Indian Butter Chicken (2024)

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4.76 stars (91 ratings)

Mar 30, 2011157

This Indian butter chicken is packed with flavor and quick to prepare. A great dinner to add to the Indian dish rotation.

We eat our fare share of Indian-inspired cuisine around here.

Not only are the recipes usually fairly quick, but saucy chicken and rice is right up my family’s eating alley.

For the record, I usually make enough modifications and changes to blow the recipes right out of the running for ethnic authenticity, but despite that, the meals still taste fantastic and my toddlers don’t know the difference between true-blue-traditional or mom’s-shortcuts-to-preserve-sanity-and-calories.

This butter chicken is another fabulous addition to our Indian rotation.

Don’t be deceived by the recipe title: the chicken doesn’t simmer in a vat of butter (although the thought happens to be quite enticing). Instead, a few tablespoons of butter are stirred into the sauce at the end of cooking to round out the flavors and give a nice silky dimension to the mixture.

Packed with flavor and quick to prepare, this dish has been well-devoured by adult and child alike each time I’ve made it in the last few months.

P.S. As you’ll notice, that is pure, lovely white rice in those pictures. After a long run of making brown rice for nearly every applicable meal, I had run plumb out and served this meal with white rice. My husband’s traitorous response when he sat down to the table: “Oh, white rice, how I have missed thee!” Here’s to trying to teach old dogs new eating habits.

What To Serve With This:

Baked Brown Rice
Steamed peas or broccoli, or this Curried Cauliflower Popcorn
Fresh fruit

One Year Ago: Perfect Roasted Asparagus
Two Years Ago: Skillet Creamy Mac and Cheese
Three Years Ago: Unbelievable Carrot Cake

Indian Butter Chicken

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

4.76 stars (91 ratings)

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Ingredients

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 jalapeño, seeded, and finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon coriander
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups chicken broth
½ cup fat free or regular half-and-half
1 ½ pounds about 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
Hot cooked rice for serving
Chopped fresh cilantro for extra garnish

Instructions

In a large 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until hot. Add the onion, ginger and jalapeno. Stir often while cooking until the onion is translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in garlic, garam masala, chili powder, cardamom, and coriander. Cook stirring, constantly for another minute.
Scrape the mixture into a blender or food processor and add tomato paste and chicken broth. Blend until the mixture is smooth. Pour the sauce back into the skillet and add the half and half.
Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat and add the chicken pieces and the salt and pepper. Stir. Keep the sauce at a simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has slightly thickened.
Cut remaining 3 tablespoons butter into chunks and stir into the sauce until melted. Serve the chicken and sauce over hot rice. Garnish with fresh, chopped cilantro, if desired.

Notes

Cream: I lightened up the recipe using fat free half-and-half in place of the heavy cream. If you don’t want to buy a special ingredient and have heavy cream (or regular half-and-half) on hand, they will both work just fine.

Author: Mel

Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 273kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 95mg, Sodium: 1095mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g

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posted on March 30, 2011 (last updated March 21, 2024)

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157 comments on “Indian Butter Chicken”

Valerie — March 3, 2024 @ 8:59 am Reply
This is a family favorite. And that’s saying a lot. I have been making your recipes since shortly after you began. I was introduced to you by the neighbor across the street when he brought me a jar of your bottled salsa. I was hooked. I am constantly cooking for my family, for camps, for low-key events, etc. My friends and family don’t ask me anymore where to get the recipe. They just assume “Mel’s kitchen cafe.” Your recipes are easy to follow, use ingredients that I have in my pantry and are DELICIOUS!!!!!!!! I have learned so much over the years in your helpful hints.
Thanks for sharing!!!!!
- Mel — March 5, 2024 @ 7:38 am Reply
  Thank you so much, Valerie!!
Sarah — January 29, 2024 @ 6:49 pm Reply
Seriously – this is restaurant quality. It is like a replica of some of our favorite take-out! Soooo good!
Erica — September 3, 2023 @ 7:51 pm Reply
The family gave this one an 11 out of 10! Made as written and served with your homemade naan – also amazing.
Heidi Larsen — August 7, 2023 @ 6:35 pm Reply
This has been a beloved family staple for years. I’ve tried other butter chicken recipes, but none compare. Thank you for the amazing recipe!
Jalynn — December 26, 2022 @ 10:21 pm Reply
Can you freeze this?
- Mel — December 26, 2022 @ 11:12 pm Reply
  See Also
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Cheri Hendricks — December 8, 2022 @ 6:36 pm Reply
I love basically any recipe I’ve tried from your site, but I have a picky 4.5 year old AND a picky 2 year old who can’t say the same. However, they gobble up thirds and fourths of this every time I make it. Any meal that they will happily eat is a huge win in my book!
- Marisa — March 13, 2023 @ 11:03 am Reply
  Hi Cheri, I have young kiddos as well. Did you omit the jalapeno or keep it? Does it make it spicey? Thank you.
  - Candace — November 10, 2023 @ 2:58 pm Reply
    Not spicy at all if you remove all the seeds!
Chelley — November 29, 2022 @ 10:04 pm Reply
Thank you for this recipe! It is one of my favorites! Yummy leftovers too!
Robyn Torkornoo — November 5, 2022 @ 7:21 am Reply
Amazing! My 9 year old daughter wants this dish as her birthday meal!
Emily — October 20, 2022 @ 7:07 pm Reply
My kids loves it and asked for seconds. I love Indian and try and try to replicate the restaurant’s. For some reason it tasted “sour” to me… acidic maybe? Not sure why.
I keep trying to make Indian at home but can’t quite get it…
Also, my sauce didn’t thicken. I used heavy cream too.‍♀️
Tasha — October 9, 2022 @ 3:56 pm Reply
Love this! I didn’t have cardamom so I substituted with 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp nutmeg and it turned out great!
Julie Allen — April 11, 2022 @ 5:17 pm Reply
My VERY picky 16 year old declared her love for this dish tonight- a true miracle. Thanks so much for a winner!
Kristie — April 10, 2022 @ 8:39 pm Reply
I love this recipe and have made it frequently for my family. The last few times, it seems to curdle a bit. I am not sure what I’m doing wrong?? Help!!
- Mel — April 12, 2022 @ 2:11 pm Reply
  Have you changed any of the brands of ingredients you’ve used from in the past?
  - Kristie — April 13, 2022 @ 5:52 pm Reply
    The tomato paste may have been a different brand, but I can’t remember for sure. Other than that, exactly the same ingredients.
Catie Paulsen — November 20, 2020 @ 11:03 am Reply
I made this last night, and it is incredible! Even my little kids loved it! Mel, you seriously are my idol. All praise be to you and your ability to create and share such amazing recipes! I’ve been craving butter chicken and this totally hit the spot. The only changes I made were that I omitted the jalapeño, we like things pretty mild, and I added a little brown sugar. It was wonderful, so much depth of flavor and so easy and quick to make! I’m scarfing down some leftovers as I’m writing this. Thank you!!
Teresa Bell — April 25, 2020 @ 4:56 pm Reply
Now that I make dinner every single night during the COVID-19 pandemic, I’m finding that I need to branch out more. I made this dish last night and everyone gushed over it and ate until they couldn’t eat another bite. I truly don’t know the words to describe the amazing flavor. I made naan to go with it. Truly a huge it. We did have white rice, and I chopped cilantro to sprinkle on top. I will be making this again. For myself. For lunch. When life is back to normal! Thank you, Mel!
- Mel — April 27, 2020 @ 4:15 pm Reply
  Thanks, Teresa! So happy you loved this one. It’s an oldie but a goodie.
  - NAnderson — December 19, 2023 @ 5:51 pm Reply
    This was super good!!!
Bri H — April 19, 2020 @ 1:17 pm Reply
This dish is crazy good! Start to finish in one hour for us, I love how much effort it looked like I put into dinner! I used coconut milk in place of the half and half with great results, which made this a great meal with ingredients we already had in our pantry.
We have tried all of your Indian food recipes, and while you claim they aren’t authentic, they certainly are delicious!
Would love to see your take on a chana masala or a meatless indian dish!
Susan — April 8, 2020 @ 9:15 pm Reply
Made this tonight and not only was it delicious it was quick and Easy. Thanks for so many amazing recipes!
Jillian — February 16, 2020 @ 12:06 pm Reply
I’ve had a lot of authentic butter chicken and this recipe is really darn close! Super easy to make at home, we love it!
Georgia — December 30, 2019 @ 5:29 pm Reply
Another hit from you, Mel! I followed the recipe except I used almond milk and sour cream instead of half and half. It worked beautifully and this is so yummy!
I have been following your blog since I was 15, I came across the cookies I sent you a few weeks ago and had totally forgotten about them! I made them again this year for a Christmas party. Thanks again for all the yummy recipes.
Georgia
- Mel — December 30, 2019 @ 9:55 pm Reply
  Thank you so much, Georgia!
Kerry — December 28, 2019 @ 7:25 pm Reply
This was so easy and delicious. I’ll definitely make it again and freeze it for later.
Haley — May 1, 2019 @ 9:20 am Reply
I’ve made this a couple times subbing non-fat Greek yogurt for the heavy cream and it works pretty well!
Mary H — April 26, 2019 @ 6:28 pm Reply
It was delicious. My kids LOVED it and asked me to make it again, which I will because it was quite easy. I left out the jalapeno because I didn’t have one.
- M — April 26, 2019 @ 6:28 pm Reply
  I forgot to say they also fought over the leftovers!
Brianna — March 8, 2019 @ 10:07 am Reply
Can you or have you ever cooked the chicken pieces in advance? I freeze extra cooked chicken and am wondering if it would sink up the flavor as well.
- Mel — March 8, 2019 @ 8:59 pm Reply
  I haven’t tried that, sorry!
- Kaime — March 23, 2019 @ 6:24 pm Reply
  I actually used pre-cooked chicken and the flavor was incredible. I can’t speak to whether it’s inferior to the recipe as written, but I would say go for it regardless!
Amanda B — January 14, 2019 @ 6:53 pm Reply
I used to make this a few years back, and I’ve gone plant based since. I used veggie broth instead of chicken broth, coconut milk instead of heavy cream, and I replaced the chicken with a can of chickpeas and a sweet potato that I diced and roasted.
Still absolutely delicious! I loved your recipes before, and they’re so simple that it’s usually quite easy to alter them to my lifestyle now. Thank you for all your work throughout the years.
- Mel — January 15, 2019 @ 4:01 pm Reply
  Thanks, Amanda! I’m glad you’re still able to adapt some of the recipes to work with your lifestyle!
Kristie — September 3, 2018 @ 10:54 pm Reply
I don’t have an insta-pot, but would like to try this recipe. Could it be made in a crock-pot?
- Mel — September 4, 2018 @ 10:30 pm Reply
  I haven’t tried it, but I bet that would work pretty well!