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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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.