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??
This butter chicken is possibly the best dish I’ve ever made! The depth of flavours is amazing! Definitely not a westernised tame version.. A proper bowl of yum.. Perfect curry
X
I made this recipe with soy curls for a vegetarian option – it was delicious!
That’s a great idea Alexandra! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! N x
Omg this is amazing! I’ve tried a few recipes in search of a perfect butter chicken, should have come here first!
Wahoo!! N x
My little one of 1,5 couldn’t stop eating (even tho I also put some veggies in it)! He’s good with food but this was great to see 😊.
We also loved it.
A big thank you from the Netherlands!
Wahoo! That’s great Jacqueline!! N x
I marinaded too much chicken, can I freeze it for next time?
100%!! – N x
Hi, Nagi. I only have fresh tomatoes and tomato paste. Any recommendations?
Hi Isabel, if you want to use the fresh tomatoes, you’ll need to blanch then skin them, then proceed to puree them to make passata – N x
Do you think using coconut milk instead of cream would work for this?
Hi Annie, yes you can although it will change the flavour slightly. N x
Hi, did you discard the unused marinade. The recipe specifically says do not add it to the pan. Why is that?
I was just wondering that! I hope you get a reply.
In the video she adds all the leftover marinade when she adds the tomato sauce and then you let it simmer. Hope it helps.
My boyfriend and I have been trying your recipes every day this week because we’re in lockdown and finally have enough time to decently cook. Every recipe is amazing, but this is definitely our favorite (we made it twice already). Your recipes make us look forward to dinner every time!
I’m so glad you love it Elisa, that sauce is just sooooo good!! Thanks much for letting me know! N x
Hello, I havn’t tried your recipe yet but looks amazing!
Is this suitable for the slow cooker and if would it taste any different?
Hi Angela, Sorry this is not suitable as written for the slow cooker 🙂 N x
Oh my goodness Nagi this is DELICIOUS! All of your recipes are so easy to follow, and I actually made it with a random assortment of different chicken cuts I had left over in my freezer (helloooo isolation!), and teamed it up with your easy flatbread recipe.
This will definitely be making it into our regular dinner rotation, no more take out for us! X
Perfect Loz!!!! Sounds great! N x
So easy to make and absolutely delicious. My family say this is their favourite curry and would eat it every day of the week if I let them!
Wahoo, what a compliment Charlotte!! N x
I love many of your recipes but this is my and my partner’s favorite by far! So easy and sooo tasty. Lately I’ve been doubling everything (I do go easy on the lemon juice and ginger) but the chicken, more sauce!😍
Wahoo, I’m so glad you love it Rose – I love it saucy too!! N x
Adding to the praise — it’s wonderful. Sauce has a “dorito effect” on eating, you just gotta have one more bite. I found the recipe makes enough sauce to use more chicken if you like, next time I use 2 pounds. Thanks so much for making this recipe available!
Hi Nagi, I have made this a lot, always using thighs. It has become a firm favourite, even my husband loves it (and he always says Butter Chicken is most boring Indian dish). Anyway…as you know things can be hard to get at the moment but I managed to get some chicken breasts. I know they will be drier and tougher but I am hoping with marinating before hand, not a total disaster. Am I wasting my time and would I be better using the breasts for something else?
Hi Nagi, made this with chicken breast tonight and it was still wonderful. Also made your flat bread and won’t be buying the doughy ready made naan again. For a few cents compared to a few dollars it was worth the very minimal effort. Made some raita with home grown cucumber, spring onions and coriander and some spices as well. It was a meal fit for a king!
I made this and it was simple and SO tastey!! The chicken was tender and it was wonderfully saucy! As usual, your instructions were easy to follow! Thank you!
Oh my word Nagi! This is the best butter chicken ever, it was heavenly. I’m so happy to have found a recipe that surpasses a memorable restaurant butter chicken I enjoyed on Vancouver Island many moons ago. Thanks Nagi, this is a winner. PS it looks as though you add the balance of the marinade to the sauce in the video but I couldn’t see any reference to it in the written instructions.
I tried this recipe this week and my critiques gave it a 10/10 👊🏾 Yum Yum 😉
No natural yogurt…..could creme fraiche be subbed???
Hi Yvonne, sour cream or creme fraiche would work fine here – N x
This recipe is amazing
Thanks so much Haidee!