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    Home > Curries

    Butter Chicken

    Published: Apr 15, 2021 · Modified: Apr 24, 2021 by Nicky Corbishley

    Go to Recipe Go to Video Print Recipe

    This butter chicken is a lovely rich curry - without the spicy heat of some curries. It comes with plenty of sauce to soak into the rice!
    A little bit of up front prep is all you need, then you can cook this dish in less than 30 minutes.

    Overhead image of a pan filled with butter chicken curry, topped with fresh coriander. Naan bread just in shot.

    Jump to:
    • 📋 What do we need?
    • 🔪 How to make Butter Chicken
    • 🍽️ What to serve it with
    • 📺 Watch how to make it
    • 🍲 More fantastic curry recipes using chicken
    • Butter Chicken
    • 💬 Reviews

    I have a crockpot butter chicken recipe on the site that I use quite a lot, but I wanted to share with you this quicker version that (after a little bit of marinading time) can be on the table in 30 minutes.

    Just as rich and creamy as the slow-cooker version, it's one of those curries that the whole family absolutely loves.

    📋 What do we need?

    Ingredients for butter chicken curry on a wooden table

    🔪 How to make Butter Chicken

    ***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***

    • Marinate chicken chunks in a mixture of yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and spices (see full list in recipe card) for 1 hour.
    • Blend onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor until smooth, then fry the mixture in butter and oil until starting to brown at the edges.
    • Add in the marinated chicken and cook for a few minutes to seal, then add in garam masala, curry powder, paprika and cinnamon. Stir to coat the chicken and fry for a couple of minutes.
    • Add in stock, passata, tomato puree, sugar and cardamom. Simmer for 15 minutes, then stir through cream. Heat through and serve.
    8 image collage showing how to make butter chicken curry.

    👩‍🍳PRO TIP If you want more of a chicken tikka butter chicken, you can grill (broil) the marinated chicken before adding to the dish (I grilled the chicken for the photos, and cooked the chicken in the sauce for the video - both versions are fantastic!).

    Plenty of sauce to mop up with some garlic naan breads!

    Silver frying pan with butter chicken curry in it. Pile of naan bread in the background.

    🍽️ What to serve it with

    • Wooden spoon in a pan of boiled rice
      How to Cook Rice Perfectly
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      Saag Aloo
    • Square image of Pilau rice in a black bowl on a dark surface
      Pilau Rice Recipe
    • Pile of garlic naan breads on a piece of parchment on top of a wooden board.
      Garlic Naan Bread Recipe

    This is a very rich dish, so I tend to serve with with simple boiled rice.

    Butter chicken in a bowl with rice and naan bread.

    📺 Watch how to make it

    YouTube video

    🍲 More fantastic curry recipes using chicken

    • Bowl of chicken tikka masala with rice on a light background
      Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe
    • Close up image of chicken Jalfrezi with pilau rice in a blue bowl
      Chicken Jalfrezi Recipe
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      Chicken Pasanda
    • chicken madras in a serving bowl topped with chilles and coriander
      Chicken Madras
    • Chicken curry in a white bowl with rice.
      Easy Chicken Curry
    • A simple made-from-scratch curry, slow cooked to intensify the heat and flavour.
      Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken Curry

    Stay updated with new recipes!
    Subscribe to the newsletter to hear when I post a new recipe. I’m also on YouTube (new videos every week) and Instagram (behind-the-scenes stories & beautiful food photos).

    Butter Chicken in a pan with fresh coriander.

    Butter Chicken

    By: Nicky Corbishley
    This butter chicken is a lovely mild curry with plenty of sauce to soak into the rice! A little bit of up front prep is all you need, then you can cook this dish in less than 30 minutes.
    5 from 11 votes
    Rate this Recipe Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Marinating time 1 hour hr
    Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Indian
    Servings 4
    Calories 569 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    Chicken and marinade:

    • 700 g (25oz) chicken breast - - approx. 4 large chicken breasts, diced
    • 80 ml (⅓ cup) natural yogurt
    • 1 tbsp lemon juice
    • 1 clove garlic - minced
    • 1 tsp garam masala
    • 1 tsp ground coriander
    • 1 tsp paprika
    • 1 tsp mild chilli powder

    For the sauce

    • 1 large onion - peeled and roughly chopped
    • 4 cloves garlic - peeled
    • 2 tsp minced ginger
    • 3 tbsp butter
    • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
    • ¼ tsp salt
    • 1 ½ tbsp garam masala
    • 1 tbsp curry powder
    • 1 tsp paprika
    • ½ tsp cinnamon
    • 120 ml (½ cup) chicken stock - - water plus a stock cube is fine
    • 400 ml (14oz) passata
    • 2 tbsp tomato puree
    • 2 tsp sugar
    • 6 cardamom pods - - sew them together with a piece of string so you can easily fish them out later
    • 175 ml (¾ cup) double (heavy) cream
    • Handful of chopped coriander to serve

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • Place the chicken in a bowl with the marinade ingredients, stir together and cover. Leave to marinate for 1 hour (up to overnight).
    • Place the roughly chopped onion and the 4 garlic cloves into a food processor and blend until smooth (if you’re using fresh ginger – rather than ready-minced – you can add the ginger in too.
    • Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat.
    • Add the minced onion, garlic and ginger to the pan and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion starts to brown at the edges of the pan.
    • Add the marinated chicken to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes until sealed.
    • Add the salt, garam masala, curry powder, paprika and cinnamon. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the spices start to release their fragrance.
    • Add the stock, passata, tomato puree, sugar and cardamom.
    • Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
    • Remove the cardamom then stir in the cream and allow to heat through.
    • Serve over rice, sprinkled with some freshly chopped coriander

    Video

    YouTube video

    ✎ Notes

    Can I make it ahead?
    Yes! Make the curry, then quickly cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.Reheat in a pan over a medium heat (you may need to add a splash of water to loosen it up) until the chicken is piping hot throughout.
    Can I freeze it?
    Yes, make the curry, then quickly cool, and freeze it in an airtight container. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat as per the 'make ahead' instructions above.
    Ingredient swaps/additions
    • Swap out the chicken for quorn or tofu
    • Add in some veggies - such as green beans, chunks of courgette (zucchini) or chopped bell peppers - add them after you've sealed the chicken.
    • Swap out the mild chilli powder for medium or hot if you like it a little spicier.
    Nutritional information is per serving (this recipe serves 4), not including rice.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 569kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 42gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 197mgSodium: 731mgPotassium: 1342mgFiber: 6gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 2188IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 124mgIron: 4mg
    Keywords creamy curry, Mild curry
    Tried this recipe?Mention @KitchenSanctuary or tag #KitchenSanctuary on Instagram!

    Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

    Hi I’m Nicky

    I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

    Read More

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    1. Brennand Hall says

      June 02, 2023 at 11:57 am

      Dear Nicky, do you put only the meat or ALL the meat AND marinade

      Reply
      • Nicky Corbishley says

        June 03, 2023 at 1:23 pm

        Hi Brennand, the marinade should coat the chicken with non (or very little) left in the dish, so you can add the all marinade and chicken to the pan.

        Reply
    2. Wilma says

      April 26, 2023 at 4:20 am

      Is it okay to freeze this with the cream or should the cream be added when you are ready to use it

      Reply
    « Older Comments

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