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 fell in love with butter chicken while on a golf vacation with my family in Pinehurst, NC. It was on the menu at The Sly Fox, a favorite of ours. This recipe captured the same deliciousness!
Wahoo, that’s so great to hear!
This was easy and delicious, thanks !
You’re so welcome Karen!
this. was. AMAZING.
I followed the recipe to a T – no need to change anything! For the tomato sauce, I marinated the chicken for almost 24 hours. I opted to purée a can of fire-roasted tomatoes for that extra-rich tomato flavor I love. As I didn’t have ghee, I used regular salted butter to fry the chicken. And I didn’t skimp on the full-fat ingredients. Truly an incredible recipe. The only change I’d make next time is to double the batch!!!
I really enjoy your recipes. I multily them up and cook for large numbers sometimes. What is your opinion if I made this with quorn instead of chicken and added some vegetables like peas, carrots, cauliflower and spinach? Would it lose its tastiness? xx
Hi Joanna, I’ve never used quorn sorry! I’d drink this sauce on tap so it would be awesome with added veg in my opinion!
Amazing recipe, so easy and tasty!
Wahoo! Great to hear Lucinda!
Hello Nagi,
I am on your website almost everyday and I’ve done quite a few of your recipes successfully (including your Thai curries) ! All wonderfully delish! 🙂
Can I check please if I can use fenugreek on this recipe? My Indian friend gave me some as she uses it on her butter chicken.
Thank you for what you do! 🙂
You sure could Michelle!
Made it last night and it was delicious! Going to make some more today and freeze it for my daughter at college to have on hand.
Perfect Ashley!
This recipe is so forgiving. I’ve made it a few times now. Often I run out of ingredients so have to sub. I’ve used fruity yoghurt once and still tasted great. I’ve used cream of tomato soup the other day and still tasted great. Original recipe is fab and easy.
Love this recipe. Third time making it! So easy to make and so tasty for not needing many ingredients. Recommended to friends
Thanks for the great feedback Melissa – N x
Love this recipe. Third time making it! So easy to make and so tasty for not needing many ingredients. Recommended to friends
I’ve tapped the option for 4 servings. It says 0.67 cup of full fat yoghurt and 1.33 cup of passata. How many tablespoons or teaspoons would these be?
Hi Jenny, I use a 250ml cup so that would be 165ml of yogurt and 330ml of passata – N x
This is the best recipe ever! We love it. Xx
Awesome Aya, thanks so much for letting me know!
Can you e-mail me this reciepe thank you
I’ve made this almost every fortnight since discovering your recipe a few months ago. Enough said!
Wahoo! Winner winner – N x
Hey, can I use coconut milk instead of cream?
I tried this recipe using coconut cream because I don’t normally have cream in the fridge.My son llllloved it and said “the sauce is soooo goooood mami”. I couldn’t be happier.Thanks very much
Hi Zoe, it will change the flavour but yet you can – N x
Sorry but I don’t understand the rave reviews, we love most of your recipes Nagi but this one was a dud – tasted like creamy tomato soup with chicken, none of the beautiful spicy flavours from the marinade translated into the sauce. We were disappointed. Will continue to make your other stellar recipes but not this one.
Hi Celeste, I’m so sorry you didn’t enjoy it!
OH MY. The hubby and I love Indian food, butter chicken in particular (really, who doesn’t?!) I’ve tried making it at home several times – I’ve used authentic Indian cookbooks, I’ve bought exotic ingredients that never see the light of day again, I’ve spent HOURS researching recipes online – and they all tasted like they were missing something. I was leery to try this his recipe – it so simple to throw together, with ingredients I had on hand, and cooked in under 30 mins? No way that could compare. But it does – ohhhhhhhh my it does! Thank you for brining this recipe into my life!
Wahoo, that’s awesome Chrissy!!
Making the Butter chicken do you throw the eksyta marinade away or goes that also in the pan? If not you could probable freeze it??
Absolutely delicious.
My french husband who loves indian food more than french food itself said that the butter chicken was so amazing. It was even much better than butter chicken we usually order in Indian restaurant here.
PS. I live in Indonesia.
Thanks, Nagi. You’re very inspiring.
That’s awesome to hear Putri!!! Thanks so much for the feedback!
Can I substitute the chicken for fish?
You sure could Tracey, it will just need to be a hardy white fish that can hold up to the cooking – N x