Craving a rich, creamy curry without a lot of fuss? This basic butter chicken brings classic Indian flavour to your kitchen with simple ingredients and easy steps. Tender marinated chicken simmers in a velvety tomato cream sauce that’s perfect for cozy nights or a quick weeknight dinner. Serve with warm naan or rice for a meal everyone will love!
I have been making this butter chicken recipe for many years. I loved it back then for its use of basic fridge and pantry items, and I still love to cook up this version for a quick and easy dinner. And while this butter chicken is full of flavour, it’s mild enough to be kid-friendly or for those who prefer less spicy curries.
This butter chicken starts with boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces and marinated in a yogurt and spice mixture. After marinating, simply cook up in a skillet with the remaining ingredients and enjoy!
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Chicken – I generally use boneless chicken breasts for butter chicken, but boneless chicken thighs will also work here.
Yogurt – Plain, Greek or Balkan style yogurt is recommended. I like to use at least a 2% yogurt, rather than fat free. That said, any plain yogurt of any fat-level will work.
Passata – Passata is strained tomatoes often sold in jars in the tomato section of most grocery stores. I love Mutti brand passata, but any brand will do fine. If you don’t have passata, canned crushed tomatoes will also work, though they will produce a thicker, less smooth sauce (as they are unstrained). Using crushed tomatoes may require a little additional thinning with water if too thick.
Heavy cream – This is the 35% butterfat whipping cream. If you don’t have heavy cream on hand, substitute a lighter cream or additional yogurt.
Cilantro – Fresh cilantro really makes butter chicken in my opinion. That said, if you don’t have fresh cilantro (or you don’t like it), you can substitute fresh or dried parsley (for colour) and a bit of dried coriander (for flavour).
How to make this basic butter chicken recipe
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Always refer to the complete instructions in the Recipe Card below when making the recipe.
- Start by combining the cubed chicken breast with the yogurt marinade in a plastic zipper bag (or a bowl). Zip up or cover and refrigerate for 1-3 hours.
- After marinating, cook the marinated chicken in a skillet until no longer pink.
- Remove the chicken to a plate.
- In the same skillet, cook the onion until softened.
- Add the spices and tomato paste to the skillet and cook together with the onions for a couple of minutes.
- Add the passata to the onions in the skillet.
- Add the heavy cream to the skillet.
- Add the cilantro to the skillet. Stir in, taste and adjust seasoning with salt, as needed.
- Return the chicken to the skillet and allow to simmer with the sauce for about 5-10 minutes before serving.
Recipe video
Recipe tips!
- This butter chicken is make-ahead friendly. Simply cook up ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat in a skillet on the stovetop over medium heat, adding a bit more broth or water to thin, if needed.
- Butter chicken is lovely spooned over cooked Basmati rice. I love to serve naan for dipping in the plentiful sauce. A green vegetable can certainly be added on the side to complete the meal.
- Don’t forget the salt! It’s understandable to think this dish is well-seasoned with the spices, but none of the spice blends have salt. And since there are no other salty elements in the pan, be sure to add a generous seasoning with salt at the end of cooking to bring out all the great flavours.
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Get the Recipe: Basic Butter Chicken
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 1/2 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
- 1 teaspoon ginger, peeled and finely grated (or ginger paste)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon garam marsala
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice, from about 1 lemon (lime juice will also work)
- 2 Tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro , roughly chopped, plus more to serve *see Note 1 below
- Pinch salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch wide, bite-sized pieces (about 3 chicken breasts *see Note 2 below
For the sauce:
- 1 Tablespoons butter
- 1 Tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 Tablespoon garam masala
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup passata, strained pureed tomatoes, usually sold in tall jars in with the spaghetti sauce *see Note 3 below
- 1 1/4 cups half and half cream (10% b.f.), *see Note 4 below
- 2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- salt, as needed
To serve:
- Basmati rice and pappadums or naan bread
- Additional chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients and stir together well. Add the chicken to the marinade and stir to coat well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. (You can also place the chicken in a plastic zipper bag and pour the marinade over the top. Zip up and shake to coat the chicken well.) Refrigerate for 3 hours. (If time is tight, marinate at least 1 hour.)
- Add the butter and oil to a large skillet and heat on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and cook until no longer pink and almost cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate.
- In the same skillet, add a splash more oil to the pan and then add the onions. Cook the onions until softened, about 2-3 minutes. Add the turmeric, garam masala and tomato paste to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes. Add the passata to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes or until slightly thickened. Reduce the heat under the pan to low, add cream and remaining cilantro, and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Return the chicken (and any juices) to the pan and simmer the chicken together with the sauce, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
- Tip! The sauce is almost certainly going to need a generous seasoning with salt, as there is very little salt in the dish to start, and it is needed to counter the sweetness of the tomatoes. Taste and add salt, as needed. If the sauce tastes sweet or flat, it needs more salt!
- Taste the sauce and season with additional salt as needed. Serve garnished with additional chopped cilantro. Nice served with basmati rice and naan.
Notes
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Can I freeze the chicken in the marinade to cook at a later date? Thanks!
Hi Anne, and yes, you could freeze the chicken in the marinade. You’d want to be sure to thaw it in the refrigerator. There may be a slight texture change from the yogurt, but nothing that should cause any issues.