Butter chicken was invented in 1950s Delhi when a chef accidentally dropped tandoori chicken into leftover tomato gravy.
Butter Chicken
Get ready to indulge in a rich and velvety butter chicken that will transport your taste buds straight to India! With tender chicken simmered in a luscious blend of butter, cream, and fragrant spices, this dish is a weeknight winner that’s both simple and satisfying. Perfect served over fluffy rice or with warm naan, it’s comfort food at its best!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(5)
- 4–5 cloves garlic (~15 g)
- 2 tsp ginger (grated or paste) (~4 g) (10 ml)
- Half A Lemon Juice
- 1 large red onion (~150 g) (5.29 oz)
- 4–5 tomatoes (or canned peeled tomatoes) (~600 g) (21.2 oz)
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 4–6 chicken breasts (about 500–750 g / 1.1–1.7 lbs) (1.1 lbs)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 1 cup cream (240 ml) (240 ml)
- 2–3 tbsp yogurt (30–45 ml) (30 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 3 tbsp tomato paste (45 ml) (45 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(8)
- 1 bay leaf
- 3–4 cardamom pods
- 1 tsp chili powder (2 g) (5 ml)
- 1 tsp coriander powder (2 g) (5 ml)
- 5 cloves
- 1 tsp cumin (2 g) (5 ml)
- 1 tsp garam masala (2 g) (5 ml)
- 1 tsp turmeric (2 g) (5 ml)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Cut 4–6 chicken breasts or thighs (500–750 g) into bite-sized pieces.
- 2
Mix chicken with 2–3 tbsp yogurt, 1 tsp each garam masala, turmeric, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and 2 tsp grated ginger. Marinate at least 30 minutes (up to 24 hrs).
- 3
Heat oil or ghee in a pan, cook chicken until golden and partially cooked. Remove and set aside.
- 4
In the same pan, sauté 1 diced onion, 4–5 garlic cloves, and whole spices (3–4 cardamom pods, 5 cloves) until fragrant.
- 5
Add 1 tbsp garam masala and 1 tsp each turmeric, cumin, coriander, and chili powder. Cook 1 minute.
- 6
Stir in 4–5 chopped tomatoes, 3 tbsp tomato paste, and water. Simmer 5 minutes.
- 7
Blend the mixture until smooth, then return it to the pan.
- 8
Add 1 tbsp sugar, a few knobs of butter, 1 cup heavy cream, and stir into the curry.
- 9
Add chicken back and simmer until cooked through, about 15–20 minutes.
- 10
Garnish with coriander, some heavy cream, and one knob of butter. Serve with rice and naan.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Marinate chicken in yogurt for exactly 2-24 hours because the lactic acid breaks down proteins optimally in this window - shorter times under-tenderize, longer times create mushy texture.timing2-24 hours
- ✓Cook chicken to only 140-145°F internal temperature during the initial sear since it will finish cooking in the sauce, preventing the 20-25% moisture loss that occurs when overcooked.technique140-145°F
- ✓Bloom whole spices in hot oil for 30-45 seconds until they crackle and release aromatics, as heat activates volatile oils that are 3-4x more potent than ground spices added later.technique30-45 seconds
- ✓Add heavy cream off heat or at temperatures below 180°F because higher temperatures cause proteins to curdle and break the emulsion, creating grainy texture.timingBelow 180°F
- ✓Use a 3:1 ratio of tomatoes to tomato paste for optimal umami balance, as the paste concentrates glutamates 8-10x while fresh tomatoes provide bright acidity.ingredient3:1 ratio
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Butter chicken was invented in 1950s Delhi when a chef accidentally dropped tandoori chicken into leftover tomato gravy.
Butter Chicken
Get ready to indulge in a rich and velvety butter chicken that will transport your taste buds straight to India! With tender chicken simmered in a luscious blend of butter, cream, and fragrant spices, this dish is a weeknight winner that’s both simple and satisfying. Perfect served over fluffy rice or with warm naan, it’s comfort food at its best!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(5)
- 4–5 cloves garlic (~15 g)
- 2 tsp ginger (grated or paste) (~4 g) (10 ml)
- Half A Lemon Juice
- 1 large red onion (~150 g) (5.29 oz)
- 4–5 tomatoes (or canned peeled tomatoes) (~600 g) (21.2 oz)
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 4–6 chicken breasts (about 500–750 g / 1.1–1.7 lbs) (1.1 lbs)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 1 cup cream (240 ml) (240 ml)
- 2–3 tbsp yogurt (30–45 ml) (30 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- 3 tbsp tomato paste (45 ml) (45 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(8)
- 1 bay leaf
- 3–4 cardamom pods
- 1 tsp chili powder (2 g) (5 ml)
- 1 tsp coriander powder (2 g) (5 ml)
- 5 cloves
- 1 tsp cumin (2 g) (5 ml)
- 1 tsp garam masala (2 g) (5 ml)
- 1 tsp turmeric (2 g) (5 ml)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Cut 4–6 chicken breasts or thighs (500–750 g) into bite-sized pieces.
- 2
Mix chicken with 2–3 tbsp yogurt, 1 tsp each garam masala, turmeric, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and 2 tsp grated ginger. Marinate at least 30 minutes (up to 24 hrs).
- 3
Heat oil or ghee in a pan, cook chicken until golden and partially cooked. Remove and set aside.
- 4
In the same pan, sauté 1 diced onion, 4–5 garlic cloves, and whole spices (3–4 cardamom pods, 5 cloves) until fragrant.
- 5
Add 1 tbsp garam masala and 1 tsp each turmeric, cumin, coriander, and chili powder. Cook 1 minute.
- 6
Stir in 4–5 chopped tomatoes, 3 tbsp tomato paste, and water. Simmer 5 minutes.
- 7
Blend the mixture until smooth, then return it to the pan.
- 8
Add 1 tbsp sugar, a few knobs of butter, 1 cup heavy cream, and stir into the curry.
- 9
Add chicken back and simmer until cooked through, about 15–20 minutes.
- 10
Garnish with coriander, some heavy cream, and one knob of butter. Serve with rice and naan.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Marinate chicken in yogurt for exactly 2-24 hours because the lactic acid breaks down proteins optimally in this window - shorter times under-tenderize, longer times create mushy texture.timing2-24 hours
- ✓Cook chicken to only 140-145°F internal temperature during the initial sear since it will finish cooking in the sauce, preventing the 20-25% moisture loss that occurs when overcooked.technique140-145°F
- ✓Bloom whole spices in hot oil for 30-45 seconds until they crackle and release aromatics, as heat activates volatile oils that are 3-4x more potent than ground spices added later.technique30-45 seconds
- ✓Add heavy cream off heat or at temperatures below 180°F because higher temperatures cause proteins to curdle and break the emulsion, creating grainy texture.timingBelow 180°F
- ✓Use a 3:1 ratio of tomatoes to tomato paste for optimal umami balance, as the paste concentrates glutamates 8-10x while fresh tomatoes provide bright acidity.ingredient3:1 ratio