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.
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!