Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) is one of the most popular curries in the world and yet happens to be one of the easiest! No hunting down hard to find ingredients, this chef recipe that makes the most incredible curry sauce.
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Butter Chicken – a chef recipe!
As someone who loves food with big, BIG flavours, it’s no surprise that Indian is one of my favourite foods. A good curry and binge watching Netflix is pretty much my idea of a perfect Friday night. #NanaAlert! 😂
As much as I love making Indian food at home, sometimes I find the list of ingredients daunting. It’s easy enough to make once I gather all the ingredients, but that’s where I usually fall short because it requires a trip to an Indian grocery store – and my closest one is a fair drive away.
Butter Chicken is one of the few exceptions. I was elated when I discovered a Chef recipe for Butter Chicken and realised how easy it is. But more importantly, you can get all the ingredients from any supermarket. Yes!
Is Butter Chicken really Indian??
YES it is! It’s called Murgh Makhani and it hails from Northern India. It’s quite a mild curry compared to many Indian curries, and outside of India, it’s become just about everybody’s favourite curry!
How to make Butter Chicken – in 3 Simple Steps
Make Butter Chicken Marinade and marinate chicken for 3+ hours (overnight is best)
Cook chicken
Make sauce in the same skillet
The secret to the tender, flavour infused chicken is a spice infused yogurt marinade made with fresh ginger, garlic, lemon juice and spices. The spices in Butter Chicken are turmeric, garam masala, chilli powder and cumin.
Did you know….You don’t need copious amounts of butter for a great Butter Chicken!
The beautiful Butter Chicken Sauce mostly gets its richness from cream. While some restaurants take it over the top by stirring in a (very!) generous amount of butter into the sauce at the end, I find that it’s rich enough as it is. The Butter Chicken flavour and experience – but less oily than restaurant versions!
The sauce will initially be a pale orange colour but as it simmers and thickens, the colour will deepen to a rich orange colour.
What to serve with Butter Chicken
To make a proper Indian feast, sides and starters are essentials! Because every curry needs papadums for dunking and naan to scoop up the sauce with, right?
No-fry quick papadums – just microwave them! Place the papadums around the edge of the microwave turntable and cook on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute or until they are puffed up. They’ll be soft while warm but as soon as they cool down, they crisp up. They don’t expand as much as when deep fried, but neither will your thighs. 😂
Samosas! The ultimate Indian appetiser. Leftovers make great snacks or even lunch!
Proper naan – A recipe in the works for 5 years, I’m thrilled to finally share my proper naan recipe that can be easily made at home (no tandoor needed!)
Shortcut “naan” – For a simpler, no-yeast flatbread that’s just as good, my Easy No Yeast Flatbread looks and tastes very similar to real naan (except it’s much faster and easier!). Try telling me this doesn’t look like it belongs in this feast!
And it’s MADE for dunking in that creamy Butter Chicken Sauce!!
Sides for Butter Chicken
Readers have also asked for Vegetable Side options – to add some greens to a meal. Indian food doesn’t really have fresh side salads like in Western cuisine. Partly because so much Indian food is vegetarian, so you get plenty of veggies in your diet!
But here are some Vegetable Side Options you can add on the side of Butter Chicken:
Indian Tomato Salad – with a refreshing minted yogurt dressing;
Cucumber salad with lemon yogurt dressing – another great refreshing salad that goes perfectly with curries;
Just some sliced cucumber and wedges of tomato – not dressed. Nice cool, refreshing side
South Indian Thoran-style Cabbage and Carrot Salad with Coconut is fresh, crunchy and shot through with gentle spices and coconut!
For a simpler cabbage salad, try my Everyday Cabbage Salad
I hope this has inspired you to try your hand at making an Indian feast at home! You will honestly be amazed how much depth of flavour there is in the Butter Chicken despite how few ingredients are in it. – Nagi x
PS Don’t miss the new streamlined oven version: One-Pan Baked Butter Chicken. Readers are loving it!
Watch How To Make It
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
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Butter Chicken
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1/2 cup plain yoghurt , full fat
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp tumeric powder
- 2 tsp garam masala (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder or cayenne pepper powder (Note 2)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ginger, freshly grated
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1.5 lb / 750 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite size pieces
Curry
- 2 tbsp (30 g) ghee or butter, OR 1 tbsp vegetable oil (Note 3)
- 1 cup tomato passata (aka tomato puree) (Note 4)
- 1 cup heavy / thickened cream (Note 5)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
To serve – choose
- Basmati rice
- White rice
- Coriander/cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Optional blitz: for an extra smooth sauce, combine the Marinade ingredients (except the chicken) in a food processor and blend until smooth. (I do not do this)
- Marinade: Combine the Marinade ingredients with the chicken in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or up to 24 hours (minimum 3 hrs).
- Cook chicken: Heat the ghee (butter or oil) over high heat in a large fry pan. Take the chicken out of the Marinade but do not wipe or shake off the marinade from the chicken (but don’t pour the Marinade left in the bowl into the fry pan).
- Place chicken in the fry pan and cook for around 3 minutes, or until the chicken is white all over (it doesn’t really brown because of the Marinade).
- Sauce: Add the tomato passata, cream, sugar and salt. Also add any remaining marinade left in the bowl. Turn down to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Do a taste test to see if it needs more salt.
- Garnish with coriander/cilantro leaves if using. Serve with basmati rice.
- The Butter Chicken is pictured with my very easy No Yeast Flatbread and no-fry papadums (Note 5).
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published July 2015. Updated for housekeeping matters and a new video added January 2019. But most importantly, Life of Dozer section added!
For Indian Curry Lovers
- Chicken Tikka Masala – kind of like Butter Chicken on steroids!
- Palak Paneer – Indian cottage cheese and spinach curry
- Rogan Josh – fall apart lamb in a rich creamy sauce!
- Dal – the highest and best use of lentils, ever. Period.
- Biryani – the world’s best Chicken & Rice. Full stop!
- Qeema: Curried Ground Beef (Mince) – the fastest way ever to get a real Indian curry fix
- Curry lovers, head here -> Curry Collection
Life of Dozer
Flashback: Dozer’s first time in water. Look at those wild eyes!!! 😂 Fear? Excitement??
And once again I received high praise for my cooking from hubby. Husband’s first time for butter chicken and no doubt it won’t be the last. Thank you so much for another amazing recipe and making me look good.
I have been making this recipe on repeat for the past year. Today I decided to make your naan recipe to pair the dish with instead of rice. Wow! It’s officially my favorite meal! Everyone at our house LOVED it!
I decided not to blend the marinade this time and, I agree with you, it’s not necessary. (Cheers to one less step!). There’s nothing not to like about this recipe. It’s easy, quick and full of flavour. Thank you, Nagi!
Ordered Passata on line and it came as the kind “With Basil.” will this work with these flavors, or should I return it?
Just made this tonight for the first time- absolutely delicious!
Hey Nagi,
I love your recipes!
One tiny request… Could you please add marinating time to the info at the top of the recipe?? I am constantly being caught out thinking something will be quick and easy only to get to the instructions a half hour before meal time to find that I needed an extra several hours to a day prep time 😖 Somehow I never learn 😞😒
Much love to Dozer x
Cooked this for dinner tonight and it was beyond delicious, everyone loved it. Used chicken breast instead of thigh and was only able to marinated for about 1.5hrs, but the chicken was still so tender. We served it with the Naan, which was also delicious. Will definitely make this meal again.
A massive favourite in this household. I am allergic to paprika so it was a great find this recipe. I have two sons and cooked this because I was ahem slightly hung over after the Christmas work party. Let’s just say I now cook 2 kilos of this because my boys loved this so much they forgot to leave some for their mother 🥰
Delicious, both myself and my brother enjoyed this recipe, will definitely make it again 💖
I was very surprised that the curry sauce didn’t include any seasonings. I gave it a shot thinking that maybe the residual marinade on the chicken would season the sauce but it didn’t at all. It just tasted like tomato soup to be honest. .As my family is used to a much more authentic tasting dish, I decided to try to save it by adding the same ratio of seasonings that go in the marinade to the curry. This was a major improvement! Over the few times I’ve have made it, I tinkered with the amounts of seasoning to suit our taste best. So I use this as the base recipe but adapt it to our liking
This was amazing.
Also added a teaspoon of tomato paste and a little more of each marinade spice. I think gaver is key (easy to make with normal butter) and i added a few tablespoons of cold butter at the end when it was done simmering (do this!).
what is GAVER that you mention in your comment?
Agree! I found the flavour bland and found it needed an extra hit of the spices in the sauce. I also pulverised a medium onion (cooked that down), added Jaggery instead of sugar, along with about 200g finely crushed cashews.
I’ve commented on this recipe before, but it’s worth a second YUM! Made it again tonight (having marinated chicken for 24 hrs) and it’s so utterly delicious. I do use coconut milk instead of cream as it gives it an extra layer of flavour, but apart from that follow recipe exactly. Topped with toasted flaked almonds and coriander, plus an extra dollop of plain yoghurt, it’s out of this world. Love how rich and orange the sauce ends up x
Pretty sure that I’ve commented on this recipe before, but it’s worth a second YUM! Made it again tonight (having marinated chicken for 24 hrs) and it’s so utterly delicious. I do use coconut milk instead of cream as it gives it an extra layer of flavour, but apart from that follow recipe exactly. Topped with toasted flaked almonds and coriander, plus an extra dollop of plain yoghurt, it’s out of this world. Love how rich and orange the sauce ends up x
Yum! I used chicken breast instead of thigh, which worked well. I also simmered the sauce for an extra 15 minutes because mine looked a bit thin. Will make again.
I am watching my 8yo niece for the week, and she was missing her mom. I asked what her favorite meal was, and she said her mom made Butter Chicken and it was so good. I searched for recipes and chose this one – honestly because I had 95% of the ingredients on hand. She said it was JUST LIKE MOM’S, and my 9yo daughter LOVED it too. I’ll be adding this to our regular rotation as I think my steps will love it too!
What a lovely comment!
Our three year old granddaughter actually likes spicy food – the 20 month old eats everything- and I will give her this soon.
Making it tonight, again, love it.
Hey, Is there any way to increase fiber in this recipe? I want to cook it for my exam but I need to add more fiber, thanks.
You could add some lentils into the sauce for a good fibre boost 😊 red or yellow lentils would probably be best as they cook a bit faster than brown or green. If you wanted to really make it undetectable, you could remove the chicken after simmering and blitz all the sauce and lentils in the blender for a super smooth, high fibre sauce.
You could add a tin of chickpeas, some toasted almonds on top, or eat it with quinoa instead of rice
Serve it over brocoli or riced cauliflowerl
I suggest adding some steamed cauliflower on the side. I did this today and it’s so delicious! The cauliflower just pairs so well with the sauce. 10/10!
We need never order Indian takeout again. You’ve saved us a ton of future money. Thank you.
What if we wanted to add the cashews? Would that be at the end while it summers, or as a puree?
Loved this!
I didn’t have any cilantro, so I threw a tsp of ground coriander seed in at the end. It was fantastic.
This butter chicken was so easy to make and delicious flavours. My teen commented “it was the best butter chicken he had ever had, better than a restaurant”. Can confirm it tastes even better the next day!
Not only was this recipe bland, tasteless, dry, and offensively watery, it was actually terrible enough to warrant a lifelong grudge. Not only was dinner ruined, but my night, my entire week, and my perceptions of food and cooking a whole. The author has personally befouled my honour, and I will be seeking vengeance for all eternity. Do not cook this.
I wouldn’t have used those words exactly but I wasn’t a huge fan either. It needs some tweaks to suit my preferences for sure but it certainly wasn’t bad enough to ruin my week or even my night.
Either you are a troll or you just cannot cook👍
Totally don’t get this review.
(Even the very few of Nagis recipes that I won’t make again don’t warrant that level of response). In another setting some of it might be amusing but I just find it confusing.
I will agree with others that I have had to adjust my cooking times from the recipe, but I am batching up and will allow for that.
Beyond that, please go get some counselling because I think if one disappointing meal ruins your entire week then you may have some background issues that need addressing.
I hope you’re OK.
Honey you must have not followed the easiest recipe known to mankind itself correctly because I did and 98 percent of everyone else did also . And there experience’s were all 🤯. Shall I recommend another crash course In home ec class . Need to up your skills , cause my aunt is blind and has no smell and it still comes out fantastic. I hope you spend the rest of your irreplaceable time on earth here seeking vengeance to someone you don’t even know . Haaaa
Don’t know whether you’re trying to be a clown , in which case you should pursue another career, or just a fool who knows nothing about food.
Your name says it all.. This dish is delicious, you clearly can’t follow directions.
Wow! Aren’t you a tad dramatic! I recommend you practice your cooking a little more and focus on some simpler recipes. Nagi’s recipes are always quite accurate and delicious, I do hope no one takes recommendation from anything you have to say on this website and perhaps any others. Move along. Nagi, your amazing 🙌
Get over yourself. Allow others their opinion as you have spouted yours.
I have found that some of her cook times are off, maybe she has a higher quality stove, oven, and cookware than a home chef? However since I know this I will usually adjust my cook times accordingly. For me I need to cook down the sauce for 30 minutes and it’s thickened nicely. I also recommend adding frozen peas in with the sauce for some vegetables! 🙂
You’re a moron, this recipe is as close to authentic butter chicken that I’ve had. You’re very clearly a bad cook, this was not at all watery.
Totally agree with you Andrew however I would use much stronger language than moron but it wouldn’t be published. I have made this recipe a few times and it always turns out well. I don’t know how a dish would become watery when there is no water, just some ghee, yogurt, cream, lemon juice and passata. Maybe he tripled all the liquid components but he obviously has no idea of cooking and should probably steer clear of a kitchen in future.
All I can say is, you must have done something wrong! 😂 mine was delicious!
Did you not taste test as you were cooking?
If you follow a recipe as written and it is perceived badly, it has nothing to do with taste testing as you cook. That would still make the recipe poorly reviewed. If I changed it as I tasted, that means something was still wrong with the recipe. No idea what your point is.
Best Butter Chicken Recipe I’ve ever made. So easy and absolutely delicious
Best homemade butter chicken I have made to date! Both thumbs up from DH. Bye-bye takeout. Thank you for the tasty (and easy) recipe. 😋😍❤️
Has anyone tried this in a slow cooker?
I’ve done this in the slow cooker. I omit the marinating stage and as I’m time-poor I simply put all the ingredients straight in, stir and leave for 8 hours on low. Probably doesn’t come out as perfectly as Nagis but it’s still delicious. I also add in vegetables like cauliflower, mushrooms and sweet potato L to make it go further. It also matures nicely in the fridge overnight which makes it a perfect prepare-ahead meal for busy weeknights.