Get the Recipe: Basic Butter Chicken
This basic butter chicken recipe starts with boneless chicken breasts and just a few basic pantry and fridge items. It cooks up quickly on the stovetop for an easy, weeknight-friendly dinner. Just add rice and naan!
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
Note 1: If you don't have or like cilantro, you can substitute chopped fresh or dried parsley for colour and could also add a 1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander for flavour, if you like.
Note 2: You can substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the chicken breasts.
Note 3: Look for jarred passata with the pasta sauces at the grocery store. You could substitute canned crushed tomatoes for the passata, though the resulting sauce will be thicker and less smooth. You may need to thin the sauce with a bit of water if too thick.
Note 4: I generally use half-and-half cream, but heavier whipping cream would also work here. If you don't have any cream on hand, you can stir some yogurt into the sauce instead of cream, for a little creaminess.
Tips!
While this is a basic butter chicken recipe, if you happen to have a pantry stocked with Kashmiri chili powder (for a bit of heat) or Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves) for flavour, feel free to add them to this dish.
Speaking of heat, if you'd like a bit, add a dried long red pepper to pot or simply add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the sauce.
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.
Be sure to read the notes above this recipe card for more tips on making this recipe. You'll also find step-by-step photos and a recipe video that you might find helpful.
Watch how to make it
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 491kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 42g, Fat: 28g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 147mg, Sodium: 349mg, Potassium: 1206mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 875IU, Vitamin C: 19mg, Calcium: 155mg, Iron: 2mg
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