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Easy Butter Chicken

Easy Butter Chicken

Catalina T
This homemade easy Butter Chicken is big on taste with little effort involved. Spicy, aromatic and creamy with chunks of tasty chicken.
5 from 3 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Marinating time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 358 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

For the chicken marinade

  • 1 kg boneless thigh fillets (chopped into bite-sized chunks) (NOTE 1)
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 3 cm ginger (35g-1.2oz minced)
  • ½ cup plain yoghurt (unsweetened or natural yoghurt)
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp garam masala (NOTE 2)
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp chilli powder (or ground cayenne pepper)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp salt

For the sauce

  • 2 tbsp ghee (or butter) (NOTE 3)
  • 1 cup passata (tomato puree or crushed tomatoes) (NOTE 4)
  • 1 cup thickened cream (NOTE 5)
  • 2 cardamom pods
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt

For the garnish (optional)

  • cream or yoghurt (to drizzle)
  • finely chopped coriander

Instructions
 

  • Slice the chicken thighs into generous bite-sized pieces. Place the chicken into a large bowl and add in all the marinade ingredients. Mix well to combine, then cover the chicken and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 or more hours. If possible, leave it to marinate overnight
    Easy Butter Chicken
  • Heat ghee or butter over medium to high heat in a large wok or a deep frying pan. Place the chicken and all of its marinade into the pan. Stir regularly to cook until the chicken turns white, then pour in the passata and cream. Add in the cardamom, cloves, sugar and salt. Mix to combine, cook until the mixture bubbles, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for a further 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Give the sauce a taste and, if needed, add more salt. Garnish by drizzling some cream or yoghurt on top and finely chopped coriander.

Notes

(NOTE 1) Skinless and boneless chicken thigh fillets are my preferred cut because it’s much juicier and tastier than chicken breast. Breast fillets will work too, but the chicken will be slightly drier.
(NOTE 2) Garam masala is a blend of spices that may include ground ginger, pepper, caraway, fennel, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star Aniseed, bay leaf, and nutmeg. It's commonly used in Indian and Asian cuisines. Supermarkets usually stock garam masala in the spice and herb racks.
(NOTE 3) Ghee is a type of highly clarified butter commonly used in Indian and Asian cooking. Supermarket stock ghee either in the international food or oil sections. Regular butter would work and make a great substitute.
(NOTE 4) Passata (pureed tomatoes) - To make passata, they puree tomatoes and strain them to form a smooth consistency. Supermarkets usually stock passata near canned tomatoes and pasta sauces. Crushed tomatoes would also work, but the butter chicken sauce won't be as smooth.
(NOTE 5) Thickened cream (whipping cream) has gelatine added to it and contains 35% milk fat. I don’t recommend using low-fat cream as it'll take away that beautiful richness butter chicken is famous for.
Leftovers - Allow the butter chicken to cool completely at room temperature. Transfer the butter chicken into an airtight container and refrigerate. It'll be good for up to 3 days. Frozen butter chicken will keep for up to 3 months.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements.
A Third-Party Application calculated the calories and nutritional information. Please use this as an approximate guide only.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 358kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 34gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 201mgSodium: 668mgPotassium: 678mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 668IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 71mgIron: 3mg