This butter chicken is a rich, creamy curry without the fiery heat of some versions. It has plenty of sauce to soak into rice.
A little prep up front and the dish can be ready in under 30 minutes (plus marinating time).
I often make a slow-cooker butter chicken, but this quicker version — after a short marinate — is on the table fast. It’s just as creamy and is consistently a family favourite.
📋 What you’ll need
🔪 How to make Butter Chicken
Complete ingredient amounts and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Marinate: Toss diced chicken with natural yogurt, lemon juice, minced garlic and the listed spices. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour (or overnight for deeper flavour).
- Blend: Roughly chop the onion, add garlic and ginger and blend until smooth, or finely chop if you don’t have a processor.
- Fry the base: Heat butter and a splash of oil in a large frying pan. Cook the blended onion, garlic and ginger until the edges begin to brown.
- Seal the chicken: Add the marinated chicken and fry for a few minutes to seal the pieces.
- Spice it up: Stir in garam masala, curry powder, paprika, cinnamon and salt; fry for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add liquids: Pour in chicken stock, passata and tomato puree, add sugar and cardamom pods. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
- Finish: Remove the cardamom, stir through the cream, heat gently and serve with rice and chopped coriander.
Recipe Tips
If you prefer a chicken-tikka style finish, grill or broil the marinated chicken briefly before adding it to the sauce. Both methods — grilling first or cooking the chicken directly in the sauce — work well. Serve with garlic naan or plain boiled rice to soak up the sauce.
🍽️ What to serve it with
Sides
How to Cook Rice Perfectly
Sides
Saag Aloo
Sides
Pilau Rice
Breads
Garlic Naan Bread
This is a rich curry, so I usually serve it with simple boiled rice so the sauce stands out.
🍲 More great chicken curry recipes
Curries
Chicken Tikka Masala
Curries
Chicken Jalfrezi
Curries
Chicken Pasanda
Curries
Chicken Madras
Curries
Easy Chicken Curry
Slow Cooked
Slow Cooker Spicy Chicken Curry
📺 Watch how to make it
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Butter Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken and Marinade:
- 700 g (25 oz) chicken breast, diced (about 4 large breasts)
- 80 ml (1/3 cup) natural yoghurt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp mild chilli powder
For the Sauce:
- 1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) chicken stock
- 400 ml (14 oz) passata
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 tsp sugar
- 6 cardamom pods (tie together so they are easy to remove)
- 175 ml (3/4 cup) double (heavy) cream
- Handful of chopped coriander to serve
Instructions
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Combine the chicken and marinade ingredients in a bowl, stir to coat, cover and chill for 1 hour or up to overnight.
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Place the chopped onion and garlic in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the minced ginger if using fresh.
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Heat butter and oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
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Add the blended onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the edges of the onion start to brown.
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Add the marinated chicken and cook for 3–4 minutes to seal the pieces.
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Stir in the salt, garam masala, curry powder, paprika and cinnamon and cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
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Add the stock, passata, tomato puree, sugar and the cardamom pods. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
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Remove the cardamom pods, stir in the cream and warm through gently. Adjust seasoning if needed.
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Serve over rice and sprinkle with chopped coriander.
Video
Notes
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Cool the curry quickly, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a pan, adding a splash of water if needed.
Can I freeze it?
Yes. Cool, transfer to an airtight container and freeze. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
Ingredient swaps and additions
- Swap chicken for quorn or tofu for a vegetarian option.
- Add vegetables such as green beans, courgette (zucchini) or bell peppers after sealing the chicken.
- Increase chilli powder to medium or hot if you prefer more heat.
Nutritional information is per serving (serves 4), excluding rice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be treated as an approximation.
Some links in this post may be affiliate links. If you purchase through them I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Nutritional information is approximate.