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??
I never thought I could make Butter Chicken. This was absolutely delicious and so easy to make. All your recipes are so good! Thank you!
You’re so welcome Kathy! N x
Nagi, I love you and thank you for your recipes! I made this for my family tonight and everyone loved it (all 6 of us). I never thought I could make a dish like butter chicken myself (not a good cook).
Sounds like you nailed it NT!!! N x
I made this for dinner tonight and served it over basmati rice. Absolutely delicious, and so easy. I had everything in my pantry, and we both loved it. Thank you.
That’s great to hear Barb! N x
I made this but substituted cauliflower for the chicken. It was AMAZING!!!! (and I’m not a huge fan of cauliflower!!!) I had an incredible butter chicken recipe already but I never made it because it was so complicated! Your butter chicken (well, butter Cauliflower… 😉) recipe is a game changer!!!
I have yet to cook a recipe from your website that isn’t out of this world amazing!!!
Thank goodness you got into the internet recipe business!!!
A great idea Naomi – I love this!!! N x
Family loved the butter chicken. Trying a new dish weekly.
Love how easy your recipes are.
That’s great to hear Rachel, what a fab idea! N x
Hi Nagi,Can you please tell me if this recipe freezes well? With all the comments I have read can’t wait to try
Regards
This is fantastic! And so easy! 2nd time this month we’ve enjoyed this. I double the garam masala because we like it spicier. Didn’t have chili powder, so subbed dried chili flakes, and i used the whole can (14.5oz) of tomato sauce. We love the sauce over rice, (and what am I going to do with half a can of leftover sauce anyway?) 😉 So delicious. My whole family loves it. Thank you so much!
I love butter chicken and you make it look so easy and yummy!
Thanks so much Priya! N x
Hi , my son loves butter chicken , I was wondering if I can skip the chilli ?
We love mild curry .
Hi Michelle, yes definitely – leave out the chilli for him 🙂
WOW it was amazing, better than any restaurant. Making it again next weekend. Must have naan for dipping.
100%, Naan is a MUST! N x
Hi! Can i use greek yogurt instead of plain yogurt?
Hi Mary – yes I use greek yogurt 🙂 N x
I love this recipe, I come back to it time and time again! It’s simmering on the stove as I write this!
I’m so glad you love it Becs, thanks for letting me know 🙂 N x
I made the Butter chicken this evening, it was amazing so flavoursome. I’m trying to be good 🙄 so used fat free yogurt for the marinade and 50% less fat Elmlea double cream alternative and Sukrin granulated sugar alternative it was so creamy and the chicken thighs were really tender. Will definitely be making again as everyone loved it. Thank you for your fab recipes 😊
I’m so glad it worked out for you Helen, that’s great to hear! N x
Since being in quarantine I haven’t been able to enjoy our local Indian restaurant food. All I can say is wow! It turned out so delicious my husband was sticking his fork into my portion after he finished his! This is going to definitely be part of my regular rotation of recipes from now on. Thank you for putting an approachable delicious recipe out there for us home cooks. I truly appreciate your efforts
I’m glad you loved it Melissa, that’s great to hear!! N x
Amazing Butter Chicken! My husband and I love this dish and always thought it would be impossible to make it at home, with so many exotic ingredients, etc. Turns out your recipe proved us wrong. All ingredients were easy to get (I had most of them already), and it was just so easy to make! I made your easy flat bread to go along with it, and it was just a memorable dinner.
I love your website, very well organized, love your pics and videos, and the fact that you can scale the recipes right here is one of my fav features. Best part is you make even the most complex dishes just easy to make. I feel I can cook anything (and I’m not a great cook) ever since I found your website! Thank you!
I love hearing this Rocio!! N x
so happy to have tried your recipe, taste exactly like the one from my fave resto in Singapore, thank you so much for sharing this!
WOOT!!! N x
Hi Nagi. I normally make my butter Chicken very similar but don’t marinate with lemon juice as always believed would almost cook the chicken, I would love to try your recipe as all your food is so delicious just wondering what’s your thought on the different texture after marinating in lemon juice so long?
Thanks
Caron
Hi Caron, it’s only a small amount of lemon juice here – not enough to cook the chicken. I hope you try it and love it! N x
Best butter chicken ever!
Restaurant quality for sure.
I’m so glad you love it!!
Hi Nagi, I’ll make this tomorrow! A quick question, do you put the marinade left in the bowl into the pan in the end? It looks like you do that in the video but it’s not written in the recipe’s instructions. Thanks!
Made this tonight for my family. It was fantastic, everyone gobbled it up and my son asked me to keep the last little bit for lunch tomorrow (remote learning has its perks!)
Thanks so much!
Dear Nagi, this recipe is truly delicious! I made this last week and my husband and kids finished their plates so fast! I have tried so many recipes of yours and all have been massive hits. Thank you for “mentoring” so many aspiring cooks during this lockdown period.