Butter Chicken

Butter chicken, or murgh makhani, is a popular Indian dish that was created by chance in 1947 in Delhi, India when the owners of a Punjabi restaurant mixed together leftover chicken and a creamy tomato sauce. The sauce was made with plenty of butter, which is why it became known as “butter chicken.”

Our recipe for the butter chicken sauce combines cream, crushed tomatoes, butter or ghee, onion, garlic, ginger and a myriad of spices. The spices used include garam masala, turmeric, cumin, coriander and red chili powder. (Fortunately, all these spices can be easily found at your grocery store.) The final dish has a smooth sauce that is mild in flavor and slightly sweet.

Ingredients for Butter Chicken

• Chicken: Try to cut up your chicken thighs as evenly as you possibly can so they finish cooking at the same time.
• Yogurt: Yogurt is essential in the chicken’s marinade. The acidity in the yogurt tenderizes the chicken (breaking down its proteins) so each bite of chicken is pleasingly tender.
• Garlic: You’ll need about eight garlic cloves to get 1-1/2 tablespoons of minced garlic. That seems like a lot, but the garlic is competing with a lot of other flavors!
• Ginger: Never cooked with fresh gingerroot before? Cut off a 1-inch nub, peel the skin off with a spoon and mince enough ginger to get 1 tablespoon. Store ginger properly so you can use the rest of the gingerroot in other fresh ginger recipes.
• Lemon juice: Since there are a lot of heavy, spicy flavors going on in this butter chicken recipe, we squeeze in some fresh lemon juice to brighten things up a bit.
• Ghee: Ghee is simply clarified butter, and is a common ingredient in Indian cooking. We use ghee to enrich the sauce. It is called “butter” chicken, after all!
• Onions: Mince one whole yellow onion for the butter chicken sauce.
• Tomatoes: Since this butter chicken sauce uses a lot of tomatoes, we recommend cooking with San Marzano tomatoes. San Marzano tomatoes are known as some of the best tomatoes in the world, so it’s worth buying a can of the best San Marzano tomatoes for this butter chicken recipe.
• Heavy whipping cream: One cup of heavy cream makes the sauce rich and creamy.
• Spices: One of the best parts of cooking a butter chicken recipe (apart from the eating!) is getting to break out all the fragrant spices. Garam masala, turmeric, cumin, red chili powder, ground coriander and dried fenugreek are all present in this dish.

Directions

Step 1: Marinate the chicken

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In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, spices and salt until they’re well combined. Add the chicken thighs and stir well to coat them in the marinade. Cover the bowl and let the chicken sit for 30 minutes, or refrigerate it until you’re ready to cook.

Editor’s Tip: The chicken should marinate at least 30 minutes, and can marinate for up to 24 hours.

Step 2: Sear the chicken

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Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and sear it for two to three minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate or bowl and set it aside.

Editor’s Tip: The chicken does not need to be cooked through at this stage, as it will finish cooking later in the sauce.

Step 3: Prepare the sauce

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Heat ghee in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute them for three to four minutes, scraping up any browned bits left from the chicken.

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Toss in the minced ginger and garlic and cook for one additional minute. Add the cumin, garam masala and coriander, and continue to cook for about one minute.

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Next, add the tomatoes to the skillet, along with the chili powder and salt. Simmer over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens and it has a deep red color, 10 to 15 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: If you want a super smooth sauce, spoon the contents of the skillet into a blender and pulse until smooth, or use an immersion blender. If the mixture is too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.

Step 4: Return the chicken to the pan

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Return the chicken to the skillet with the sauce. Add in the cream, sugar and fenugreek (if using). Stir the mixture to combine. Simmer the chicken for 8 to 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of water.

Step 5: Serve the chicken

Serve the chicken with hot cooked basmati rice, a sprinkle of cilantro and naan.

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Butter Chicken Variations

• Make it dairy-free: To make this butter chicken recipe non-dairy, you can replace the ghee with olive oil or coconut oil, use dairy-free yogurt in the marinade and replace the heavy cream with coconut milk or coconut cream.
• Adapt it for vegans: If you’re a plant-based eater who wants to indulge in the irresistibly rich flavors of butter chicken, you’re in luck! Our vegan butter cauliflower skips the animal protein, uses olive oil instead of ghee and coconut milk instead of heavy cream.
• Smoke the chicken: Butter chicken traditionally uses chicken cooked in a tandoor—an ancient type of oven used in Indian cooking—to give the dish a smoky flavor. To recreate that smokiness at home, cook your chicken on a grill over charcoal briquettes.
• Use a different cut of chicken: While butter chicken is usually made with dark meat, you could use chicken breasts if desired.

How to Store Butter Chicken

First, allow your butter chicken to cool to room temperature. Then store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.

Can you freeze butter chicken?

You can absolutely freeze butter chicken leftovers. Just be sure to cool the butter chicken to room temperature before storing it in an airtight container. I also like to place storage wrap over the chicken mixture to keep it from getting freezer burn. Butter chicken can be kept frozen for up to four months. Thaw the chicken overnight in the fridge before reheating it.

How do you reheat butter chicken?

Reheat butter chicken in a skillet or microwave. I like to add a splash of water to make the sauce “saucy” again. To reheat chicken on the stove, add the butter chicken and a splash of water to the skillet, stir, turn the flame to medium-low, then cover and simmer the chicken until it’s warmed through.

To reheat chicken in the microwave, place the butter chicken in a microwave-safe dish with the smaller pieces of chicken in the center and larger pieces on the outside. Stir in a bit of water and place a damp paper towel on top of the butter chicken. Microwave the butter chicken for two minutes, then flip the chicken over, stir the sauce and heat for 30 seconds.

Note that leftovers should only be reheated once, so only take out as much as you need.

Butter Chicken Tips

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What should I serve with butter chicken?

Serve this chicken with a side of grilled garlic naan and basmati rice. For an appetizer, try Indian recipes for samosas and a delicious, cooling drink like mango lassi. If you prefer a lighter side dish, you can always make chaat or a refreshing Indian cucumber salad (known as kachumber). Personally, I’ve been absolutely loving crispy and pungent onion bhaji with my Indian entrees lately!

Can I make this recipe in a slow cooker?

You can absolutely make butter chicken in a slow cooker! However, we recommend following our slow-cooker butter chicken recipe rather than trying to translate this recipe for a slow cooker. This method will slowly infuse the rich, tomatoey sauce into the chicken over the course of three hours.

What’s the difference between butter chicken and chicken tikka masala?

The difference between butter chicken and chicken tikka masala is the sauce. Butter chicken has a super rich and creamy tomato-based sauce, whereas chicken tikka masala’s sauce relies heavily on tomatoes and, in turn, has a much more acidic and earthy-flavored sauce. Chicken tikka masala is also a bit spicier by comparison, since the heavy cream and butter mellow out the spices a bit more in our butter chicken.