• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

RecipeTin Eats

Fast Prep, Big Flavours

Small book

My cookbook "Dinner" now available!

  • My RecipeTin
  • My cookbook!
  • Recipes
  • Recipes By Category
    • Iconic + cult classics
    • Mains
      • Chicken
        • Chicken mince
      • Beef Recipes
        • Ground Beef (Mince)
      • Pork
      • Lamb
      • Turkey
      • Shrimp / Prawns
      • Salmon
      • Fish recipes
      • Salad Meals
    • Quick and Easy
    • Soups
    • One Pot
    • Stews
    • Slow Cooker
    • Sides
      • All
      • Salads & veg
      • Show Off Salads
      • Rice (all)
      • Fried rice recipes
      • Rice (plain)
      • Potato
    • Pasta
      • All
      • Pasta bakes
      • Pasta salads
    • Sweet
      • Cakes
      • Candy
      • Cheesecakes
      • Cupcakes & Muffins
      • Cookies
      • Puddings & Cosy Desserts
      • Bite Size
      • Pies
      • Slices & Bars
      • Frosting & Icing
      • Ice cream
    • Cuisine
      • Asian
        • All
        • Stir fries
        • Noodles
        • Soups
        • Chinese
        • Japanese
        • Korean
        • Thai
        • Vietnamese
      • French
      • Greek
      • Indian
      • Italian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
      • Middle Eastern
      • South American
    • Dietary
      • Gluten Free
      • Low Calorie
      • Vegetarian
    • Other Categories
      • BBQ
      • Breakfast
      • Burgers
      • Cocktails
      • Party Foods
      • Rice Recipes
      • Roasts
      • Sandwiches & Sliders
    • Cookbook recipes
  • Collections
  • About
    • Me
    • RecipeTin Meals
    • Free Recipe Books
    • Contact
    • Nitty Gritty
      • Policy: Use of Recipes & Images
      • Privacy & Disclosure
Home Collections Curries

Butter Chicken

By:Nagi
Published:6 Jan '19Updated:11 Oct '22
2,320 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

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 on rice in a rustic black bowl, ready to be eaten

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!

Close up of Butter Chicken in a skillet, fresh off the stove

How to make Butter Chicken – in 3 Simple Steps

  1. Make Butter Chicken Marinade and marinate chicken for 3+ hours (overnight is best)

  2. Cook chicken

  3. 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!

How to make Butter Chicken
Butter Chicken dinner menu with papadums, naan and basmati rice

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

Made this the other night. INSANELY DELICIOUS!!! Barely spicy, the kids wolfed it down!

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!

Easy Soft Flatbread NAAN

And it’s MADE for dunking in that creamy Butter Chicken Sauce!!

Close up of naan being used to scoop up 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


Watch How To Make It

This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Butter Chicken served over basmati rice in a bowl, ready to be served

Butter Chicken

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 25 minutes mins
Total: 35 minutes mins
Chicken, Curry
Indian
4.98 from 791 votes
Servings3 – 4
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 4246
RECIPE VIDEO above. This is a Chef recipe and is one of the easiest Indian curries to make. The Butter Chicken Sauce is so good that you will want it on tap! Many restaurants take it over the top by adding copious amounts of ghee or butter into the sauce, but you’ll find this rich enough as it is with the rich, creamy sauce!

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:

1. Garam Masala is a spice mix that is readily available at supermarkets nowadays. You will find it in the spice section and it costs around the same as other spices.
2. Pure chilli powder – This is not chili powder as Americans know it! American Chili Powder contains things other than ground dried chili. Use pure chili powder or cayenne pepper to add a spice kick. The spiciness is very mild.
3. Ghee is a clarified butter used in Indian cooking (see this Movie Popcorn Butter recipe for more info). For this recipe, it can be substituted with butter or almost any neutral flavoured cooking oil.
4. Tomato passata is pureed tinned tomatoes. Nowadays it is readily available in supermarkets, usually alongside pasta sauces. It costs just a tiny bit more, sometimes the same, as canned tomatoes. Called Tomato Puree in America.
If you can’t find it, puree canned tomatoes using a blender. This will also work with what is called “Tomato Sauce” in America (Australia! Don’t use what we call Tomato Sauce!)
5. For a lighter version, use OR for a lighter version use 3/4 cup light cream + 1/4 cup milk (full fat or low fat)
6. No Fry Quick Papadums – Place store bought raw papadums (which are really cheap – around $1 for a packet) in the microwave on the edge of the turntable. Then microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute, or until puffed up. They will crisp up when they cool.
7. Adapted from a recipe by Luke Mangan, an Australian chef and restaurateur. The only adjustments I made was to add salt (I am sure it was inadvertently omitted from his recipe) and providing the lighter option for the cream.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 310gCalories: 402cal (20%)Carbohydrates: 9.8g (3%)Protein: 39.8g (80%)Fat: 23.4g (36%)Saturated Fat: 9.3g (58%)Cholesterol: 193mg (64%)Sodium: 928mg (40%)Fiber: 0.9g (4%)Sugar: 6.5g (7%)
Keywords: Butter Chicken
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

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??

Dozer the golden retriever dog first time in water

SaveSave

Previous Post
Lemon Garlic SLOW COOKER Roast Chicken
Next Post
Chicken Vegetable Ramen Noodles

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Related Posts

Freshly made pot of Kuku Paka (African chicken curry)

African Chicken Curry – Kuku Paka

Freshly cooked Coconut chicken curry

Golden coconut chicken curry

Panang curry close up photo

Panang curry – real deal, from scratch

More Curries

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cooked this? Rate this recipe!




2,320 Comments

  1. Deb Beaumont says

    October 28, 2023 at 7:37 pm

    5 stars
    This is the easiest and yummiest recipe. I make this every three months or so.

    Reply
  2. Wendeed says

    October 22, 2023 at 6:05 pm

    5 stars
    Made this last week for dinner just to try something different! Delicious. So good in fact that my daughter- who is not usually a big eater – ate multiple serves including the leftovers that I was planning to take for lunch!

    Reply
  3. Debi says

    October 19, 2023 at 5:26 am

    5 stars
    I’ve made this so many times and we all love it! My grandson requests it for his birthday dinner😃
    I’m making freezer meals for my elderly parents and wondering how this freezes? I’ve found nothing in the notes to advise on this.

    Reply
    • Debi says

      October 19, 2023 at 5:34 am

      Finally got around to scrolling through older comments and it looks like others have had success freezing this.

      Reply
  4. Nicole says

    October 9, 2023 at 7:29 pm

    5 stars
    I realised I didn’t rate this with my previous comment!

    Reply
  5. Nicole says

    October 9, 2023 at 7:28 pm

    I tried this recipe for the first time tonight and it was the best butter chicken I have ever had! So delicious and easy to make. The kids and hubby loved it too. Will definitely be making again.

    Reply
  6. Jane says

    October 4, 2023 at 11:29 pm

    5 stars
    Nagy, I love your recipes and this one doesn’t disappoint! I love Indian food but hesitate to cook it often. Hubby loved it. The only thing I will change in the future is to change the amount of sugar to 1 tsp. Even so, we gobbled it up!

    Reply
  7. Eloise says

    October 2, 2023 at 5:25 am

    5 stars
    Just the best Butter Chicken ever! 100000% better than the local Indian, and it’s just so flavourful and delicious!
    We substitute 1/3 of the butter for coconut oil, and 1/3 of the cream for coconut milk, and some chopped tomato, and it’s just amazing!! 😍😍🍗

    Reply
  8. Doreen says

    October 1, 2023 at 10:05 pm

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness, why haven’t I tried this one before! Like all the other comments, it’s soooooo yum. It’s kids friendly (I just leave out any sign of chilli, and add it in to my own dish at the end). The previous comment amount thinking it was made wrong or too watery pre “20 min simmer” was really helpful, as the sauce was beautiful after the 20mins. I only managed to marinate my meat for the minimum 3hrs, so can’t wait to see what flavours are there if it marinated longer. Also, I used low fat yogurt and light cream.. and still was yum! Next time, I’ll have to try the full fat version

    Reply
  9. Chris Cheshire says

    September 11, 2023 at 8:13 am

    5 stars
    We just enjoyed this dish, butter chicken, from your cookbook. I didn’t see the note about spicing it up with cayenne pepper but will add this for our next time. It is sooooo delicious we absolutely loved it!

    Reply
  10. Marc says

    September 7, 2023 at 2:02 am

    5 stars
    It’s not often that I find a recipe online that rivals a dish you would find in an Indian restaurant, but this is it. Making it again tonight.

    Reply
  11. Jacki says

    September 5, 2023 at 9:20 pm

    5 stars
    Have made this a couple of times and doubled it successfully. It really is a great mild curry

    Reply
    • Jodie says

      October 4, 2023 at 5:41 pm

      5 stars
      This one of our favourites, making it for the up teenth time tonight..always have a couple of batches in freezer marinating.. Also buy the large jar of pasata and the long life carnation cooking cream – freeze the the remainder ready for the next ‘cook off ‘ delicious…

      Reply
  12. Kayleigh says

    September 1, 2023 at 12:30 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious meal very happy with outcome

    Reply
  13. Katy says

    August 24, 2023 at 5:35 am

    5 stars
    Goodness this was delicious as a paneer/mushroom version. It’s a very gentle hug of a curry, reminds me of daal makhani.
    I had a store cupboard emergency (read: too lazy to shop) and had no yoghurt, passata or cream!! What’s a girl to do?
    – used some powdered coconut milk and water to create a sort of yoghurt base for the spices…
    – passata I used Nagis brill hack with tomato puree
    – cream I used the kitchns great hack with butter and milk
    So despite nearly every sub in the book it was still great 🤣

    Reply
  14. Shari says

    August 24, 2023 at 12:06 am

    I’ve heard my daughter comment several times about making Butter Chicken for dinner. Her 7 yo daughter loves it. So, I thought I’d give it a try! Oh my goodness!! Yes, delicious!! When I told my daughter about Nagi’s recipe, she said “you made it from scratch?!” I was surprised by her reaction. I asked her how did she make it…. “from a jar!”
    I told her how simple this recipe was, but when you’re a working mama with little time, I guess a jar will do. Lol!

    Reply
  15. Mardie says

    August 21, 2023 at 6:56 pm

    5 stars
    This was soooo good. Thanks for another amazing recipe!

    Reply
  16. Jan says

    August 18, 2023 at 1:51 pm

    5 stars
    Have made this, good that it has no onion and it tastes great. But has anyone made it using Zymil cream? Need to know if it will work.

    Reply
    • Melissa says

      October 28, 2023 at 1:35 pm

      I have made it with zymil cream but o have also used plain coconut yogurt both excellent results

      Reply
  17. Evelyne Lessard says

    August 18, 2023 at 10:20 am

    5 stars
    I never made butter chicken at home and I was wondering why… I think it’s because I loveeeee it so much at my favorite indian restaurant that I was unconsciously thinking I could not do a butter chicken as good as theirs… And honestly? IT IS ALMOST IDENTICAL! It’s a restaurant quality dish! I’m soooo happy, especially since my indian restaurant is far away from my house… thank you thank you thank you!!!

    Reply
  18. Denise Flederis says

    August 12, 2023 at 6:03 pm

    I made this and it was so delicious and so fast to cook. Thanks Nagi 👏

    Reply
  19. Emma says

    August 8, 2023 at 3:53 pm

    This recipe is amazing! super easy and kid friendly, with plenty of flavor.

    Reply
  20. sandra maher says

    August 8, 2023 at 2:23 pm

    5 stars
    I made Butter Chicken for the first time ☺️….turned out delicious!!! Thanks Nagi. Could you freeze the leftovers (if any) .

    Reply
    • Wendy says

      August 9, 2023 at 2:35 pm

      Sandra, I’ve made this and froze it for my son at college. After doing a little research, I did cook it down a little longer as I read that when defrosted it can be a bit more watery and the texture may change because of the cream (i.e. cream may split). My son reported he and his roommates loved it and he didn’t notice anything significantly different than when made fresh, although when you’re hungry and are at college, I think you’ll eat anything. Side note-one of his college friends reached out last month asking for the recipe as they were in withdrawal. Hee Hee! Nagi now has another follower. Yay!

      Reply
      • Ann says

        August 22, 2023 at 8:54 am

        Hi Wendy, thank you for a good idea about freezing the cooked portion for your son at college. My son is sharing an apartment with a roommate this year and he will appreciate this dish!

        Reply
      • Sandra Maher says

        August 9, 2023 at 9:58 pm

        Thank you, Wendy. My son loved it too. I’m glad I made extra, gave me lunch for 2 days. I will definitely try and freeze it. I love Nagi recipes (like everyone else) can’t fault any of them. 🙂

        Reply
Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Meet Dozer

Official taste tester of RecipeTin Eats! Meet Dozer
As Featured On

What's for Dinner?

Close up of beef enchiladas in a baking dish, fresh out of the oven

Beef Enchiladas

Butter Chicken served over basmati rice in a bowl, ready to be served

Butter Chicken

Overhead photo of 2 black bowls with Chinese Chicken Salad with Asian Dressing, ready to be eaten

Chinese Chicken Salad

Salisbury Steak recipe in skillet.

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken - 7 ingredient magic. The coconut fragrance is heavenly! recipetineats.com

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken

Fast prep. Big flavours!

Never miss a recipe

Back to Top
  • Related
  • RecipeTin Japan
  • Food Bloggers Center
  • Help
  • Contact Us
  • Image Use
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
Site Credits Maintained by Zao Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled © RecipeTin Eats 2023 · All Rights Reserved Back to Top