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.
used some calamnti juice on the diced chicken as well , just a bit and mixed in a bowl before adding chicken. almost went to a restaurant to get saved a bundle
Wow , very good , never had before so bought a “passage to India ” butter chicken mix(3.99)@Kroger , didn’t use any paste since that’s it, but got a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes which I added with the chicken..it’s going to get watery even drained , cast iron skillet helps to drain a few times before adding the mix..about 6 tablespoons of heavy cream and it had the color and tasted different after I added..going to make again , I added red pepper as well in the beginning. All around filling meal. I did the rest of your ingredients (used mustard seed) and a little paprika.. I’m pretty sure I tasted the hype.
Thanks
added some calamanti juice to the diced chicken not much then mixed that before putting into skillet
What is fenugreek and whatever kind of masala it says ?
Fennugreek herb is used; dried fennugreek leaves can be found at Asian groceries or on Amazon.com. Fennugreek seeds have a different flavor. Garam masala spice can be purchased at most grocery spice aisles or at Asian grocers.
How many grams in a serving?
super delicious !!
Thanks for sharing it with us !!
I forgot to get onion at the store so it was a little less flavorful than it should’ve been but still good!
Excellent recipe! I’m always hesitant to try recipes for some of my favorite international dishes, but this one really delivered.
Highly recommend
That is awesome way to do
Chicken breast thank you for
Sharing I will have it for dinner
Today
👍👍⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Brilliant! I just halved the recipe and made it for me and the hubby! I added some water to allow the chicken and sauce to cook a little longer and also used three big boneless chicken thighs to give it a little more flavour – didn’t have mustard seeds so just used a pinch of mustard powder (yes, I’m English).
Honestly a brilliant quick dinner for two – thank you so much xx
Can I use mustard powder?
Watching the 49ers in the play-offs I didn’t have much time to cook and this was perfect. I did add a squeeze of Meyer lemon but otherwise kept to the recipe. Will definitely make again.
calamanti juice added to the diced chicken before cooking seemed better (all I had similar to lemon/lime)
Freakin amazing. My fiancé loved it.
This is a WINNER! I make this allll the time and everybody absolutely loves it. I make a few modifications like using an entire 6oz can of tomato paste and i also get Shan butter chicken mix and season my chicken with it before cooking so it gets even more authentic flavor. Easy and delicious!
How many grams is a serving?
So good and so easy! I prepare this for a chef from a local restaurant and he loved the flavour!
It was easy to prepared, I did add couple more spices to the recipe, I fried my onions & garlic ginger add turmeric, and added ground cloves to the mix of spices.
It was so delicious.
I make this recipe all the time! It’s so delicious. I sub with milk. Yum yum. Thanks!
Second time I tried with chicken breast tenders, doubled the sauce recipe, used dark brown sugar and a mix of regular and low sodium soy sauce, marinated the chicken overnight. This time the sauce did thicken a bit when boiled, but it was quite salty. And, quite watery after baking in the oven.
Nice recipes
I made this last night for my family and turn out great mother original, but Avery delicious and easy dish to make with little time. Thank for this recipe for butter chicken cravers!! 😍👍
Made various butter chicken recipes but this one stands out by far!! Far less prep than other versions but tastes so much nicer than previous takes on it. The only slight difference with the recipe difference was I used 4tbs of double concentrated tomato purée rather than paste. Deffo have that happy fullness feeling after eating this dish!
I made this for the second time tonight, after it was a hit with the children last time, I used paprika instead of chilli and left out the fenugreek and cumin (personal preference because we don’t like the taste of cumin). This is definitely going to be a regular on my weekly dinner plan
Next time stir in about 2 Tbsp of smooth peanut butter . SOOOOOOOOO tasty
Great recipe, I’ve made this many times! I generally use the tomato sauce option and add a little more garam masala (an extra teaspoon usually).
Its delicious with the heavy cream, but its still really good with only 1/2 c heavy cream (or even no heavy cream, which really lets the spices stand out).
You can use leftover chicken as well! I often make this with leftover paprika-rotisserie chicken to use up leftovers.
i would cut the cream to 1/2 c instead of 1 c. this is my first indian dish so im not very knowledgeable on how it should taste, but i think it tastes fantastic. my room-mates said it smelled amazing
Phenomenal recipe! This is pure comfort food and a great intro to anyone who has never tried Indian cuisine.
Tried this today. Turned out excellent. Thank you
waaaaayyyy tooooooo mannnnyyyyyy pop ups on this site. Impossible to read recipe on mobile device.
Hit print recipe at the top of the page and you will be ad free!
Really good and easy. I used whole milk instead of cream and it still came out good!
This recipe is great! Here are the modifications i do to make it excellent – i season the chicken with a butter chicken mix you can get at any indian grocery store, really helps it taste more authentic. I use a whole 6oz can of tomato paste, gives so much more flavor to the recipe. And last, i add in some red pepper flakes for a kick. I do maybe a tablespoon for the whole batch then load it up in my individual bowl.
Easy and tasty! Really enjoyed this recipe!
This is a great recipe packed with lots of flavour! I substituted heavy cream with low fat yogurt and also added in some chopped red pepper as we like extra veggies!
Great recipe, my only issue was when I added the cream it became pale and completely lost its color am I doing something wrong? Other than that tastes amazing
This was my first time making Indian food, and it was so easy and delicious! I was worried about the chicken breasts drying out (especially since I was using defrosted chicken) so I dredged the chicken chunks in a very light layer of AP flour beforehand. I also added an extra tablespoon or so of butter when I added the chicken and tomato paste. It turned out great, thanks so much!
Thanks for the feedback! Happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Delicious! I will make this again but next time use half n half to cut down on the calories. I also only had 2tbs of tomato paste but still was amazing. Family loved it. I
Recipe turned out fantastic. Did not have cream so I used whole milk and a bit of cream cheese to get the creaminess of butter chicken. I also used about half of a rotisserie chicken that was in my fridge instead of raw chicken. I added the chicken at the end so it did not become too over cooked.
How many does this recipe generally feed?
Depends how much each person eats!
About 4 people with rice or naan.
I just add more chicken and don’t change the rest of the ingredients to feed more. Like the last time I made this recipe I used around 3 pounds of chicken instead of 1 1/2 and it fed 6 and still tasted great. Also as others pointed out adding rice and naan will make the servings go up.
We absolutely loved this recipe! We used ground mustard seeds instead of fenugreek, otherwise made it as described and it came out fantastic.
Would recommend to add some additional oil to the chicken to prevent it from getting too dry though!
I added a little bit of brown sugar to offset a slightly bitter flavour. I usually reduce sugar in recipes versus adding it – but in this case the sugar enhanced the flavour. Otherwise a flavourful and easy weeknight dinner.
On point with the brown sugar tip!
I really wanted to love this recipe. It was so easy and the pictures were a big help, but the sauce came out gritty and bitter, especially compared to other times I’ve made butter chicken. I think it’s due to all the dry spices, which were otherwise such a nice shortcut. I’m definitely interested in trying more recipes from your site, but I think I’ll just stick to making this particular meal when I have time to do it the long, luxurious way.
Delicious and so easy
Delicious! I started thawing my chicken too late to be done in time for dinner, so I substituted a can of chickpeas and half a potato for a vegetarian version. I couldn’t believe how simple yet flavorful the sauce was. This has definitely made it onto our regular dinner rotation!
So delicious and very quick. It’s a great go-to with pizzazz!
11/5 stars. Umm. Omg! This recipe is the best! First time making butter chicken and I want more but I can’t eat anymore! Definitely will be making this again!
The best quick recipe for our favorite dish. We looooove butter chicken. I had to make 2lbs and doubled the seasoning amounts. We live near a bakery(across the street) so the Naan was easy to come by. This is a great 20min dinner. It took me an hour because I always like to marinate my chicken for 30-40 min to give my dishes even more flavor. I used half and half and about 1 tablespoon on flour to thicken the sauce.
I did the steps wrong but still tasty
This.was.yummy! The sauce is the star ofvthe show. I did substitute mustard seed for the fenugreek and half and half for the heavy cream. It did take me a little longer than 20 minutes, but it was super easy to make! Even my picky husband liked it. Definitely will make again!
What is the best dairy free alternative milk?
Coconut cream works great!
Im a filipino but working on ship cooking for indian crew, can i asked a favor to please send me easy indian chicken recipe, thanks
Great recipe! It really helps to add paprika for the color, and marinade the chicken before with some yogurt and seasoning.
This is a quick recipe to make. I replaced the heavy cream with homemade cashew milk. The flavor was delicious. I served it over cauliflower rice and a side of sautéed zucchini.
Sounds Yummy; I must try.
Husband said I finally got it right with a curry.. So thank you! Will be using this from now on for curry.
Loved it. Really delicious and easy. Used the fenugreek seeds and 5% cream as that is what I had. Will make again. Thank you!
Loved this! Very quick and easy. My only question is if this would be able to be frozen or not. I’ve heard that you shouldn’t cook chicken, freeze it and then reheat it again…? I would love to make this again and freeze it for future meals if possible. Any insight? Thanks! 🙂
You can cook then freeze chicken, then reheat, or depending on the chicken recipe thaw and eat.
This recipe could be frozen and then reheated.
Came out so well totally recommend!!!
But recipie ever for butter chicken..I’ve tried many over ten years of cooking and this is hands down the best 👌I even added a tsp of raw sugar and it truly balanced out those herbs!
Glad you enjoyed my recipe, Shannon <3
Great recipe with a few changes. The basic ingredients for the curry are good, but needs some changes with the chicken to make it really great.
I used leftover chicken from homemade shawarma rather than follow the recipe for the chicken and I thought it was perfect that way. I think if I had used plain chicken (as the recipe calls for), it wouldn’t have been flavorful enough, the chicken definitely needed the extra spices from the shawarma marinade.
I also simmered it after adding the tomato sauce (with extra water) for about ~15 min and then for another 10 min after adding the cream to really thicken it at each step, I think that was necessary to meld all the flavors.
Thanks for the feedback, Nora 🙂 Everyone has a different palate and which is why you may think it’s not enough spices but I’ve also had people say it’s too spicy!
This was SO good and super easy. My only change was to marinade the chicken in spices, olive oil and a bit of lemon for 2-3 hours. But that is it. Fantastic! Definite keeper.
Hi! Thank you for sharing, I’m so excited to make this! I don’t eat dairy but I have some cashew milk on hand. Do you think this will work as a cream replacement?
Yes, that works perfectly!
Wow superr!! Thank for sharing..
This was AH-MAZING!
TBH, I have only ever made butter chicken using sauce out of a jar. This was SO easy that I will never buy in a jar again. And, seriously, you can’t beat a one pan meal for cleanup. I used 2 chicken breasts. I don’t do dairy so I substituted a can of coconut milk for the yogurt and cream. I also omitted fenugreek as I don’t have on hand. Oh. Em. Gee. SO fragrant and the spice blend was absolutely delicious!
I had mine in a bowl with Naan on the side; hubby had his over rice. I overfed 2 adults with 2 pieces of chicken and I’m just happy to report that I have an additional portion for lunch tomorrow!
🙂
This IS delicious!!! I’m a recent retiree and have time now to make new recipes. I love easy and delicious! We love Indian cuisine and I never dreamed I could actually make it myself and have it so good! I used curry and mustard powder instead of garam masala and fenugreek. Thanks to other comments for suggestions! 👍👍
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G Recipe!
My husband and I and kids LOVE the strong, unique and delicious tastes of Indian cuisine, but I have always been intimidated to try cooking any on my own, especially after reading so much online about how hard and trying it can be.
You simplified and brought to our table such a fragrant and delicious dish, I cannot wait to have the extended family over to do it again!
Thank you so much!
I would love to know what other tricks you have up your sleeve! This was a 100% (and easy!) win for our busy and chaotic household.
Thanks again!
Thanks so much for your feedback!!
This is an absolute homerun! I served it with collard greens on the side which made the plate pretty and worked well with the chicken. I even had fenugreek in my cupboard. I will make this again and again!
A go to recipe for me on busy nights with little kiddos. I usually make extra rice in my IP to use throughout the week in recipes too! My toddler even loves this, so much better than a jar sauce!
I like to serve with peas or wilted spinach, and often sub in ghee and full fat coc milk😋
Very solid, good recipe. I added a green pepper and a broccoli crown for extra veggie nutrition. I didn’t have garam masala, so I used an online recipe to make it from scratch. I think it needed just a touch more salt, sweet, and spice (I look forward to altering that a little!). Great base to work from.
Also, I would like to know how many people can make this in 20 minutes… I guess I’m slow in the kitchen, because it took me at least twice that long (if I hadn’t added a green pepper and broccoli and made garam masala from scratch, maybe it would have taken me 30 minutes).
By the way, we are light eaters, this fed me and my husband and 3 teenage boys with a generous serving leftover (the pepper and broccoli stretched it a bit).
Also, this doesn’t have to do with the recipe, but I find it’s hard to find good chicken nowadays that has a good texture and flavor. My sister made this with a rotisserie chicken from Costco shredded (maybe about 2 cups). Hers turned out better than mine… the chicken was part of the reason. I wonder if anyone has a brand of chicken they use that they like that doesn’t have this issue. I have bought chicken breasts in bulk, and the breasts are huge, sometimes over 1 pound each! I’m feeling like I would rather pay twice as much and maybe cut the amount called for since we are light eaters and have been cutting back on meat. Ideas, anyone?
Thank you!
The only chicken I won’t buy is Purdue
, it has a terrible taste to it.
I won’t buy Purdue because of their record of how they treat their employees.
This is my go to curry recipe. Made it over 10 times now. Just love it.
Thanks so much for the recipe.
Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback!
Obsessed. This is a go-to recipe. So glad we discovered it during quarantine. Thank you!!
It was good! I used regular milk and yogurt because I didn’t have cream. It turned out good but I think cream or half and half would be WAY better. It took me a little over an hour to make this.
Hi! I only have non fat yogurt or sour cream. Which and hiw to use? Pretty please!
I would use sour-cream for a creamier texture 🙂
This recipe is SUCH A HIT!!!! i make it all the time and everyone loves it! The only thing different i do is i get those butter chicken seasoning packs from my local indian grocery store and let the chicken marinade in that while i prepare everything else. i also don’t use fenugreek.
Delicious and simple!
Your comment is gross.
Unless you’re using chunked Tandoor cooked chicken breast, it’s not “authentic” anyway, and you’ve got a moot point about how the chicken is cooked. For what it is, this is an amazingly delicious, yet simple recipe meant to get people out of the same old (jar) comfort zone. Perhaps, you might perfect and then share your recipe to compare?
I made this last night and it came out so tasty. I had most of the ingredients already but I didn’t use the fenugreek and I used curry instead of masala and used plain yogurt instead of the heavy cream. I would say that the yogurt did make the sauce grainy and a bit acidic (sour), but I was able to fix that by adding a bit more water and a teaspoon of sugar and letting it simmer longer. Still a great recipe! Thanks for sharing!
So glad the recipe worked out for you in the end!!
SOOO good, ate the leftovers for breakfast this week. Paired with peas, naan, cilantro. I never leave reviews, that’s how good this was.
I used ghee instead of oil and butter and I first let my spices cook with the onions before adding the chicken. Delicious!
Love this recipe, but how much is per serving?
The serving size is about 1/4th of the dish.
Thoughts on adding peas or another veggie to the dish to make it a one dish meal?
That sounds like a great idea!
We don’t have any Indian restaurants where we live and I have been wanting to try some of the dishes I’ve heard about. I found this recipe and it seemed pretty easy. I did have to use curry powder instead of garam masala because the store didn’t have it and I substituted honey dijon mustard for the fenugreek because that wasn’t available either. I used paprika instead of chili powder because I was worried it would be too spicy for the kids. It turned out amazing!!! I have 2 extremely picky eaters and even they loved it. It is one now of a very few dishes that my whole family likes and will eat. In fact I made almost 3 lbs of chicken breasts and there was NO left overs. I couldn’t find Naan so we ate it with Jasmine rice and it was delicious and definitely will be in our regular rotation now. Also so quick and easy!!
Was easy to make just as the recipe said. Have made it twice already.
very good to the taste.
Perfect flavorful yet mild sauce! I make just the sauce on a weekly basis and always have it in a jar sitting in my fridge. Blend with an immersion blender if you want something ultra smooth. Eat it with chickpeas, chicken cutlet, roast vegetables, scrambled eggs… endless options! And truly only takes 20 minutes. Thank you for this recipe 🙂
5 stars just the way it is (forgot to rate it!)
OMG this was so good. My daughter wouldn’t stop saying how great it was as she spooned more into
Her mouth. I’ve tried so many tika masala recipes and the one we liked best was pretty involved. This was better! So easy and tasted better than any tika masala my family has ever had! I used a tiny bit of mustard powder in place of the fenugreek. Made homemade naan and roasted
Asparagus with it. Wonderful meal!
First time I have ever made anything from scratch, it tastes amazing! Would’ve like it a little thicker but I’m definitely not complaining!
Made this today, my husband just ate it, he loves Indian food..but despite using half and half of chilli powder and paprika, he found this still too spicy for him…. also, I had run out of cream, so used greek yoghurt, and it cuddled! I like the ease of this recipe, will try it again, and skip the chilli powder and use cream instead of greek yoghurt. Because hubby is vegetarian and I used canned mock duck for his chicken, I only made the sauce – I skipped adding the meat until the end as we eat different “meats,” however, I can’t stand cuddled- grainy looking sauce, so I will pass on this one, and find me some left overs for lunch- sadly I made hubby the “guinea pig” on this one, LOL. Will definitely try this again!
Thanks for the detailed feedback!
absolutely gorgeous thankyou .. I would highly recommend 🙂 my first attempt and it was amazing (no more jars for me as it was so quick and easy to make and so much tastier ) if i can do it anyone can haha! recon i could win master chief with this recipe 😉
I suggest trying it before rating next time!
I have Ground (minced) Chicken , is there any way i can use that instead of the chicken breast pieces?:)
Yes, you can use the recipe as instructed but the dish will be more like a creamy minced chicken dish.
This recipe is a winner!! Loved it so muchh great balance of flavours!! ♥️
That’s great to hear, Hiba!
This sounds delicious. Can I use diced tomatoes instead of paste? If so, how many? Thx.
Yes, you can but the color and flavor will slightly differ. I would use 1 large.
Meant to say grainy
Mixed all the ingredients in my food processor and marinated the chicken for 6 hours. Put in the crock pot for 6 hours. So good!!!!! Family wants me to make more. Just wish I could find naan bread.
I Also loved this recipe even though I tweaked the spices a bit. I made it in combo with another recipe for homemade Naan bread and it was amazing!!
Here’s the Naan bread recipe I used if you are looking for one
Just tried this recipe and it was amazing. I really enjoyed it. Perfect amount of seasoning. I will be cooking it again very soon.
Loved it! Just the right amount of spice. However, I used yogurt and it curdled slightly, Any hints on how to prevent curdles.
Try taking 2-3 spoonful of sauce out, mixing the yogurt with that sauce to warm the yogurt. Then mix this into the hot curry.
Absolutely delicious recipe, full of flavour and creaminess. I use only 1/4 tsp chilli powder, 1 cup thickened cream, all other ingredients used. Small amount of chopped parsley. Both kids and grown ups love this dish! Have made a few times now. Thank you so much for sharing your lovely recipe! This is definitely my go to recipe for a great meal.
Those tips sound perfect! glad you enjoyed it 🙂
No one ever say’s you can use coconut milk? Can you?
You can easily swap out the cream for coconut milk if you’d like 🙂
I make it with full fat coconut milk and it turns out just wonderfully!
?What is the best way to incorporate the tomato paste? I always find it awkwardly sticks until I put in the yogurt
You can try adding 1/4th cup of water after adding the tomato paste. It helps with mixing it through and won’t dilute the flavor!
Love the recipe it’s delicious! You’re looks prettier…What is the green garnish in the picture?
Cilantro!
I cherished the formula unquestionably. I will must endeavor it at my home. Much obliged to you for such conventional sharing. Just in 20 minutes, its amazing.
Never tried cooking butter chicken but it’s my favorite dish when I’m ordering Indian food but I will definitely try this recipe thank you !!
I’m sure you will love it!
Better than the restaurant! I made this for my boyfriend who loves Indian food, and he loved it! So quick and easy. Definitely making again.
Do you need to cook the chicken separately first, or does it cook on the skillet with the sauce?
Nope! Everything is cooked together in the same pan 🙂
This is truly delicious and pretty dang foolproof. Highly recommend.
This is the best butter chicken recipe I’ve found online. My whole family loves it. I omit the ginger (don’t like it) and fenugreek (can’t get it), but it is still delicious. Last time I made it with thigh fillets, which my husband preferred.
So glad the recipe is a family favorite of yours too, Julia 🙂
Love this so much. I add red and yellow peppers which i char (to try and simulate cooking in a tandoor) in the pan and remove before cooking the chicken. Then I add them back before simmering. I found fenugreek and garam masala on Amazon.
I never write reviews but this one was a super hit and. Plus the refrain from writing. Actually even faster coz I had litely sautéd left over chicken which I used . Couldn’t tell the difference!
A few other variations
Also added a pinch or two of sugar to get that sweet tangy flavor and avoided garam masala ( to avoid heartburn issues)
Added crushed fires fenugreek leaves instead of powder .
Despite these variations turned out very good and
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, Nameera!! <3