Butter Chicken is my weeknight take on the North Indian classic: chicken thighs marinated in yogurt, lemon, and a heavy hand of garam masala, then simmered in a buttery tomato cream sauce you'll want to spoon over everything. It's right up there with the rest of my Indian-leaning rotation, including Easy Dahl (the lentil side that turns this into a full meal) and Thai Chicken Coconut Curry when I want something brighter and lemongrass-driven. And if you're in the mood for an Indian-fusion night, my Samosa Pizza uses the same warm-spice profile in a totally different format.
Butter Chicken at a Glance
- 🕒 Total Time: 45 minutes (15 prep + 30 cook), plus 30 minutes to overnight marinade
- 👪 Servings: 4 to 6
- 🍝 Cuisine Type: North Indian / Punjabi
- 🧂 Flavor Profile: Rich, buttery, warm-spiced with tomato sweetness; a slow simmer that builds restaurant-style depth
- 📖 Dietary Info: Naturally gluten-free; contains dairy; easily made dairy-free with coconut milk and ghee in place of cream and butter
- 📦 Storage Notes: Keeps 4 to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge; freezes for up to 3 months. The sauce holds beautifully; reheat in a skillet over medium heat, never the microwave (it breaks the sauce)
- ⭐Why You'll Love It: This is the version of butter chicken that actually delivers on the buttery, restaurant-style sauce, with chicken thighs that stay juicy and a tomato base that tastes like it simmered all day. The whole pan comes together in 45 minutes flat. Served with warm naan or basmati rice, it's a complete weeknight meal that's also nice enough for guests.
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Why I love this Recipe
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)
Jump to:
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:
Substitutions & Swaps
🌶️ Spice
- Garam masala - Backbone of the dish; don't sub. Buy fresh; old garam masala loses its top notes
- Smoked paprika - Pinch hitter when you're out of cayenne; trades heat for a smoky depth that works
- Curry powder - Last-resort swap if the garam masala is gone; tastes flatter, swap 1:1
🥛 Dairy / Cream
- Heavy cream - The classic; gives the sauce its velvet texture
- Full-fat coconut milk - Same body, dairy-free, adds a faint tropical note that plays well with the warm spices
- Plain Greek yogurt - Only for the marinade, not the simmer (it'll split over heat)
🍗 Protein
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs - What I use; they stay juicy through the long simmer
- Boneless skinless chicken breast - Leaner; pull off heat at 158°F so carryover finishes the cook without drying it out
🍅 Tomato
- Canned diced tomatoes - What the recipe calls for; convenient and consistent
- Canned crushed tomatoes - Gives a smoother sauce without the strain step
🧈 Butter / Fat
- Butter - Namesake of the dish; don't sub for the finishing knob
- Ghee - Traditional choice in Indian kitchens; nuttier, deeper than butter; higher smoke point
- Coconut oil - For dairy-free builds; doesn't have the same finish but handles the initial sauté beautifully
🍅🧈🌶️ Tips & Tricks for the Best Butter Chicken
The 10 small moves that turn a decent butter chicken into a restaurant-style one.
- Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes, overnight if you can. The yogurt, lemon, and spice combo seasons the meat from the inside out; skipping the marinade is the single biggest reason home butter chicken tastes flat.
- Bloom the spices in the butter for 30 seconds before adding the onions. Dry spice meeting hot fat unlocks flavor compounds the marinade alone can't reach.
- Use chicken thighs, not breasts. Thighs survive the simmer and stay juicy. Breasts go dry the second they hit the sauce.
- Don't crowd the pan when you sear the marinated chicken. Two batches gives you actual color; one packed batch steams.
- Hand-grate the ginger on a microplane. Pre-jarred ginger paste is fine, but fresh ginger off a microplane has a brighter, less metallic finish.
- Salt in stages, not all at the end. Season the marinade, season after the tomatoes go in, season once more before the cream. One big shake at the end will taste flat.
- Give the sauce 15 minutes of low simmer minimum. Time is what melds the spice, butter, and tomato. Rushing this is the difference between "fine" and "I'd order this at a restaurant."
- Garnish like you mean it. Torn cilantro, a swirl of cream, a squeeze of lemon. The fresh acid at the end is what makes the first bite pop.
Butter Chicken FAQs
What is Butter Chicken?
Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) is a North Indian dish of yogurt-and-spice-marinated chicken simmered in a buttery tomato cream sauce, originally developed in 1950s Delhi to use up leftover tandoori chicken. It's similar to chicken tikka masala but tastes butterier and slightly sweeter, with a glossier sauce and a more pronounced cream finish.
What do you serve with Butter Chicken?
Warm naan is the classic, ideally homemade. It's also great over basmati rice, jasmine rice, quinoa, or farro. For a full Indian-leaning spread, add a side of dahl or a quick cucumber raita to cool the heat.
What spices go in Butter Chicken?
Garam masala, ground turmeric, and ground cumin are the must-haves. Cayenne adds heat (skip it for kid-friendly portions). A pinch of smoked paprika or Kashmiri chili powder upgrades the color without adding aggressive spice.
Can you freeze Butter Chicken?
Yes, and it freezes beautifully. Freeze fully cooked in portion-sized airtight containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a skillet over medium heat. Reheating in the microwave breaks the sauce; always skillet, never microwave.
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