tomato’s, 1/4. Tsp more of everything in the ingidient list and tomato paste added 1/4 tsp of cilantro with 1 tbsp lime juice and yogurt instead of cream... so thick and creamy full of flavor pinch chili pepper on each initial serving
Sounds like a delicious version, Anthony! Thanks for sharing! xo
Delicious!!!
★★★★★
Made this tonight and it was everthing I hoped it would be and more! I have never made butter chicken before but this was rich and warm and delish. Tasted just like the 'real' thing. This recipe will be added into dinner rotation for sure. Thanks, Mary!
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it, Amy!! xoxo
So incredibly easy to make & outrageously delicious! This is one of my favorite meals! Thank you for this recipe!
So glad to hear it, Jen! xoxo
Made this tonight and this is a “keeper and repeater” recipie! Thanks
Woohoo! Glad to hear it, Joanna! xo
this was the recipe i used the first time i ever made butter chicken. this was a great starter recipe. ive also made it with less butter, diced tomatoes, greek yogurt instead of cream, and powdered ginger. all were awesome!
★★★★★
Yum! Sounds like a tasty version, Jessa! xo
Whipping cream would do?
It would work, and make it very rich and creamy! If that's your style, go for it! If you think it might be a bit much for you, I'd dilute a bit with water.
Instead of a cream could you use a lactose free product. Like coconut milk? Soy milk?
Absolutely, Mckenzie! I'd recommend coconut milk — the thick kind in a can. Enjoy! xo
This was the BEST one I have ever made, including the naan bread! Thank you for sharing!!
Oh wow!! Thanks so much, Melanie! I'm glad you enjoyed it! xo
In Australia we call it tomato paste. I try to find one which is slightly less "tomatoey".
★★★★★
Good to know! Thanks for the tip, Craig! xo
So good! I did wait to add the cream until the very last minute (and I only used 1 cup) but the chicken was tender and the sauce was amazing. Will certainly make this again.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Rhonda! xo
What makes your butter chicken so red? I tried making it and mine is very pale in colour ?
Hi Emily! I believe it's all about the tomatoes! I've made this with various brands of tomato sauce and had all different shades of red/brown. Go for a super flavorful, dense, red sauce (I love Pacific Foods Tomato Sauce, if you're in the USA). Good luck!
Try using Kashmir curry powder. The colour (and flavour) is amazing
Gosh! This looks soooo good and delicious. So many wonderful flavor going in there. Can't wait to give this one a try.
Thanks, Kimberly! xo
I just made this for dinner and it taste very good I can make it myself now don’t have to go or and spend 15.00 for my makani chicken craving
Woohoo! Glad to hear you liked it, Maria! xo
Hi Mary, great recipe
I know this is an old post but would you be able to put up a photo of the canned tomatoes or tomato paste you use please?
Hi Rebecca! Is a link to the product good enough? Here you go!! xoxo
I MADE THIS RECIPE, THIS WAS MY FIRST TIME COOKING INDIAN FOOD AND OUR FIRST TIME EATING INDIAN FOOD. I SERVED IT WITH RICE NAAN BREAD...AWESOME IS WHAT THIS TASTE LIKE. THE RECIPE WAS EASY TO FOLLOW. THANK YOU MY FAMILY TRULY ENJOYED IT!!
★★★★★
Glad to hear you all enjoyed it, Brenda! xo
In Australia we would call it tomato puree. Thanks for the recipe, looks delicious!
Amazing! My husband and I made this tonight and it is JUST as good as, if not better than, the Tikka masala for our favorite restaurant! I have never been so excited about a recipe. (P.s. this beats America's test kitchen's Tikka masala recipe handssss dowwwwwn (sorry ATK I still love you)).
★★★★★
Ha!! Thanks for the glowing review, Nikki!! Glad you two enjoyed it! xo
Omg this recipe was SO good! My family loved it! I felt like a superstar lol. Thanks!!
★★★★★
So glad to hear it, Sally! xo
My husband and I love this dish. Yesterday I threw frozen chicken breast in the crockpot and added the rest of the ingredients except the cream and garnishes and let it cook for 6 hours. I added the cream right before serving after the crockpot was off and it was perfect. The chicken ended up shredding with a fork and my house smelled wonderful all day.
★★★★★
ooh yum!! Sounds like a wonderful way to have this dish, Tammy! Thanks for sharing 🙂 xo
Used one cup plain Greek yogurt and one cup coconut milk. Turned out delicious!!!
★★★★★
Ooh sounds like a great combo. Thanks Sarah!! xo
Wow! I never usually comment on internet recipes I find, but this one was so good, I have to! Thank you so much for sharing, this butter chicken recipe will now be a staple. I made it just as suggested and it was the perfect blend of creamy, curry, tomatoey, buttery goodness. Hooray!
So glad you liked it, Emily!! xoxo
This is one of the best things I've cooked from the internet! Made with no changes except I used boneless, skinless thighs instead of breasts. Yumm!
★★★★★
Thanks for the kind words, Kathy! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! xo
So friggen tasty! I wish I could rate this recipe 1 billion 5 stars. The instructions were easy to follow. I never have tried a recipe that almost made me cry tears of joy. I fancy myself a hardass so well done. Lol. The taste was exactly what I was craving and I believe to be the best butter chicken I have ever eaten. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Mmm nom nom!
★★★★★
Ha!! Best comment ever. Thanks, Jamie! Those 1 billion 5 stars are greatly appreciated!! xoxo
So easy and delicious
Thanks, SJ!
This recipe was very helpful, however I substituted the tomato sauce with chopped tomato. I would 10/10 recommend.
★★★★★
Thanks for the notes, Sameerah! Glad you enjoyed it! xo
Not at all like real Indian food. It was not thick like Butter chicken you would get in a restaurant and the flavors were not as rich. There definitely needed more tomato and less cream. I'd look for a more authentic recipe.
★★
Sorry it wasn't for you, Alex! As I stated above, I totally agree that this isn't an authentic recipe — I make no claims to know Indian cooking! xo
Its called tomato paste in Australia
Thanks, Destiny!
Great recipe; have made it a couple of times now - Fantastic....next I am trying the Naan bread. I used diced tomatoes instead of pasta sauce.
Yum! Thanks, Karl! xo
Wow. Looks yummy. Will try this.
Yummy it looks.
★★★★★
Ah-maze-ing! Thank you for this recipe! ?
★★★★★
Glad you like it, Susanne! xoxo
This was SO GOOD! We love Indian food & my husband is especially fond of butter chicken. Finding the best recipe has been a challenge & one recipe completed, went into the trash! This is one I will keep for years to come, tucked neatly into my cookbook of all things delicious. Thank you so much for sharing such a wonder, restaurant quality recipe with us!.
TIP* To those new to Indian food, it's the heavy cream that gives food it's very rich flavor. I used 2c heavy cream & this recipe tastes better than the dish at our favorite Indian restaurant. Don't skimp on fat here!
Amen — fat is key!! Glad you like this recipe, Amber! xoxo
This was amazing! I even had four children eating it and asking for seconds! Also, the naan recipe has changed my life. I will never buy the stuff from the store again! Love your web site!
★★★★★
Thanks for the kind words, Laura!! xoxo
I really love this Recipe it’s straight to the point and Easily understood.
My name is Matthew and I would really like to explain that I am a chef of 15 years but unfortunately my health put a stop to my career.
However I had a storage unit which I lost due to my health.
Anyways I was wondering if at all possible would you be able to send me any Recipe that I would be able to use at home for my family to enjoy as you would understand I love cooking and I would deeply appreciate anything you could send me. My Address is P O Box 249 Tirao 4650
Queensland
Respectful
Matthew Whelan
★★★★★
This is one of my favorite recipes! I double the spice mix and dry marinate the chicken pieces for an hour or so prior...and use half coconut milk and half heavy cream. Thank you for making an easy flavorful recipe. I haven’t access to Indian food in my area and I love it...got hooked on it when I lived in England for 7 years. ?
So glad you like it, Danielle!! xo
could i use boneless skinless thighs instead of breasts?? i have a ton in bulk from costco 🙂
totally!! enjoy! xo
Is it salted or unsalted butter?
I'd recommend using unsalted, but you can use salted if needed! Just pay attention to how it tastes before adding more salt at the end! xo
Amazing just amazing! Freaking delicious , many thanks to you!
Thanks, Maha! Glad you enjoyed it!
This is amazing. There were nine of us eating this amazing chicken and it was all we could do to not drink the sauce. There will never be any leftovers.
Ha! Glad you liked it, KT!! xoxo
Does “garam masala” refer to the whole spices or the ground one?
Thanks!!
Hi Habdu — I am referring to the ground one! xo
Omg delicious! I never write on a recipe post but... I had to. This is the best butter chicken I've ever had including restaurants... Perfect seasonning. I made it with 2.5 cups of half and half and adds 1 tsp of paprika. Perfect recipe I will never need take out again! Thank you ll
★★★★★
Thanks for the kind words, Liz! Glad this was a hit 🙂
I make this recipe once or twice a month! I LOVE it!!! It’s the best butter chicken recipe I came across yet. I cannot have dairy so I sub out the cream and use organic coconut milk instead and it’s just as, if not even MORE scrumptious! I have recommended this recipe many times! Thank you for sharing with the world
Thanks, Jenni!! I usually make this with coconut milk these days, too! Definitely a good choice. Glad you enjoy this! xoxo
Holy wow. Occasionally picky 10-year old and occasionally picky husband inhaled this butter chicken. Followed recipe to the letter, except added a sprinkle of green onion at the very end before serving instead of the lime/cilantro combo.
Yay! So glad to hear it, Melanie!! xoxo (love the green onion idea, too!!)
Way too much cream - Here in the UK one cup equals 250mls, I only put in one and a bit cups, and it totally ruined the whole dish, it was a pale orange that looked nothing like the photo and tasted like warm cream with a hint of spice. Very disappointed but I guess a lesson learnt.
God just tried it again - rubbish, pale in colour and flavour.
I make a lot of butter chicken and tonight forgot to buy yoghurt so searched for a recipe to accommodate. OMG. I think I’ve found my favourite recipe from now on. I added a couple of extra ingredients including a squeeze of half a Lemon when I added the chicken as well as half a teaspoon of smoked paprika and two tablespoons of fenugreek leaf. Thank you. Saved in my FAVS.
★★★★★
Ha! So glad you liked this one, Anita!!! xoxo
Delicious. Thank you for posting
★★★★★
You're welcome! Thanks, Adrian!
Thanks for the great recipe. Super easy.
Mines not as orange as your pictures though. Did you add paprika or turmeric to get it more orange? Mine just kind of came out pinkish.
★★★★★
Hi Zayd! I've found that the kind of tomatoes you use greatly changes the end color. I'm guessing it was just that!! Glad you enjoyed it. xo
I used 1 14oz can of coconut milk and it was just fantastic tasting.
Yum! Glad you liked it, Hara! xo
I could make this a slower cooker recipe by tempering in the cream at the end. Right?
Totally!! There is a link at the top of this post for a slow cooker version! xo
Wonderful recipe! Thanks so much. The only thing I did a bit differently was the chicken: I marinated boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a bit of vegetable oil, garlic paste and ginger paste overnight, cooked them on the barbecue, then cubed them. After that, I did everything else according to your recipe and it turned out amazing!
oooh that sounds like a wonderful take on it, Mary Lynn!! I'll have to try that some night I have some more time!! xo
Hi there,
In my personal opinion, butter chicken and tika masala are completely different in taste. However, unlike you, someone who may be well-versed in what it contains; I am not sure of the ingredients. Now, I'm not criticizing, but, I am a tad OCD when it comes to grammar, and even though reading through your post, I found myself white-knuckling my fists; I truly appreciate your style of writing!
Great job!
If I may make a suggestion as an avid Indian food connoisseur, please visit an authentic Indian cuisine restaurant near your area. Those two dishes are totally and completely different in texture and (more importantly) taste.
Other than that, I love butter chicken and will be trying this recipe soon!
Hi Marleen,
I can assure you that I've eaten my bodyweight many times over in both tikka masala and butter chicken. I'm unsure why you assume I haven't, but if you feel the need to puff your chest... go ahead. "Now, I’m not criticizing, but" is a surefire way to know you're about to criticize a stranger on the internet. I make no claims to be an expert writer. This is my space, and I may do as I please. ENJOY!
xo
Loved this recipe! I used chicken thighs instead of breasts because I like them better. I don't remember if I used cream; I may have used Half & Half (which is half cream and half milk) because I always have that for my morning coffee. I didn't make any other changes.
★★★★★
Sounds delicious, Kathy!! I know so many people who prefer thighs instead of breasts — I'll have to try it some day!! xo
Spanish teenager who's never made Indian food and this recipe is perfect. Only using one deep pan to make the whole recipe makes dishes easy and the dish is amazing.
★★★★★
So glad you liked it, Javier!! xo
I just made this for the office. Used thighs instead of breasts. Also my first time using garam masala. They all said it was better than the Himalayan restaurant we order take out from!!!! Thank you!
★★★★★
So glad everyone liked it, Carol! I've heard from a lot of people that they prefer to use thighs — such a great option!! xo
I never rate recipes but this one was excellent! Nice work.
★★★★★
Glad you liked it, Claire! Thanks for the rating! xo
Ran across this butter chicken,very,very good.We did the same as when you first made it ate way to much .Thank alot Mary
Thanks, Jimmy! Glad you enjoyed it! xo
I have never written any comments to recipes.
BUT I just can't resist, this recipe is ABSOLUTELY amazing - easy. I have never thought I can cook Indian - and I just did it! Thank you, <3 tastes magicaly like you are saying.
I just got into BUtter chicken COMA on my sofa ?☺??
★★★★★
HA! I love this, Sylvia. Thanks for leaving a comment — and I'm so so glad you enjoyed it! xoxo
Unique dish. Didn't seem to really have as much flavor as I thought it would as I was finishing it. Served it to my wife first, she said it's good, three or four bites later, she said it is fantastic! Same for me, the more you eat, the better it gets. This is now one of my favorites. Naans with yeast, dipped in the sauce...wow
★★★★★
Glad you like it, Kip! xo
Excellent! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
★★★★★
You're welcome, Claudine! Glad you liked it. xo
This is one of the best homemade butter chicken recipes ever!!! It’s taste heavenly and is a Breeze to cook , something that the whole family will enjoy.
★★★★★
Thanks, Daimen! I'm glad you all enjoyed it! xo
I did the recipe and i have two concerns: 1. my sauce is more red than orange, like in your pic and 2. The butter chicken i know is both sweet&spicy, this one is just spicy. Do you know why is that?
Hi Ale — I wouldn't be concerned about the color of your sauce at all. It likely has to do with the type of tomatoes and spices you used. As for the sweetness: I'm sure butter chicken you have in restaurants has sugar in it — this recipe does not! I don't find it necessary for my taste, but if you do: add sugar!! xo
Beautiful recipe! My only comment would be to add sugar to taste if your tomato puree/base is quite acidic. I use up to one tablespoon of brown or raw sugar. Don't add much, just enough to balance the acidity.
★★★★★
Great tip, Scott! Glad you enjoyed it! xo
am trying this tonight without chicken (I don't like chicken very much) tho I used sour cream and half and half as well as blended diced tomatos. and a bit more garlic. 🙂 smells good so far.
Yumo. This looks great. Going to make it for the extended family tomorrow night. 9 people.... wish me luck!
Mmm good luck!!!
This was amazing!!!!! I have always felt intimidated of cooking Indian dishes as the process and ingredient list is always a mile long. This however, was really easy and tastes similar to the restaurant we normally get take-out from.
I had to omit the cayenne pepper as I couldn´t find it anywhere (but will try and include it next time) and as I could only find extra spicy chili powder I only used half a tsp. This dish will definitely be included in my go to recipes.
★★★★★
This was amazing!!!!!
I normally stay away from cooking Indian as the mile long list of steps and ingredients completely intimidates me. This however, was pretty simple and tastes just as good as when I order this dish at my local Indian restaurant.
As I couldn´t find any cayenne pepper I omitted it (but will try and add it next time) and as I could only get extra spicy chili powder I only added 0.5 a tsp.
★★★★★
So glad you liked it, Christine!! xo
My son asked me for butter chicken this evening and usually I use a jar of curry sauce mix but I didn’t have any. I live in France and good curry is extremely hard to find so I googled for a recipe.
Everyone loved it. Superb recipe.
The only changes I made were to use :
14 oz Tin chopped tomatoes
A teaspoon of mango chutney
Before I added the cream I puréed the tomato based sauce.
I added the cream and a touch of salt.
A few moments before serving I gave a generous squeeze of lemon juice ( I didn’t have any limes)
Truly gorgeous curry, looked and tasted like a genuine butter chicken.
The only thing I’d like to add is tikka marinaded chicken instead of plain chicken..
That’s for next time.
Thanks for a great recipe.
Mmm I love the idea of mango chutney in here!! Thanks for the notes, Miranda! xo
I made this tonight and it was great. Friends stopped by unexpectedly with some wine and decided to stay and try this new recipe because it smelled wonderful- they loved it! They said that I am a good cook and I always say that I am not a good cook, but I KNOW HOW TO SPOT A GREAT RECIPE. This is a great base recipe and the sauce would be great to use with crisp fried potatoes for vegetarian or even paneer, and maybe fried tofu.
Overall, very pleased and so much easier than the 3++ hours to make good tika masala( love tika masala for the flavor, but have a house full of dudes who need food fast).
Easy and manageable ingredient list and steps. Bought Trader Joe's garlic Naan and made it even easier.
It's going in my recipe rotation.
★★★★★
Yay!! So glad to hear it, Sarah! xo
This recipe has become a favorite in our house...such a quick go-to on a busy night. We moved away from an Indian restaurant that we loved and started looking for ways to replicate the food we missed. In the words of my husband tonight, "You could totally serve this at a restaurant and I would eat it every night." I'd say that's meal satisfaction.
★★★★★
So glad you all like it, Rachel!! xo
Accidentally used 2 cups of heavy cream (didn't read the notes about using half water). Whoops! So delicious but will make sure to do half water next time
Ha! I bet it was tasty (albiet rich!)! xo
I HAVE TRIED OTHER BUTTER CHICKEN. BUT TO TELL YOU THIS IS THE BEST SO FAR THAT I HAVE FOUND.
Glad to hear it, Mr. D! xo
Delicious!
Can you cook this on slow cooker?
Yes! There is a link at the top of this post to the slow cooker version!
Easy, simple and close to authentic taste! I can't believe how quick and easy this was to whip up. AND it actually tastes really close to what I've eaten in authentic Indian restaurants. I left out the spicy spices so my kids could have some too. They gobbled it up! Thanks for the great recipe!
★★★★★
Glad you liked it, Mimi! xo
This was very good and fairly easy! I usually mess up Indian food, but this was perfect.
★★★★★
You can use tomato soup or Passata or even a can of diced tomatoes with a table spoon of Tomato puree.
If you add a little vinegar and white pepper it tastes more like the restaurant dishes in Australian Indian restaurants.
Great recipe thanks.
★★★★★
Hey Mary,
It's Matteo, Charlie Carter's roommate. He put me on to this recipe. I made it and it was absolutely delicious. Thank you so much.
★★★★★
Hey Matteo!! So glad you liked it! xo
I want to do this in the slow cooker, would it basically be the same as the "healthier" version but add cream at the end instead of yogurt?
Yes!!
Made this recipe a couple weeks ago and will be making it again for a get together with my siblings and their families. The only thing I did different was to add turmeric and garam masala. Also I added a bit of the spices to the chicken cubes before frying them. And i used a can of diced tomatoes, pureed instead of tomato sauce. ( The color wasn't as vibrant because of that) it tasted fabulous. Served with store bought tandoori naan. Thanks again?
★★★★★
I live in Lebanon. I used Pomi strained tomatoes (Passata di Pomodoro) made in Italy. I found it at Carrefour market. The Butter chicken turned out amazing!
★★★★★
I'm interested in making this. It looks delicious.
How many chicken breasts equal 2lbs? The chicken breasts I've got are big so I was wondering how many I need to use for this recipe.
Hi Ali! It's almost impossible for me to answer that question... it really depends on the size of your chicken breasts! I'd use 3-4 large ones.
Does not taste like true butter chicken. Too spicy if making for a family with kids. Would use chicken thighs instead. Add heavy cream at the end and the water while cooking.
★★
Sorry you didn't enjoy it, AJ! I agree that this is much better with chicken thighs — I've been considering updating the recipe to reflect that, but haven't done it yet.
I read some comments and in my opinion follow the recipe. Just like the mouse says in. Ratatouille. Don’t use milk or water!
I used whipping cream not 18%
The only thing I did before added the cream was purée the onions, tomatoes and spices after they had cooked.
Nothing else. Use salt to adjust to taste.
Made this tonight and it’s definitey a keeper. Not a big fan of ginger so halved that and put in 1 cup of cream and 1 cup of milk. Replaced the tomato with a can of tomato soup concentrate. My hubby has been to Mumbai a few times recently and he says it was right up there. Very authentic. Delish!
★★★★★
Taste is amazing! Me and my family found this recipe about a year ago and have made it probably once a month since then. My only real comment is, mine never looks as red and dark as the picture does, and I found mine is a little on the runnier side? Any suggestions as to what I am doing wrong? I use table cream.
★★★★★
I doubt you're doing anything wrong, Kourtney! The color of this recipe varies wildly depending on what kind of tomatoes you use. Glad you enjoy it!
Have been trying different butter curry recipes and this is by the the easiest. Yum factor was also high. Definitely a keeper and good for a quick dinner meal. For a tasty meal prepared under an hour, this deserves a 5 stars!
★★★★★
Where do I find yellow onion? I have never seen it, Or maybe it's because the name is different
★★★★★
I get them at my normal grocery store — they're the "normal" onions here!!
Hiiii love this recipe and make it all the time thanks! Can you freeze it and reheat without separation??
Hi Bee! I haven't tried freezing this after making it, but I don't see why it wouldn't work! Please let me know how it goes if you try!
The sauce is good but the dish is very bland. The chicken is tasteless.
★★
I never thought I could make Indian food without slaving away all night. Amazing flavors. You are right...it’s absolute magic!!!
★★★★★
This dish was delicious. I loved the mix of flavors and was easy to make! Thanks!
★★★★★
Whole family loves it. Which is no small challenge. Family of 6 - 4 kids from 14-22. I used canned coconut milk instead of cream to avoid dairy. It was spectacular! Not bland at all (as mentioned in a previous post), but then again, I don't follow recipes exact. I season to my preference.
I made extra for leftovers. Cook once - Eat twice. Super simple. Not a lot of dishes or slaving. Thank you for this great dinner option!
★★★★★
what is the purpose of ground cumin? I really don't like to eat it
★★★★★
I'm unsure how to answer this, Lisa ... the ground cumin is an essential piece of the flavor profile! You can leave it out if you don't like cumin, but the end flavor will be different.
What a Disappointment 🙁
I love Indian food and have eaten a variety of yummy butter chicken recipes over the years. This one was not up to snuff and I was BUMMED out. In general, the flavor was pretty uninteresting and texture left something to be desired. The chicken didn't end up very tender and my girlfriend and I ended up having to toss the lot- what a disappointment. Will not make again or recommend to a friend.
★
I just have to say that I absolutely love this recipe....so thank you for that. I've been making this every once in a while for my fam and they love it too! The restaurants aren't cutting it for me! Also to anyone who is concerned about the cream separating....if you use whipping cream- 35%, that will most certainly not happen. I cooked my sauce and my par cooked chicken pieces(bone in) over low heat after everything was combined for 30 minutes and it was perfect. The chicken was tender and the sauce was beautifully thickened. Mine doesn't turn a vibrant red, but I don't care- my mouth loves it!
★★★★★
I use Greek yoghurt instead of cream. I put all herbs and spices in this recipe in a bowl with 1/2 a cup of Greek yoghurt and mixed it. Then I added the chicken and let it sit covered in the fridge for 2 hours then I cooked it slowly. Once it was cooked I added rest of yoghurt and added tomato sauce and it turned out perfect. Just like a restaurants
Have made this recipe about 4 times now and it’s a winner every time. Have added a stick of cinnamon, 2 cloves and 2 cardamom pods to the base recipe for extra flavour and 1/2 cup less cream. But still totally respect the base recipe which is great. Many thanks!
★★★★★
I used 1/2 cup of heavy cream mixed with 1 cup of 2% milk to lower the calories. I found the consistency was 'soupy' enough so didn't need to add more liquids. It tasted amazing! I couldn't find chicken thighs at the store (living through the coronavirus pandemic atm) but there were chicken breasts. I made butter chicken before with breast and it came out slightly dry. But this time I cut the meat in slices and marinated them for 15 min before browning, it was perfect!
★★★★★
Thank you for this recipe! I’ve never made Indian before and it was SO GOOD and easy. We are dairy free so I used a cashew/coconut cream blend you can get here in NZ and it turned out amazing. Just wondering if you had any tips to tone down the spice so my toddler can enjoy with us?
★★★★★
Hi April! I'm glad you enjoyed it! You could easily make this less spicy by using less cayenne and/or chili powder. Enjoy!
? wow this is the best butter chicken I’ve made , the family loved it . It was so easy - I used an organic paastsa from Wooly’s I put in 500 ml as I wanted to take some sauce out for my vegan daughter therefore used nutlex butter to make the sauce , I still cooked the chicken in salted butter and added salted butter to the butter chicken to finish - I Added roast zucchini, pumpkin and sweet potatoes to the vegan sauce and stirred in 2 cups of baby Spinach just before serving she absolutely loved it . Thank you so much it was delicious and easy spice was spot On ???
★★★★★
Hi there!
I have tried this recipe once before and was so tasty! And I used goat yogurt to marinate the chicken.
I came back to do it the second time but I don’t see the marinating procedure. Can you please post the spices to marinate the chicken with? Thank you !
Hi Cherine! Can you point me to where I talk about marinating? I don't see it ... and don't usually marinade my chicken for this, so am a bit confused. Glad you enjoyed it!
I just want to say thank you! I have been cooking more since quarantine started, and my family loved this recipe. It was a huge hit we will keep forever. Thank you for sharing!you have the best directions and the naan with yeast you shared is spot on a perfect match. Thank you so much from Sacramento!
So glad to hear it, Jill!! Hope you're all safe and healthy. xoxo
This is my first time cooking Indian food. It was really delicious. I like it and so does my family. I think I will learn more about Indian cuisine. Thank you very much!
It's very good, but it DOES NOT take 25 minutes to prepare. It took an hour (we are not inexperienced cooks). I'm not complaining, but wanted to let folks know roughly how long it takes to make so you can plan according to available time.
★★★★
what is the purpose of cayenne pepper?, Where did I find it? thank you
★★★★★
Hi Donda! I find cayenne pepper at any supermarket near me. Where do you live? I suspect your local grocery has it. It adds a bit of heat (spicy!) to the recipe — you can omit it if you don't want as much spice!
Looks absolutely delicious! Was looking for this exotic recipe for a while. Will try it tonight, with yogurt. Hope it turns out as good as yours. 🙂
Thanks Mary for this recipe!
★★★★★
I cooked this for the first time for my family.(who don't really do chilli) and was way to hot. But I loved it. My partner and I love chilli dishes, and this was the best butter chicken I've tasted yet. So no more jars and packets. So easy to make.....
I love this recipe! I have made it two times in the past month and each time it gets better.
I marinate my chicken the day before in the same spices as per the recipe. I use heavy cream and the flavor is really good. If I want more spice, just add more cayenne and splash of chili. I'm going try this week again with tomato paste to see how that works. But overall i love the recipe and its close enough to what can be brought from a restaurant.
Indian food always impresses me. So does Indian Butter Chicken. I love it. Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
I love this recipe, made it a few times! When I add the cream the color goes pink. How do you get your sauce looking so red? Whenever I have had butter chicken in restaurants their sauce is red too.
Hi Jennifer! I think the sauce color greatly depends on tomato sauce and spice brands — they vary so much!! Pink is totally fine 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it!
My daughter acquired a taste for Indian food when she was in college last year, She talked of this one often, So after work i went to the Indian market bought the spices and made this, She loved it! Even though I’m not Very fond of Indian food, this was easy and very good! I had made Roti bread instead of naan because I had some left from 3 days ago, this is a delicious meal you should make it! Thank you for sharing this easy delicious recipe!
★★★★★
Great Recipe! I made it according to your recipe and the taste is great! Everyone in the family likes it, it makes me happy. Thank you.
★★★★★
This recipe turned out amazing!! It is literally so so good, it has so much flavor. I ended up using ginger powder instead of fresh ginger and it still turned out incredible!
★★★★★
I was totally amazed at the end result. Taste just like the one we often buy from the local Indian takeaway. The only thing I would change is reducing the chili. One of my kids found this a bit too spicy. I love this recipe because the ingredients are so much simpler than the other versions I found on the internet. I will probably just make my own instead of buying from the takeaway in the future.
★★★★★
Thankyou for this recipe. Made it for dinner tonight. Turned out perfectly. Will definitely be cooking this one again. The sauce is so yummy. I’m in Australia. I used Pasata and cooking cream.. It’s just the two of us so leftovers for dinner tomorrow night. ?
I love this recipe! I've made it several times using your tip to dilute the cream with water and it turns out great every time. I noticed today that in your notes section the link for the tomato sauce now leads to a page with soups, so you may want to update it.
★★★★★
I made this recipe twice with great hopes that it would be as “magical” as described. While we ate it and it was fine, it definitely tasted like canned tomato sauce with Indian seasonings. I’m glad I tried it twice to be sure but I will pick another recipe next time. Thank you for your recipe.
This butter chicken is amazing! My entire picky family loves it. We've made it 3 times so it's nearly in a weekly rotation.
★★★★★
Pretty flavourless, just spicy. The recipe has too much cream and not enough tomato.
★★
Tried this whilst in search for something new and different. Was delicious and has become a family favourite and staple. Thanks you!
★★★★★
Looks great! The recipe is quite simple and easy to prepare, added to the menu for this weekend. Hope to enjoy the best indian butter chicken with my family. Thanks and have a nice day!
★★★★★
So good and easy to make
★★★★★
so, i used a tin of tomatoes and a whole can of coconut milk - major disaster! it just tasted like coconut milk 🙁 and looked like a pink mess instead of the gorgeous red in the post photos. i ended up adding in a tub of tomato paste to try and save it.. it was ok but not great. I'll give it another go with the half cream half water instead and a different type of tomato passata next time. Fingers crossed.
So Good!! I used half of the cream and 1/4 half & half. Also added red and green pepper slices. YUMMY!!!
★★★★★
Wow, amazing! The naan recipe is en pointe as well, except i would add a little more salt IN the dough. Anyway, this recipe is AMAZING, and I can tell because it took so long to scroll all the way past the 5 star reviews 😉 Anyway, you all deserve it- I could NOT have found a better recipe!
★★★★★
I made this tonight, it was good but I think next time I won’t add as much coriander it was a bit to much for our taste buds lol Mine was a lot lighter in color then yours! I fallowed the recipe to the T.
★★★★
I ment Cumin
★★★★
yum, quick and easy. the best kind of recipe.
★★★★★
Taught my g-daughter this recipe to teach her how to read a recipe and cook it. Came out delicious.
Thanks, Mary!
★★★★★
Sooo good!! Thank you for sharing! 🙂
★★★★★
I love everything about chicken. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe.
★★★★★
Thank you for your sharing, me and my husband are eating keto and really tired of the boiled chicken breast, this recipe will help a lot lol
Maybe I'll change a little bit, eat it with brown bread or brown rice for example
★★★★★
Delicious! I substituted heavy cream for greek yogurt and it turned out excellent
★★★★★
Great recipe!
They look delicious and easy to make.
My favorite one is the Indian Butter Chicken. I think I will give it a try and make it now.
Thank You!
★★★★★
My boys and I love this i also make yr Naan bread
★★★★★
Love this recipe!! My butter chicken finally tastes great instead of just tasting like tomato sauce!
Plus the ingredients are ones you mainly have at home already! So handy and great and QUICK TO MAKE!! Just make sure to simmer at the end so all the flavours combine.
Thank you!!
★★★★★
One of the best recipes you can find online!
Don't skimp on the cream, use two cups of heavy cream! Make it exactly as it says.
★★★★★
This recipe for Butter Chicken has saved me $40 a pop, as I love to get my partner and I butter chicken takeaways, so thank you for giving me a new fave recipe!
I made it for the first time last night, I only used what I had so was a vegetarian one - Il share the way I made it xx
I had 6 potatoes and 2 kumara to use up, so I boiled them in the microwave for about ten mins, stir, then ten mins again. While they cooked, I added the butter, spices, garlic and ginger into the pot (I also added a vege stock cube) along with half a tin of Pams tomato puree, I let this cook for a bit. I then chucked in a bag of frozen cauliflower rice to cook in the sauce, and added the cream/milk at the end. It was absolutely delicious, next time I would chuck in some chickpeas too! Thank you, I freakin love this recipe!
This is the worst butter chicken recipe I have ever had the misfortune of using. Wildly bland and unappetizing. Would not recommend mixing water with heavy cream to anyone.
★
Give it another try. I’ve tried a lot of the recipes out there and this one was by far the best. Good luck.
★★★★★
Hey, this is heavenly. I started off by reading several of the comments but there's just too many of them. I just wanted to make a comment of my own in case it hadn't been posted. I made the sauce and then vacuum sealed it with the chicken that had been slightly browned & cooked it sous vide for 2 hours at a 165ﾟ and it came out tender and perfect and wonderful.
★★★★★
Lovely dish. I make something similar by adding 1/2″ slices of chorizo sausage and use olive oil in place of butter to turn it into Spanish lemon chicken. Try adding peppers, carrots or whatever takes your fancy. Yummy….
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★★★★★
I’ve tried different recipes but this is now my go to. The ingredients are easy to get with other recipes I had to search for an asian store for ingredients this recipe was easy. The heat wasn’t bad I just reduced the cayenne oh and my family like it Yay!!
Thanks for sharing
★★★★★
The recipe was great.
I am liberal. When I take the Political Compass test, I am somewhere to the left of Ghandi. I use that as a preface before I say that publishing this recipe isn't cultural appropriation. This is actually spreading cultural awareness. Appreciating certain aspects of another culture and sharing that, even if you get some ad dollars out of it, doesn't diminish that ethnic group or patronize them. I think it's nice that you donate the proceeds from, this post, but cut yourself some slack. White liberals are having a hard time right now because we see the cultural damage white people have done around the world and we are sensitive to any chance that we are promulgating that wrong. This isn't doing that.
★★★★
This has been my fail safe go-to recipe for a long time now. it absolutely wins over any restaurant I have tried. In this one I can taste every spice unlike some of the mush out there parading as Butter Chicken. I even impressed a top-line French chef with it who had seconds! Thank you Mary for your willingness to share this and all your other recipes.My family always ask for it and I bask in their adulation. I may forget stuff as i get older but I can cook a mean butter chicken. That's all that counts.
★★★★★
This is one of my favorite recipes to make!! Please do not take it down. There are lots of non people of color running businesses sharing food from cultures they may not directly be apart of but appreciate. As a woman of color I think as long as you are being respectful by saying it isn’t authentic you should not have to apologize and you certainly shouldn’t have to take it down. I think it’s beautiful for people across the world to make recipes from lands they are not from it shows appreciation and openness. I think it is much more rude when someone won’t try something just because it is not “American”. But this isn’t Facebook lol I just wanted to let you know I appreciate this recipe it’s amazing!
★★★★★
I have never eaten such delicious cakes in Vietnam. Thanks to whoever made it. That's great, can you show me the recipe?
★★★★★
First of all, I would like to thank you for this recipe...it has been my go to for our curry night, atleast once a fortnight! Secondly, I'm not sure about your edit- food is food and the world should be able to learn and cook whichever cuisine we please.
Thirdly- i have lost count how many times I've cooked this recipe, but after while I blended my ginger, garlic and onion up before simmering on low for 10 mins......try it- it's a game changer!!!
★★★★★
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻very well put, Mary.
I've been using this recipe for years now, thanks for this. You're new intro causes lots of frustrations and to be honest I understand the frustration. I think you are annoying way more people by this introduction than you would have ever done by just keeping things as is. Who get's offended by calling a dish where it comes from? You even mentioned that it wasn't a traditional butter chicken anyway? The 0,01% people that are offended by this are the loudest screamers, you are encouring them to become even louder now. Don't apologize for doing nothing wrong.
I'm from the Italy and if you ever want to make a ITALIAN pasta pesto please do so and make as much money with it as you can. I will personally visit the 7 people that have an issue with it to make sure they focus on more important things in life 🙂
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Hello,
I'm Jackson, I'm a chef who loves food, I'm always interested in new foods. Indian Butter Chicken is great! I just finished them tonight, taste is great and i had a great dinner with my little family. Thanks for your sharing.
Sincerely grateful!
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Thank you soooo much for sharing this incredible diamond has become a staple go to quick fix dinner for friends and family. Truly delicious and the chicken ends up being so tender. Thank you !!!!! Beautifully done and yes this is one of those best kept secrets.
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I had to refer to your site for a quick look at your recipe again. I have made it may times now- i'm addicted. I'm out of cream and i need to know if i can sub some coconut cream( not milk) from a can?
Also, I happened to notice your apology at the beginning of the post and i just wanted to comment; I'm Pakistani ( of Indian descent) and i did not find anything offensive about you calling the recipe "Indian butter chicken" If anything I think its flattering that you have imitated a dish from a different culture/cuisine than your own- quite successfully i might add! i have tried other recipes from " Indian" sites and they haven't been half as good as yours! imho - no apology necessary!
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My biggest savior with cooking has been a meat thermometer. I got a pretty inexpensive one the stays in the meat while cooking and has an alarm once you hit the set temperature
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It turned out amazing! I wish I could post a photo 🙂 I used tofu instead of chicken, and it was still incredibly flavorful!
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Do NOT apologized for anything! This is a great recipe. Maybe you modified it, maybe you didn't. Who cares? It's great and we're thankful you posted it. This culture appropriation crap needs to stop.
Wonderful
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We love love love this recipe. We did however only use 1 cup cream and 1 cup water. We thought two cups tasted too creamy. We also added hot mirchi ground instead of the chili powder for more of a spice. But this has become a weakly regular for us. Love love love!
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My absolute favorite butter chicken recipe I’ve tried. It a regular on my table now! I often substitute the cream with half and half and use a cornstarch slurry at the end to get desired thickness of sauce. I also cut the butter quantity in half by using 3T lbs butter and with olive oil. I always make this with boneless and skinless chicken thighs and I cook for 30 min and it’s so juicy and tender! I never brown the chicken first because I think it’s an unnecessary step and it’s always perfect just adding it in after the cream. -I’ve also done all this and thrown it in my pressure cooker! Love love this recipe!!!! The taste is perfect EVERYTIME! *note-its important to caramelize the onions first to add a slight sweetness. If you have to skip this step add a pinch of sugar. Trust me!! Enjoy!!🥰
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I have made this dish no fewer than 15 times in the last three years. It is so loved by my family, friends, and even our elderly neighbors. I (only) triple the recipe because I want to share it and have leftovers. You gave us a wonderful recipe and have nothing to apologize about. Nobody cooks an Italian meal and gets upset about hurting any Italian’s feelings. I cook a lot of Thai and make up my own recipes and don’t feel bad at all about creating incredible recipes. I also make hummus all the time but feel no regret or guilt. Girl, you’re all good!!
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Thanks for the recipe. I find it unnecessary for people to be racist. You clearly stated its an Indian dish so whatever you change in the recipe is something you have changed and nothing for anyone to be offended about. I dont mind people trying out food in my culture and actually enjoying it or changing it around to suit their needs. People should relax and they stop becoming racists themselves
I have never cooked Indian butter chicken before actually I never cooked much at all. But I did try this recipe and many people are asking me how I make it, and giving me many compliments. So Thank you very much for sharing your recipe it’s been great!
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What an exquisite article! Your post is very helpful right now. Thank you for sharing this informative one. Contact us if you want to order spices online at wholesale price....
Absolutely delicious !!!!
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I love butter chicken. But, was intimidated by what I thought had to be a long cooking process. I have more been making this recipe for a couple of years. The only thing I do differently after following the recipe the first time is to cut the cream in half. Personal preference I guess. We prefer a stronger spice profile. This is easy and well be a go to for our family for years to come.
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Appreciate the author's thoughtful approach in sharing this Indian Butter Chicken recipe and addressing cultural sensitivity.
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Very tasty recipe. I almost panicked because I couldn’t find the Garam masala but then I found two jars ha ha ha
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My friend made me this recipe for every special occasion and it is a favorite for years! She moved away and sent me this recipe and it’s just so good!
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This has been my go-to recipe for butter chicken for years! I’ve made it for many friends and my family and it never disappoints. Love it!
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Very nice egg recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Delicious recipe
Very Useful Information
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"I just made this recipe, and it was absolutely delicious! The ingredients came together perfectly, and it was a huge hit at the dinner table. I appreciate the clear instructions—can't wait to try more recipes from this site!"
Lovely page and recipe. 🌺
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A family favorite. Thanks for the recipe!
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Amazing recipe - we use it often and it’s great.
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Best ever recipe I've ever come across 😋
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