Indian Butter Chicken
Made with simple ingredients and packed full of flavor, this lazy version of traditional Indian butter chicken is sure to be a hit with the whole family, and is a great way to switch up your weekly meal rotation.
Ingredients
for the chicken
- 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger you can also use 1 tbsp fresh ginger.
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 cup sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt.
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
for the butter sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 white onion finely diced
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger OR 1 tbsp fresh ginger.
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 14oz can diced tomatoes You can also use 14 oz of diced fresh tomatoes.
- 1 cup heavy cream Heavy cream will give the creamiest sauce, but you can also use whole milk, full fat coconut milk, or your favorite non-dairy milk.
for serving
- Naan bread
- Cooked Basmati rice
- Roast broccoli
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine all of the chicken ingredients, except for the cut chicken breasts, and mix well. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and mix or toss until the chicken is completely coated in the sauce.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Allow the chicken to marinate for 30 minutes. (If needed, this step can definitely be skipped, and you can cook the chicken immediately. Marinating will create a better flavor overall, but can easily be skipped if needed, and you’ll still have a very delicious butter chicken.)
- After 30 minutes, heat a large skillet over medium heat(I love using a cast iron skillet!), add the marinated chicken and cook, stirring often until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and set it aside until ready to use.
- In the same pan, melt the butter. Once the butter is hot and bubbly, add the diced onion and cook until it is translucent. Add the minced garlic and dried ginger and cook until fragrant
- Add the remaining spices, mix well, and cook, stirring often for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. It should have a very warm and spicy smell.
- Then add the canned tomatoes and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Continue simmering, stirring often until the tomatoes have broken down, 5-10 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat.
- Now it’s time to blend your sauce. I like to blend mine right in the pan using an immersion blender. But you can also transfer the mixture to a bowl and then blend with an immersion blender. Or puree the sauce using an upright blender. (see notes for how to make an extra creamy sauce.)
- Once the sauce is blended, return the sauce to the pan(if needed) and return the pan to the heat, and bring it back up to a simmer. Add the heavy cream and mix well.
- Finally, return the chicken to the pan and cook, stirring often, until the chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes.
- Serve over a bed of rice or with fresh naan(or both!) Or my personal favorite with a side of roasted broccoli.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Any leftover butter chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Feel free to adjust the crushed red pepper in this recipe to make the dish spicier or less spicy to better suit your taste. You can also add additional fresh or dried chilies!
To make extra creamy or a more traditionally creamy butter chicken sauce, puree your tomato mixture in an upright blender, then pour through a fine mesh sieve. This will remove any small pieces of tomato, onion, or flakes of crushed red pepper that didn’t blend, and leave you with a super creamy, smooth sauce!
Garam Masala is an Indian spice blend that can be found in most grocery stores, but if you are having trouble finding it, be sure to check your area for local Indian grocery stores. Or it can be ordered online. You can also make it yourself! Check out my easy homemade garam masala recipe HERE!
Nutrition
Calories: 403kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 35gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 163mgSodium: 258mgPotassium: 722mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1465IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 76mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!