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??
Me with my boyfriend demolished the whole pan of this yumminess which suppose to serve 4.
Thanks Nagi x
Shhh I wont tell anybody 😉 N x
Flavours were great but mine turned out very watery, despite not adding any water at all. It seemed to come from the chicken as it was there before adding the passata, cream, etc. Any advice for how to prevent this next time?
Hi Bryony, sorry you had issues here, sounds like your meat was stewing rather than frying if there was a lot of liquid. Try turning up the heat and cooking in batches so the pan isn’t overcrowded 🙂 N x
For ages I searched for a yummy butter chicken recipe that tasted restaurant quality and had good flavour – your recipe has answered the call. I love it so much I cannot put it into words! This is a frequent meal in my household now, along with your amazing no yeast flatbread. Thank you!
I’m so glad you love it Angie, that’s great to hear! N x
Butter chicken is very popular in our house and this recipe was a real winner. Thank you x
You’re so welcome Lucy I’m so happy it’s a hit! N x
I have cooked many Indian dishes over the years, following various recipes, inc Butter Chicken.
This recipe, however, is the best one yet. Simple to make (just remember to allow time for the marinade to do its thing). The meat was perfectly tender and the sauce was full of flavour with a nice consistency. I will definitely make this again and highly recommend to give this a go.
You’re a superstar Nagi! So delicious and such a treat during this social distancing time. Thank you for sharing this recipe, can’t wait to make it again!
I’m so glad you love it Claire! N x
Loved it! It was so tasty. Just finished my leftovers for lunch… just as good next day, maybe even more flavoursome. I used chicken breast instead of thigh.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Nikalina! N x
Forgot to mention, did the flatbread recipe too.. so simple & yummy with it!
I am making this today. Can I ask is the calorie count in the nutritional info just for the butter chicken or with rice/nan bread
Hi Santina, it’s for the butter chicken only – N x
I don’t know what went wrong but this definitely wasn’t the butter chicken we love. I have double checked the recipe and all ingredients were right. I will say though that all 5 of us enjoyed it as a curry, even the fussy 11 year old.
Hi Sharon, sorry you had issues here – but so glad you enjoyed it!! N x
A total hit – delish!!!
Wahoo, that’s great Brigette! N x
Hi Nagi, I am a dumbo. I had printed your recipes and put them in a plastic leaf in a folder for ease of reference. I had put the front of Butter Chicken and the back of something else together! It worked a treat! I’ll send you the recipe!
Love this recipe! would I be able to replace the chicken with shrimp?
Hi Nagi, I don’t have heavy cream on hand. I have coconut milk and 2% cows milk, any suggestions? Thank you!
Hi Abby, I’d use a little coconut milk instead 🙂 N x
Have made this about 6 times now, it’s better than my local Indian takeaway. Heavenly.
Woah what a compliment! That’s great Jenny!! N x
I never rate recipes I find online but I just discovered this website and this butter chicken recipe and the easy soft flatbread one. We just finished our plates and WOW it was delicious. Thank you very much for sharing! We traveled today from our dining room!
I’m so glad you loved it Aurore, that’s lovely to hear! N x
I am a little confused about the curry powder. If you mix the spices is that your curry osder? You mention you sometimes use Clive of India etc – is that instead of the spices or as well? Love your recipes, Nagi!Annette
Hi Annette, are you commenting on the right recipe here, I don’t use curry powder in this recipe – N x
Hi Nagi! I mistakenly bought non-fat yogurt for this recipe. Can I use this or can I substitute with sour cream? Help!
Hi Kristine non fat or sour cream would work fine 🙂 N x
Amazing recipe as always! What brand of ghee do you like to use? The one I’ve been using smells SO PUNGENT… LOL!
Hi Kat, you can make your own if you prefer!!! N x
My family loved this Butter Chicken , better than any others we’ve had!
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Tracey!! N x
You probably don’t need another review telling you how delicious this is, but here it is anyway! Have made it twice now. Very simple too! Have recommended it to my sis in law and was a hit with their family too!
I’m so glad you love it Felicia! N x