Butter Chicken
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If you love Indian food, this easy butter chicken recipe is a great one to have in your back pocket for weeknight dinners.
Photo by Johnny Miller (Clarkson Potter, 2021)
You’ll find butter chicken, or Murgh Makhani, on countless Indian restaurant menus, and for good reason: the combination of tender chicken and a rich, creamy, warmly spiced tomato sauce is hard to resist. Traditionally, the chicken is marinated and cooked in a tandoor, or clay oven. For this easy butter chicken recipe, I simplify things by skipping the marinating and sautéing the seasoned chicken in a skillet before finishing it in the sauce. The chicken turns out incredibly tender—in fact, one reader said it must be called “butter chicken” because the chicken is so tender, it’s like “buttah!”
Similar to chicken tikka masala, butter chicken is a great introduction to Indian food for kids because it’s relatively mild. Serve it with basmati rice or naan, and consider a little mango chutney on the side; its gingery sweetness is a nice counterpoint to the savory sauce.
“If I could give you ten stars for this recipe, I would…As good as any take-out Indian food I have ever eaten. A definite winner!”
What You’ll Need To Make Butter Chicken
- Chicken Tenderloins: Naturally tender and quick-cooking, they’re ideal for this recipe. Trim off the tough white tendon with kitchen shears before cooking. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts will also work too, but they’re easier to overcook and dry out.
- All-Purpose Flour: A light coating helps the chicken brown nicely and also thickens the sauce a bit.
- Unsalted Butter & Vegetable Oil: Used together to brown the chicken. The butter brings the taste you want in butter chicken, while the oil helps keep it from burning over the higher heat—a handy stand-in for traditional ghee.
- Onion: Cooks down until soft and gives the sauce a savory, lightly sweet base.
- Fresh Ginger: Brings a warm, peppery bite that’s especially good with the tomatoes and spices.
- Garam Masala, Coriander, Cumin & Cayenne Pepper: Garam masala is a fragrant Indian spice blend, typically made with warming spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. Along with coriander and cumin, it gives the sauce its warm, aromatic flavor; the cayenne adds the heat, so you can adjust it depending on how spicy you like it.
- Canned Tomato Sauce: Forms the tomato base of the sauce and brings just enough acidity to balance the butter and cream.
- Heavy Cream: Makes the sauce smooth and creamy and mellows the tomatoes and spices. Full-fat coconut milk works as a dairy-free alternative.
- Cilantro: A fresh finishing touch that cuts through the creamy sauce and adds a little color.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How to Make Butter Chicken
Season and brown the chicken: Toss the chicken with the seasonings and flour, then brown it in a single layer in the hot skillet. Be sure not to crowd the pan, or the chicken will steam instead of brown. Flip the chicken and cook just until cooked through, then transfer it to a plate. Keep the skillet as is—the browned bits left behind will become part of the sauce.
Cook the aromatics and spices: In the same skillet, cook the onion and ginger until the onion is soft and translucent, scraping up the browned bits from the chicken as you go. You’re not looking for color on the onion; once it has softened and lost its raw bite, stir in the spices and cook briefly to bloom their flavor.
Make the sauce: Add the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a gentle boil, then simmer uncovered until slightly thickened. It doesn’t need to get very thick at this point; it will continue to come together once the chicken goes back in.
Finish the butter chicken: Return the chicken and any juices to the sauce and give everything a few minutes to come together over gentle heat. Taste before serving and adjust the seasoning if needed, then scatter cilantro over the top, if you like. Leftovers keep well for 3 to 4 days; just reheat them gently, adding a splash of water if the sauce needs loosening.
Butter Chicken Video Tutorial
More Easy Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
Easy Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 1½ lb chicken tenderloins, tendons trimmed, or boneless skinless breasts, cut into 1½-inch (4-cm) pieces (see note)
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger, from a 2-inch (5-cm) knob
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1¾ teaspoons ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¾ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
For Serving (optional)
- Basmati rice
- Mango chutney, such as Major Grey's
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. In a medium bowl, sprinkle the chicken pieces evenly with ¾ teaspoon of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the garam masala; toss to coat evenly. Add the flour and toss again, making sure the chicken is well coated.
- In a large (12-inch/30-cm) nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and the oil over medium-high heat. When the fat is hot and shimmering, add the chicken in a single layer and cook, without stirring, until the chicken is lightly golden on the underside, about 3 minutes. Using tongs, turn the chicken pieces over and cook until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside while you make the sauce (you’ll use the skillet in the next step—there’s no need to wash it).
- Melt the remaining tablespoon butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. If the onion starts to brown, reduce the heat. Add the coriander, cumin, cayenne (if using), and remaining teaspoon of garam masala; stir and cook 1 minute more. Add the tomato sauce, cream, sugar, pepper, water, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken, along with any accumulated juices, to the sauce and simmer just a few minutes until the chicken is warmed through. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Sprinkle with the cilantro, if using, and serve with basmati rice and mango chutney. (Note that the sauce will thicken as it sits; thin with a bit of water if necessary.)
Notes
- Chicken tenderloins are ideal for this dish as they are ultra-tender and cook quick quickly. Boneless, skinless breasts work well too, but they are less forgiving and can become dry if overcooked. The tenderloins typically have a white tendon attached to them. They can be a little tough to chew, so I like to remove them with kitchen shears before cooking. Just pinch the tip of the tendon with your finger and snip where the tendon meets the chicken.
- This dish is traditionally cooked with ghee, a type of clarified and fermented Indian butter that has a higher smoke point than plain butter. Since I don’t have ghee on hand in my kitchen and butter burns over high heat, I use a combination of butter and oil to get a similar effect (oil raises the smoke point of the fat and prevents the milk solids in the butter from burning).
- Check out easy guidance for how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: Prepare the dish as instructed, allow it to cool, and then store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stove over low heat, adding a little water if the sauce has thickened too much during storage.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I cook a number of Indian dishes and had not come across this dish before. The spice combinations are a little different and I was surprised by the lack of garlic. I followed the recipe, mostly (I cooked down the masala and tomato sauce before adding the cream). It was excellent. Thank you for this recipe.
Jenn- we really enjoyed this tonight and it fit the ultimate test of success: all four of us liked it! Thanks so much!
Fantastic recipe that totally rivals restaurant quality. I didn’t have tenderloins on hand, I used chicken breast and it still came out great. Adding this to my rotation. Thanks for another 5 star recipe Jenn:)
Can this (very yummy!) recipe be doubled successfully in one large skillet without any changes?
Hi Jill, that should be fine; you’ll just need to brown the chicken in two batches. (And glad you like it!)
No one in our family has had butter chicken before, but since we all like warm spices, I decided to give it a go — SO DELICIOUS! Thanks for another home run, Jenn!
This was delicious! I love a recipe that comes together easily. The total calories come out a tiny bit on the high side per serving, but that’s to be expected with butter chicken. The meal makes up for that in flavor and it’s really filling especially with a small side vegetable. We had this for leftovers two days later and it was even better. I would totally make this again.
Can curry powder be used instead of garam masala? Can’t find any at the grocery store. Will it alter the taste?
Hi Renee, it will change the flavor a bit, but will still be delicious. Enjoy!
Spectacular and so easy to make. Thanks again Jenn for another wonderful recipe!!
Jennifer, I finally tried your Butter Chicken recipe this weekend…fantastic! Chicken Breast meat can be dry, so never my first choice, but these little chunks are very moist and the sauce is so flavorful. Thank you!
I have never made an Indian-style dish before, so wasn’t sure what to expect. My husband was not enthusiastic. But we loved it! Will definitely make it again. The spice level was just right for me, but if you like your food a bit more spicy, you could increase the spices a bit. You will be very happy if you try this dish.
If I can’t get my hands on chicken tenders, can I use regular old chicken breasts? If so, how would I cut them to make them most similar to tenders? Can’t wait to try this!!
Hi Alex, chicken breasts won’t be quite as tenders, but it will still be good. You don’t need to cut them into tenders first; just cut them into 1-1/2-inch pieces. Please LMK how it turns out!
The chicken breasts worked out very well and were quite tender! (Next time I’ll try to head to the bigger grocery versus the small specialty market😉) Overall, I loved this!! I upped the cayenne a bit because I like it spicy and slightly decreased the cumin because I find it can be overwhelming. A winner!!
So glad it came out well — thanks for reporting back! 🙂
This was so good that I keep thinking about it! I’m wondering if you could try other proteins (shrimp, lamb) instead of chicken just for variety. What are your thoughts?
Sure, the cooking times may be different, but I think other proteins would work here. (And glad you like it!)