A delicious, authentic recipe for Butter Chicken – one of India’s most popular chicken curry dishes. This recipe will make you never want to get takeout again! It’s cozy and comforting, and the creamy tomato butter sauce bursts with fragrant Indian spices. Vegan-adaptable. Plus 35+ Mouthwatering Indian Recipes to Make at Home! Video.
Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.~ Anaïs Nin
Butter Chicken is a classic Indian curry dish called Murgh Makhani, which means “luxurious chicken” typically made with chicken bathed in the most fragrant, creamy, spiced, tomato sauce enriched with ghee. It’s called Butter chicken because the sauce is made with ghee which adds incredible depth, a nutty umami flavor, and creamy richness. Serve this with fluffy, Indian-style basmati rice and golden buttery naan bread! The butter chicken sauce alone, spooned over veggies and rice, will make you so incredibly happy you will want to melt into your chair. One of my favorite Indian food recipes on the blog!
You’ll love how authentic the flavors are. After two trips to India and repeatedly making this recipe for years in our catering business, I’m so excited to be able to share it with you, finally! The spices truly elevate here.
Butter Chicken | 60-Sec Video
Why you’ll love this Butter Chicken!
- It’s Better than takeout! The flavors here will rival any take-out, and you can control the quality of the ingredients.
- It’s Adaptable! Make it with chicken, roasted cauliflower, crispy tofu, or even fish! The best thing is this butter chicken recipe is that it is adaptable, which for mixed households is a godsend! Meaning, your spouse who wants his chicken dinner, and your teen who is vegetarian can both enjoy this and will both totally loooooove it! You can also make this dairy free with coconut milk.
- We’ve simplified it! We skip the marinating step in the recipe, and you can’t tell! It’s reasonably quick and easy (45-60 mins), can be made ahead and freezes well. Great for meal prep.
Butter Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken Breast- I prefer the lightness of chicken breast here, but feel free to use chicken thighs- you can even leave them whole in the sauce. A great plant-based swap is to use roasted cauliflower florets, or crispy tofu.
- Ghee – ghee versus butter truly elevates this dish. It has a unique flavor that you can’t get with butter. You can make homemade ghee or buy it! Vegans can substitute vegan butter or coconut oil.
- Onion, fresh ginger and garlic cloves – all add depth of flavor.
- Fresh Chilies – Serrano chilies offer the best flavor and heat here, but milder jalapeno is a fine substitution.
- Tomatoes – Use canned tomato puree, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes or puréed fresh tomatoes.
- Spices in butter chicken: The spices make the dish- try to use as many as you can. Cinnamon stick, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, paprika (not smoked), black mustard seeds, chili powder, fenugreek leaves, garam masala spice blend, turmeric, coriander, optional cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper.
- Coconut milk , whole milk yogurt or heavy cream – Butter chicken sauce is made creamy with either plain yogurt or coconut milk. You could also use heavy cream.
How to make Butter Chicken (step-by-step Instructions)
Step One: Season chicken (either whole or cut into bite-sized pieces) with salt, pepper, and garam masala. Heat ghee over medium heat in a large skillet or Dutch oven, add chicken and brown the chicken until golden and set it aside. No need to cook it through.
Step Two: Add the remaining ghee to the Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and chilies and saute 5-6 minutes until deeply tender and fragrant. Add the garlic, ginger, fennel seeds, mustard seeds and cumin seeds and cook until ginger is cooked and golden, about 3 more minutes.
Add the spices: garam masala, fenugreek, chili powder, paprika, and cinnamon stick, and toast the spices for one minute., to bring out the flavor.
Step three: Add the tomato puree plus 1 cup water. Add the salt and sugar, give a good stir. Add the seared chicken. Simmer gently on low heat for 10 minutes, uncovered, allowing all the fragrant spices to infuse the sauce and your home.
Step four: After simmering 8-10 minutes, stir in the coconut cream and simmer gently once more for 3-4 more minutes.
Step five: Taste the sauce, adjusting the salt and spice level to taste (add cayenne to taste). Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve! This Butter chicken tastes savory and flavorful, rich with Indian spices, with a subtle, pleasant heat and a beautiful creamy butteriness to the sauce.
Expert Tips
- Use ghee for the best flavor.
- If using yogurt, balance the recipe with a little sweetness- a teaspoon of honey or brown sugar works wonders.
- Find the brightest red paprika you can, for the best color and presentation, and remember that smoked paprika is not the right flavor profile.
- Salt and season the chicken well first, and give it a good sear to lock in those flavors.
- The leftovers taste better and better over time as the flavors meld.
Butter Chicken Serving Suggestions
Butter chicken is rich and delicious, and best served over something to soak up the sauce like basmati rice, or naan bread. For a low-carb option, cauliflower rice works too!
Make this ahead!
What is nice about this Butter chicken recipe, is that it can be made ahead and will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator- great for meal prep! The butter chicken can also be frozen for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Butter Chicken Variations
As you can see from the recipe, this can easily be adapted. To make this vegetarian, substitute roasted cauliflower or crispy tofu for the chicken. To make this vegan, leave out the ghee and use coconut oil (although the ghee truly does add great flavor). Feel free to serve the Indian Butter Sauce over simple, oven-roasted veggies and basmati rice.
Instead of chicken, you could simmer white fish in the sauce. Instead of chicken breast, you can use whole chicken thighs ( skin on bone in) searing them first.
You could simmer meatballs in the sauce. It’s really that versatile!
What is the difference between Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala?
Butter chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala are similar in that both are made with chicken that is simmered in a spiced tomato curry sauce. But Butter Chicken is both creamier and milder than Chicken Tikka Masala which tends to be less rich and more spicy, and slightly tangier.
Can Butter chicken be made in an Instant Pot?
Absolutely! Follow the recipe as stated in the recipe card, up until you add the chicken back into the pan with the tomato sauce. Set the instant pot to high pressure for 7 minutes, naturally release then add the remaining ingredients following the recipe card.
The Origin of Butter Chicken
Butter chicken (murgh makhani) is thought to have happened as a happy accident. Created quite spontaneously by 2 chefs, Kundan Lal Jaggi, and Kundan Lal Gujral in a restaurant in Old Delhi, India called Moti Mahal, in 1947, they mixed leftover tandoori chicken with a tomato curry gravy, enriched with ghee. Murgh makhani means “luxurious chicken” which perfectly captures the spirit of the dish.
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Butter Chicken Recipe (Chicken Makhani)
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6-8
- Category: Main
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian
Description
The best recipe for Butter Chicken, (Chicken Makhani) a classic Indian dish made with tender chicken breast in a fragrant spiced tomato curry sauce enriched with ghee. Vegan-adaptable and GF.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces.
- 2 teaspoons salt (use 1 teaspoon per pound of chicken)
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoons ghee
Butter Sauce
- 1 tablespoon ghee,
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1–2 serrano chilies (or sub 1 jalapeno) split in half lengthwise (leave tops intact)
- 4 fat garlic cloves- finely minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger finely minced (or use ginger paste)
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds or regular mustard seeds
- 14-ounce can tomato puree, tomato sauce (or sub 2 medium tomatoes, blended with their juices, roughly 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 cup water (or veggie broth or chicken stock)
- 1 tablespoon garam masala spice (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves (optional, but elevates the dish substantially)
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2–3 teaspoons paprika (do NOT use smoked paprika, if you don’t have regular, just leave it out!)
- 1 cup coconut cream (or sub heavy cream) or full fat yogurt.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar, brown sugar, or honey
- optional additions: cayenne pepper to taste, pinch turmeric, pinch cardamom, pinch coriander
- garnish with cilantro
Serve with naan bread, fluffy basmati rice, cauliflower rice or cauliflower florets and optional raita!
Instructions
- Season chicken (either whole or cut into bite-sized pieces) with salt, pepper and garam masala. Heat ghee over medium heat in a large skillet or dutch oven, add chicken and brown the chicken until golden and set aside. No need to cook through.
- Add the remaining ghee to the Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and whole chilies and saute 5-6 minutes until deeply tender and fragrant. Add the garlic, ginger, fennel seeds, mustard seeds and cumin seeds and cook until ginger is cooked and golden, about 3 more minutes. Add the spices: garam masala, fenugreek, chili powder, paprika, and cinnamon stick, and toast the spices, for 30-60 seconds to bring out their flavor. Add the tomato puree plus 1 cup water.
- Add the salt and brown sugar, give a good stir. Add the seared chicken. Simmer gently on low heat for 10 minutes, uncovered, allowing all the fragrant spices to infuse the sauce and your home.
- After 10 minutes, stir in the coconut cream and simmer gently once more for 3-4 more minutes. For a brighter red hue, you could add more paprika if you like.
- Taste, adjusting the salt and spice level to taste (add cayenne to taste). Feel free to fish out the whole chilies.
- Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve with basmati rice or naan.
Notes
Ghee: This recipe is all about the Indian “Butter” Sauce. The ghee truly makes it. Trust me! If you don’t have ghee- it is easy to make at home – see our homemade ghee.
Coconut Cream– use the thick solids out of the coconut milk can. Light coconut milk will be too runny. You can also use heavy cream or extra thick yogurt in a pinch.
Garam Masala Spice can be made at home- see our Homemade Garama Masala or find it at your local supermarket – it’s one that we use here on the blog frequently, so perhaps worth investing in or making.
Dried Fenugreek leaves (not seeds or powder!) are worth tracking down, as they elevate Indian dishes substantially! Asian markets usually carry them or they can be ordered here on Amazon.
Vegan: Use coconut oil instead of ghee and coconut milk. The Indian Butter Sauce is delicious over roasted cauliflower or Crispy tofu !
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 307
- Sugar: 6.1 g
- Sodium: 866.3 mg
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated Fat: 11.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 5.8 g
- Protein: 16.7 g
- Cholesterol: 48 mg
This dish is absolutely fantastic; the depth of flavor is incredible! In the past I’ve used butter chicken recipes from Indian cookbooks, which have been fine. I assume that the large variety of spices here, particularly the textures provided by the whole spices, make the difference. The coconut cream gives it a wonderful silkiness. The only change I made was to use crushed tomatoes in place of puree, since that’s what I had on hand.
Wonderful to hear this Karen!
I really want to try this recipe, I’m a bit confused about the amount of tomato puree, is it the full 14oz? It’s just because you say to alternatively use 2 medium tomatoes which I think will be a lot less. I’m in the UK and I’m wondering if your tomato puree/sauce is different there. Here it is very concentrated. Thank you!
Hi Tiffany! Basically you’ll need 1 ½ cups of tomatoes that are chopped, pureed (in a food processor) or come in a can that way. Not tomato paste! I wonder if that is what you were thinking? Tomato paste would be way too concentrated.
I’m doubling the recipe this time. The ingredients call for 2 cups water but the instructions have 1 cup of water in bold. This is a yummy recipe, thank you.
I think it is because you are using the multiplier which doesn’t always translate. Double the water too!
What happens to the Serrano pepper. I got as far as cutting down the centre and including the top – so does it break down or was I supposed to chop it at some point?
Hi Nikky, just toss them in whole- with the cut downt he center. It will infuse the sauce with subtle heat that way, it won’t break down, and do not chop it ( too spicy). You can fish it out after.
Made this evening without changes or substitutions. Used yogurt. It was so wonderfully good and the aroma is still lingering and soothing. Thank-you
Love hearing this Kelly!
This is amazing! I think it may be better than any Butter Chicken I’ve had in an Indian restaurant.
Thank you Julie!
It was clean plate club at my house with this recipe! Thanks again Sylvia.
Great to hear Stacey!
Had sauce leftover so I lightly fried some Paneer with some salt/pepper and added it to the leftover sauce.
Sounds amazing!!
I made this vegan style for my sister. It was so tasty! I have made several recipes on your website. Thank you for sharing!
Awesome! Did you make it the the cauliflower? I often make it vegan at home too!
Amazing❤️
You are awsome🤩
Aw thanks Stian!😊
My daughter has the nut/sesame allergy. I read fenugreek belongs to that family, my question is , is there a substitute as, as you say it elevates the flavour
Oh interesting, that is important to note! Honestly it is still really delicious made without the fenugreek. You can just leave it out.
I added a little cornstarch slurry at the end to thicken it up a little more, due to personal preference. The flavor is amazing! It’s a nice little bit of spice.
Oh good! Great idea Jessica!
Hi there! I brought home from India what is labeled as fenugreek powder but looks like the ‘seeds’ when googling. Can I use instead of leaves, and if so, how much would you recommend?
Hi Julia- they are quite different. You can add of course- go light 1/2-1 teaspoon?
One of my FAVORITES! Really flavorful, and yet, not intensely complicated.
Awesome Laura!
Hello, if we don’t have a cinnamon stick should we sub ground cinnamon? Thanks.
Yes, I’d use 1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon.
Sylvia! I’ve made a lot of butter chicken recipes in my life. This is the best one so far. It reminded me of being in India! Just delicious. Thank you so much for this!! I was able to get my hands on some fresh fenugreek leaves. I added more than the dried, and you were right it sure elevated the flavour!!
I so happy you liked this Ingrid! The fenugreek leaves really make it!
Is this better with skin on or skin off chicken
I prefer skin off, the sauce is pretty rich, but totally up to you!
This is by far the best butter chicken recipe I’ve ever made. Such complex flavours. Your recipes never disappoint.
Thanks so much Terry!
Incredible! My family gobbled it down. I’d say better than what we’ve had at restaurants not only for the complex and rich flavor but being able to control the quality of all the ingredients. Thank you for another great dish. And it’s worth it to take the time and toast your own garam masala.
Thanks Kim! Glad you all enjoyed this!
Turned out really good! Thank you for another great recipe!
Great to hear!
Really good but I didn’t see directions for the lemon and honey. I added a bit of each at the end. I also blended everything before adding the coconut milk for a smoother consistency. It was very spicy! I removed the Serrano peppers half way through after tasting, but luckily I love spicy food. I made with roasted cauliflower and rice and it was delicious!
Opps! Sorry, Ashley- I left those out. Updated now and thanks for this pointing it out.
Made this tonight- tasted great, but was not like the pictures at all. Thin bodied, not “clingy” and brown. I did use light coconut, but I don’t think if I had used full bodied it would have changed things much. Will use again, but I have different expectations..
Hi Rob- sorry about that – and I’m pretty sure it was the light coconut milk. I never have good results with it. How was the flavor?
I’ve made this a dozen times with full coconut milk and exactly as written, but I also never achieve the dark color in the photos. The taste is outstanding, however, and it always gets compliments. After 10 minutes simmering, the tomato mixture is not a deep brown, and once the coconut milk goes in it, of course, lightens further. Not complaining…just would love to achieve that dark color if possible.
I have made SO many of your recipes and they are always a hit! You are my favorite food blogger. ❤️. Thanks for sharing your talents!
I hear you Kathy! I am remaking this soon and will see how it looks.You could try adding more paprika ( not smoked) and see if that helps?
I agree: I never achieve that dark color in the pictures, but I so want mine to look like this! I use diced tomatoes…do you use the puree? The flavor is outstanding and this is one of our very favorite dishes!!
Hi Kathy! I will have to remake this and see! It has been a while.
I made this today and followed your recipe for vegetarian. Absolutely delicious!!!
Thank you for sharing all of these amazing recipes, what a gift you have.
thanks Sienna!
Absolutely delicious, made it with chicken for my son, vegan for myself. Will definitely make again. Thank you !
Hi there. Can you use fenugreek seeds instead of leaves?
The leaves are best!
Absolutely delicious!! very easy to make. I couldn’t stop eating, went back for seconds!! I will definitely make this again. Thanks