Quick 20-minute butter chicken is creamy and packed full of flavor. It’s simplified and cooked all in one pan and goes great with a side of rice or naan!
Ever since moving to Alexandria, Virginia we’ve been in luck with all the Indian, Pakistani, and Aghani restaurants around us. We love the cuisine because it’s loaded with flavor and spice and is great for cold nights. One dish we keep going back for is the butter chicken. The spicy creaminess is unforgettable and always makes us go back for more!
I’ve been experimenting with my own version of home-made butter chicken over the past few weeks and I’ve finally found the perfect one. This simple no-fuss one pan butter chicken is just perfect. It’s simplified and does not require a whole bunch of ingredients, yet it’s packed with just the right amount of spice.
Easy 20 Minute Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced or grated (or use paste)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced or crushed
- 1 ½ pounds about 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-inch chunks
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste, or 8 oz can of tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon chili powder, or paprika, adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon Fenugreek, I use powder, but seeds or mustard seeds can be used too, optional*
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream, sub for half & half or yogurt for low fat
- Hot cooked rice and naan for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet or medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, butter, and onions and cook onions down until lightly golden, about 3-4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and let cook for 30 seconds, stirring so it doesn’t burn.
- Add the chicken, tomato paste, and spices. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until everything is cooked through.
- Add the heavy cream and simmer for 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally. Serve over Basmati rice or with naan.
Video
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you use cumin powder or seeds?
I used cumin powder that I powdered myself from fresh cumin seeds.
Just delicious. I used chicken tenders and onlly had 3/4 cup of half and half. Used a little sour cream and 2% milk to make up the difference. ( I really didn’t want to go to the store.). And my family is not wacky about plain rice, so I made Garlic Butter rice from spendwithpennies.com. Add a salad and so happy I didn’t have to heat the oven. Yum!
So easy and really good. I’m saving this one, thank you for sharing this!!!
For years I’ve been making a way more complicated version of butter chicken (9 ingredients just for the marinade alone) and it was very good. But today I felt like making this dish, but had no time to marinate (nor did I have the yogurt needed for the marinade). I searched for a quick Butter Chicken recipe and found yours. Well, it was just as good as the recipe I’d been using with much less work, and less expensive because I don’t need the marinade ingredients. I did go the extra step of slicing the breasts in half and pounding it, so that could account for the tender chicken. Thanks got this delicious but easy recipe
I am my family absolutely love this. Had a great amount of flavor and was very easy and quick to make. I did however deviate from the recipe by adding some thurick and blending it to make a more delicate consistency.
I never write reviews but this was so amazing I want to shout it from the rooftop! I’ve already shared it with many friends and family. It really tasted restaurant quality and the leftovers were even better! Thank you so much for this mealtime staple in my house!
Note: I used half and half. I took the suggestion of a reviewer and used 1.5T garam masala, and 1T turmeric.
The taste is lovely but I find the texture very grainy I didn’t follow the recipe exactly because I added the chicken and spice cooked for a bit before adding the tomatoe sauce instead of adding them altogether any ideas why this could be?
If I intend to reproduce this plate for 9 people do I triple the values?
Yes, you can just triple everything or even double as it would serve 8 and possibly 9 if served with rice.
Quick and delicious! This is a life saver recipe!
Very delicious and rapid recipe just add little sugar and cashew with raisin to garnish
Love this recipe! I add a little extra butter and garam masala, a teaspoon of paprika, a tablespoon of turmeric, and a tablespoon of sugar. Hubby is from India and tells me it tastes better than his mom’s, but don’t tell HER that. 😉
Thanks for much for the compliment, Christina!! <3
Very pleased! I’ve made the long version (another recipe) and this brings it back into regular rotation as it is super reasonable to carry out and delicious!
Should you cook the chicken before adding?
I use raw chicken so that the seasoning costs the chicken better. But it usually takes me around 8 minutes to make sure it’s cooked through.
So simple yet so delicious! 😍 Thanks for sharing. ☹️.
Just made this for lunch. Absolutely delish. Very flavorful and super easy to make.
I want to try your recipe. Should cubed chicken be cooked before adding to recipe?
Very nice recipe just added little cashew and raisins with little sugar and results are super. Thanks for rapid and delicious recipe
Delicious, very close to the best I have tasted, thank you
My family loved it!!! Very simple to make.
LOVE!!!💖 SO simple and the best thing to do with leftover chicken as well! I didn’t have the fenugreek but I did add turmeric instead and doubled the heavy cream, tastes just like our neighborhood restaurant’s recipe, happy hubby=happy wife!! This one’s a keeper!
I want to use yogurt (I live in Japan and cream is $3.50/cup). But I’m worried about it curdling like the other reviewer wrote. How do I make sure that doesn’t happen?
Reduce the heat before adding the yogurt and add it at the very end.
I tried the recipe and it’s one of the best I had ever ate yet so quick and easy
Thank you
Thanks for the 5-star, Review!
Made this exactly as specified and absolutely loved it. Next time will marinate the chicken as suggested above. But definitely a keeper!
Fast, easy and so delicious! We made it using plain Greek yogurt instead of the heavy cream for a healthier version, as suggested. Loved it!
Used vegan yogurt and some whole milk instead of half and half. Had to add extra milk to make it creamier. Flavor was meh. Will have to try again without yogurt.
You just needed to add more spices and garlic at the end. Thanks
Cooked it today! Fast cooking and the result is delicious!. A little bit sour and tangy (I had added sour cream). Added 1 tsp sugar and 2 tsp cream and turned to be ultra delicious! Thank you. It is fast and easy to make
Which tomato paste/sauce do you use? When I made this dish, I noticed that it had a slightly sour tomato taste to it and I think it’s from the sauce. I wonder if it’s better to use fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes?
SUCH a great and easy recipe – thanks! The fenegreek really hit the spot! I also noticed that it called for less butter but turned out tasty with really good consistency!
This was very good. My kids love this and beg me to make it again and again ages 7+. It is not spicy but very flavorful. My 10 year old enjoyed cooking this with me and cooked for the first time to this recipe! Great recipe and so easy! Thank you
Happy your grandchildren enjoy this chicken, Amy! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I love this recipe but unfortunately added too much tomato paste so it is a little tangy and less creamy. Any thoughts on what I could add to cut the tomatoes paste taste? Butter? Cream?
Add more cream to balance the tomato!
Wow wow wow! My family is huge fans of butter chicken, especially my youngest son. He is somewhat a butter chicken connoisseur. Every time we give him his choice for dinner, whether out or in, it’s butter chicken. I have tried NUMEROUS butter chicken recipes at home and many have been “good but lacking something” in his expert opinion. 😉 There’s a restaurant that we once tried while on vacation years ago and it was his absolute most favorite butter chicken and the standard for any other that I make or we try. Well, last night after making your recipe (which I must say is one of the easiest I’ve ever tried too!), my son declared that it is “Best Butter Chicken he’s ever tried!” and went as far to say better than his favorite version at the restaurant! Now, my son likes to be somewhat of a critic (I don’t mind it because I pride myself on my cooking) so this is huge! So, long story short, your recipe is amazing and I will search no more for a butter chicken recipe! Super impressed! And five stars from my connoisseur son! 😉
Wow! thanks for the great review, Natalie! SO happy your son enjoyed the butter chicken 😀
LOVE IT!!!! Had to add a little bit more cream but it is perfect!!! I would definitely do it again and again and again 🙂
Followed the directions and so easy to make. Truly delicious, my daughter even said ok to add to the rotation. #winning
So good – did not have tomato paste or sauce so had to use rotel tomatoes with chilis . Definitely a keeper
This recipe is amazing! As an Indian I can vouch for the gravy! The one thing I did different is marinate the chicken for a couple of hours in yogurt, ginger garlic paste, salt, red Chili powder, garam masala, turmeric powder and coriander powder for the flavours to really sink in
Your comment means so much to me, Shikha! I’m happy you enjoyed the dish <3
Tried this recipe with the mentioned modifications, but I was skeptical as the typical colors didn’t quite come in. But oh boy! It did deliver quite the flavor. So so good.
Amazing recipe.
Super easy to prepare.
My friends love, love loved it. It was very delicious. Followed every step, it came out very well.
HIGHLY recommend it.
Tastes great, but I subbed Greek yogurt(like it said I could). It came out kind of chunky. Almost like the yogurt curdled. Disappointed in the substitution suggestion.
Unfortunately cooking with yogurt can be tricky. Did you lower the heat when adding the yogurt?
It doesn’t say Greek yogurt, it just says yogurt, so I assumed that means whole milk regular yogurt. Could that be the problem? I am planning to make this tonight with the regular yogurt.
You have to temper the yogurt to avoid clumps.
Easy and delicious
Absolutely delicious and easy to make! A perfect (quarantined) crowd pleaser.
This was easy and delicious. Printing it up to save for my husband to make when I am recovering from a scheduled surgery….it was very easy to make. I used 8oz of left over cubed roast chicken breast that I added with the tomato puree and 1/2 & 1/2 and warmed it all up. Served it with a packet of Spinach Dal (microwaved for 60sec) rice and naan.
Honestly, I don’t know if I’m just so in love with my local family-owned Indian restaurants’ butter chicken that this recipe came out Eh or if the recipe is really just Eh. It was super simple to make however it’s very tomato forward and not as creamy as I had hoped. I ended up adding a little under a half cup of butter to really bring out that rich flavor, added half a cup of water to get that light creamy base, And added a half tbs of salt. I tried to redeem the sauce but you can really taste the tomato paste. Next time I’ll only add in a little at a time, stirring frequently as I go until I get the desired flavor
Hi! Do we add 1 teaspoon cumin powder or cumin seeds. Thanks!
Cumin powder!
I love this recipe, delicious and so easy. thank you!!!
Love this recipie and so does my boyfriend ^-^ I don’t change anything and its perfect. Thanks for the recipe.
I made this today. Trying to cook at home more instead of take out during the pandemic. Anyway, it was WONDERFUL! It was so easy to make, also. The only thing I will change when I make it again (and I definitely will) is give it more heat. This is going into the regular recipe rotation. We put it over cauliflower rice and it was great.
Can i use flavored yoghurt?
No, it will not work with flavored yogurt because it will alter the taste of the dish.
It was really good! First time making it.
I probably at least doubled the spices, added more paste, and chicken. It’s the corona virus panic and I couldn’t find tomato paste so I used a Goya tomato paste with garlic, olive oil, and peppers. It worked well!
I cooked this for my soon-to-be wife. Definitely think I sealed the deal with this recipe. I can’t wait to cook this for my family one day.
Is cooking the chicken for 16 minutes enough?
I thought you’re supposed to cook chicken for at least 25-30 minutes (?). My chicken seemed a bit raw after following this recipe.
The chicken is cut into small pieces so it cooks quickly!
Delicious recipe. Added a Thai chili pepper to spice it up. Found I had to add a bit extra liquid to get my desired consistency and of course add some spice.
Really simple, quick and delicious! My husband loved it and he is pretty fussy. Subbed coconut milk for the cream bc of dairy allergy, and could not taste the coconut at all. Couldn’t find the fenugreek in store and don’t like mustard seed, but thought the dish tasted fantastic. We decided at the last second to throw some spinach in the pan instead of making a veg on the side. Couldn’t taste the spinach at all and got some greens!
Glad you made it work!
Hi Layla! We only have chicken thighs right now, would those work okay in the recipe? Thanks for your help, excited to try this recipe!
Are the chicken thighs de-boned? The recipe works well with boneless, skinless chicken thighs that are cut into small pieces.
Absolutely amazing recipe quick easy and enjoyed by all the family
I am 16 yet even I was able to make something like this thanks to the simple and easy recipe. It was so easy to follow and tasted delicious. I’ve never made a curry like this before and I was really pleasantly surprised by the taste. It’s so creamy and flavorful. Thank you for making this recipe 🙂
What is the calories per serving?
What can I use to substitute 1 tablespoon garam masala?
Try 2 teaspoons cumin and a pinch of all spice.
Perfect recipe. Because of dairy sensitivities, I used the cream from a can of coconut milk instead of the heavy cream or yogurt, and then finished it with 1 tbs of butter. Super silky, perfect spicing. My 7 year olds loved it, my husband wanted 2nds an wiped his bowl clean. Will be a regular repeat in our house. Oh, didn’t use fenugreek or mustard seed (didn’t have the 1st, don’t care for the 2nd and wanted to control the spice factor for the kids. Still perfect.)
Super delicious! Made for lunch!!!! Was super easy to follow and I substituted the heavy cream with greek yogurt! One of my new favorites!
Yass! Happy you enjoyed it <3
It is midnight and I am raiding the fridge. Inside the fridge I find a little Tupperware container and open it up. It is the last sauce of the butterchicken that I made for my wife and child earlier this evening. My wife , a proffesionnal chef kept it to take home. My daughter also asked that the leftovers must be packed for school the next day. Therefore I cannot but score this recipe five stars. It is a keeper!
SO glad you and your family are enjoying this dish, Martin! 🙂
Can you freeze this recipe
Yes, freeze in an air-tight container for up to 2 months.
Delicious and so easy. The chicken breasts stayed moist in this gorgeOus sauce. Tasted like a resTaurant meal. Did add water though as sauce too thick.
Delicious and so easy. The chicken breasts stayed moist in this gorge sauce. Tasted like a rest meal.
i made this recipe last night but added a butter chicken spice mix by shan and it came out AMAZING!! super quick and delicious. thanks for sharing
Also,
I used tomato paste and had no issue with not having enough liquid. I also found it went really well with basmati rice so i also got to try making that for the first time too! cant thank you enough!
I made this yesterday and added a bit of chilli paste and turmeric and added green peppers also it was divine thank you for such a simple yet delicious butter chicken
Excellent recipe for Butter chicken. The flavour tastes authentic to me(im not indian, so i can’t say for sure) Delicious! this is now my go to butter chicken recipe.
Thanks! Its tastes so nice!
First time making homemade Butter chickeN. SO EASY AND THE FLAVOR IS FANTASTIC. Best we ever had. Family has requested this recipe at least once a week now! thank you.
So happy to hear the family enjoyed it!
perfect sauce recipe, thank you so much.
great timing when cooking rice at the same time.
to make it vegetarian, i added peas and cheese curds instead of chicken, and tossed some fresh greens on top. mozzarella or paneer would probably be good too. 🙂
PS IT DIDN’T NEED ANY EXTRA LIQUID FOR ME, AND I USED TOMATO PASTE AND HEAVY CREAM. ALTHOUGH I WAS COOKING IT AROUND MED-LOW/MED, SO MAYBE THAT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT.
So good, easy and authentic. Am very impressed. Will def keep this in the rotation! Thanks for sharing this!!
Enjoy 🙂
This may seem like a crazy question but can we use ground beef instead of chicken. I known that it technically would not be butter chicken but could it work?
I’ve never tried it with ground beef so I honestly can’t say but the flavor should still be the same.
I tried this last week and came out so delicious!
Could you please include the calorie count?
jen is a savage
i have made this recipe a few times and absolutely love it.i agree with the comments below that you have to add some liquid if using tomato paste. there’s no way for it to boil. i’ve used water in the past and it turns out well. i think i’ll use chicken broth next time as someone suggested below.
does this freeze well?? my husband is having knee surgery soon so i am trying to fill the freezer with ready meals.
i also combined this recipe with a tikka masala recipe and marinated it in yogurt, it was even better. if you have time for this step, do it.
I tried Your butter chicken recipe FOR dinner with Arabic bread. TURNED out great. My hubby loved it… Made me really happy. Thank you so much.
May God bless you.
I havent made this yet but was planning to for a big event. Can i make it a few werks prior and freeze?
Can i TRIPLE the RECIPE ?
Easy enough for my 12 year old to make – tasty and delicious! we used tomato paste and heavy cream. it was out of this world!!
Such a nice recipe to cook. i will be try this recipe at home. Surely share my experience for cooking butter chicken.
It actually comes out very good!the difference with is between the chicken stock the tomato paste Or tomato sauce:
if you use tomato sauce dont chicken stock
if you use tomato paste yes use chicken stock thaT easy that simple, but you need to know your way in the kitc (just a little) lol
It is actually comes out very good!the difference with is between the chicken stock the tomato paste Or tomato sauce:
if you use tomato sauce dont chicken stock
if you use tomato paste yes use chicken stock thaT easy that simple, but you need to know your way in the kitc (just a little) lol
This recipe was perfect. The portions work and it was made in the length of time it took to make the rice in our rice cooker. it was a hit and will become a regular option. thank you.
I don’t understand this recipe; if you make it with one 6-oz can of tomato paste, the sauce is waaaay too thick. I added a cup of broth and it was delicious, but as written, this recipe just doesn’t compute.
i love this recipe super thankful and super legit. everything is perfect.
tHIS WAS THE THIRD BUTTER CHICKEN RECIPE i TRIED. iT WAS THE best! mY FAMILY HAS BEEN BEGGING ME TO MAKE THIS AGAIN. sO EASY AND SO DELICIOUS! mAKING AGAIN THIS WEEKEND. gREAT WITH nAAN AND/OR RICE!
How is there no butter in butter chicken?
There is 🙂 you need to read
Quick, easy and delicious – thank you so much.
Excellent, simple recipe. I used plain yogurt topped up with skim milk because I had no cream in the house. As suggested, I Substituted fenugreek with a scant teaspoon of ground mustard seed. I also threw in some canned tomatoes that needed using up. The result was delicious, comparable to what I have eaten in a restaurant. thanks!
DElicious recipe, thanks!
Is this mAde with Precooked chicken or does the chicken cook in the sauce?
The chicken is raw and cooked in the sauce.
This was just the recipe I was looking for! Thanks so much! We just had it last night to celebrate New YEars and EVERYONE loved it!
So happy you started your new year with my recipe!! <3
For some reason i thought butter chicken had curry in it, but its in very few of the recipes i have found online. is it not normal for butter chicken to have curry?
What do uou mean? There are several curry spices in there- cumin, ginger, chili, as erll as garam masala which is a blend of Different indian spices
Hi, sounds delicious. I will trying tomorrow:))
Ty so much for this recipe. Everyone loves it and its sooooo easy ! I use ghee and tomato soup and ITs amazing ! With a side of pilau rice and naan
I’m always extra but this is me don’t level off dry seasonings use a heap for what ever the recipe calls for first time I taste it from an Indian restaurant 90% flavor tweaked it a bit and added double chili powder double cream and also added 1 cup sugar also sprained cilantro on top for garnish and a hint of the FLAVOR… XOXOXO!!! 5 🌟⭐⭐⭐⭐
Great chinese food
Hi, quick question The recipe says 1 cup heavy cream, roughly how many Ml’s is this?
Approximately 250 MLS.
Fab recipe! Easy, and super yum! Second time making it 😊
I just made this for the third time. It is the best butter chicken I have ever made. My family loves it And the friends I made it for this weekend loved it too. I followed the recipe with a couple of minor changes. I can’t find FENugreek anywhere right now, so I just omitted it. The other addition I made was adding a little raw sugar. Butter chicken in my region is always a tiny bit sweet. Thank you sp much for posting this.
This is a great recipe it helped me, for my assignment.
I’m a total newbie in the kitchen, and had to prepare a decent meal for my daughters after being recently divorced. And this recipe came out perfect! I guestimated the ingredient portions because I had more chicken than the recipe calls for, and it still tasted brilliant. My daughter had it again for breakfast, and took some to school for lunch. Highly recommend this recipe for any single dads out there!
Love THIS RECIPE:)
SO HAPPY TO FIND A WEBSITE WITH RECIPES THAT ARE ACTUALLY YUMMY!
Where is the butter?
In the cream.
I agree it needs more though. (I added more)
I LOVE THIS RECIPE! <3 IT WAS PERFECTLY SPICED FOR THE NON SPICEY PALLET. NEXT TIME I WILL ADD A COUPLE OF GREEN CHILI'S THAT WE HAVE IN INDIA. I ALSO USED THE HALF AND HALF BECAUSE I COULDN'T GET HEAVY CREAM AND I WILL USE THAT FROM NOW ON. NEXT TIME I'LL MIX ALL THE SPICES AND HALF & HALF TOGETHER SO I CAN JUST POUR IT IN, BUT YOU'VE REALLY HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD WITH THIS RECIPE AND I THANK YOU FOR SHARING IT. DONAL
very good! & EASY! DELICIOUS!
this was an amazing and tasty recipe. thank you.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!:)
Awesome recipe! Enjoyed it!
I made this for a school Assignment and it tasted amazing.
Question….my local market did not have Garam Masala so I found a recipe online for it and it already has cumin in it so do you think it would be too much cumin since recipe calls for a tsp of it or does garam masala normally have it in it? I’m not family with any Indian recipes and this is my first time trying anything so I had no prior experience with it. Thanks so much!
Sorry for typo that should say I’m not familiar with any Indian recipes. Thanks Autocorrect lol 😂
That’s okay! the additional cumin in the garam masala should be fine because a lot of cumin is used in Indian cuisine!
Do you think this recipe would also be nice with coconut milk instead of heavy cream?
I can’t answer that question without further recipe testing. I would say use your best judgment!
Thank you so much, I just made this and my husband and I can’t get enough!!
Why is it called “Butter Chicken” when no butter is used?????
Good question, Barbara! The buttery creamy flavor comes from the heavy cream. You can use butter to saute the onions if you wish but we find oil works best.
It’s called “Butter” Chicken because traditionally ghee is used instead of oil. Ghee is clarified butter. Ghee retains the buttery flavor, but is much more stable to cook with than butter when heating it to a high temperature (such as when sauteeing onions and spices). If you can find ghee in your local grocery store (or Indian market), I recommend using it instead of oil.