This super flavorful Butter Chicken couldn't be easier to make! It's especially delicious served with a warm piece of naan!
Butter chicken is one of the best chicken recipes I’ve made to date. It’s right up there with Chicken Parm Meatballs and Chicken Tawook!
At it's core, it's cut up chicken thighs marinated in a lemon juice, yogurt (Stonyfield Grassfed Greek Quarts to be exact) and a spice mixture and then simmers in a savory sauce made of butter, onion, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and some cream. It’s slowly cooked until the chicken is almost falling apart, majorly tender, and packed full of flavor. (side note - if you're looking for incredible and AUTHENTIC spices - check out Diaspora Co. They are the best of the best)
Any of the Greek Stonyfield (non-flavored) products would work for this recipe. But we’ve been buying the Grass-fed recently and we’re obsessed. Like all Stonyfield products, 100% Grassfed Greek is organic, non-GMO, and made without the use of artificial hormones.
Butter chicken is reminiscent to chicken tikka masala but the difference is that while Tikka Masala is a bit more complex and this tastes more buttery with a delicious tomato based Indian yogurt based gravy.
There are all sorts of delicious juices that come with this recipe so you absolutely MUST eat it with a few pieces of homemade naan!
Some frequently asked questions coming your way:
What does Butter Chicken taste like?
It's slightly adjacent to chicken tikka masala but the difference is that while Tikka Masala is a bit more complex and this tastes more buttery with a delicious Indian gravy. It originated in back in the 1950's in India when some leftover chicken was tossed into a tomato based gravy sauce and it's been popular ever since!
Why is it called Butter Chicken?
Because of the butter in the gravy of course!! If you're hesitant about the butter, don't be! It's honestly so delicious in this recipe. You could also use Ghee if you have it on hand - will be just as delish!
What do you serve with Butter Chicken?
I like to serve a warmed piece of homemade naan with it. It's also great over rice, quinoa, farro or any other grain.
What spices go in Butter Chicken?
Turmeric, garam masala and cumin are the traditional spices you'll want to have on hand! I add in a pinch of cayenne for a little heat. If I'm making this for my daughter, I omit the cayenne and she gobbles it right up.
Can you freeze Butter Chicken?
You sure can! I freeze smaller portions of this all the time, once it's fully cooked. In order to reheat it, I just remove it from the freezer, let it come to temp in the fridge and then transfer the mixture to a non-stick skillet and re-heat over medium heat. It's a great dish to freeze because it re-heats so nicely!
Ok... away we go!
Butter Chicken
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup Stonyfield Grassfed Greek Quarts
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground turmeric
- 2 tablespoons garam masala
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the remaining part of the recipe:
- ½ cup butter
- 1 onion, roughly diced
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 2 cups heavy cream OR coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Lemon juice to taste
- Cilantro to garnish
- Naan bread to serve
Instructions
- Combine the chicken, greek yogurt, lemon juice, and spices in a bowl. Marinate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
- In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in onion and cook slowly until the onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes more.
- Add the tomatoes to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes. Add the chicken and its marinade to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil - then lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream, tomato paste and salt and continue to simmer until the chicken has cooked through, about 15 minutes, and the sauce is thick.
- Taste, adjust seasoning as needed, add lemon juice for a bit of acid. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve alongside warmed naan.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking
Looks Yummy!
I finally made this and it’s delicious. Full flavour. The lemon juice adds a great flavor at the end. I wish it was a bit thicker though.
I made this using coconut milk and it was delicious. The other flavors are strong enough so it doesn’t taste at all coconuty, and was then almost dairy free for my husband. Cannot wait to make eat the leftovers and put this into our dinner cycle!
Just made this for dinner and I’m in heaven! So good. I also made some homemade gluten-free naan.
Gaby this was SO good! I have a ton leftover. Do you think I can freeze the leftovers?
so happy to hear it! yes you totally can
Never underestimate the power of Gaby! This recipe, as all her recipes, is amazing. I have never gravitated to Indian food and this recipe changed that! If I am cooking in the kitchen you can be sure it is a Gaby recipe! There has not been one recipe I have made that has not been wonderful! Enjoy the holidays everyone and make sure they are filled with Gaby recipes!
This was so delicious! My family loved it. It did take some time for me, but was well worth it! I only used about half the spices, and I only used 1 cup of heavy cream, (but added a little coconut milk). I have tried different butter chicken recipes and this is no my favorite! Thank you!!
Now my favorite I meant to say!
This was 100% better than takeout. I even used chicken breasts and a dairy free option for the cream and it was amazing. Going to make this for sure again.
Guaranteed this is going to become a quick favorite!! I love to use yogurt in recipes!
I started with 2 cups of cream and it was the thickness I wanted; added more garam masala and cumin at the end with juice from half a lemon. This was so good!
Easy and delicious!! I used coconut cream instead of heavy cream and came out great!!
Delicious!! We are big indian food takeout fans and this was just like what we order for takeout. Easy to make and delicious!
When do you add the 2 teaspoons of salt?
with the heavy cream!
Made this tonight. We love all Indian food. 3 cups of cream seemed like a lot? I used half the amount and still turned out great.
Wondering what brand stock you used and diced tomatoes? Looks so yummy