Kundan Lal Gujral, the Indian chef who created tandoori chicken at his Moti Mahal restaurant, made another worthy contribution to the world’s embrace of Indian cuisine. This dish was created as a clever way to revive day-old tandoori chicken: Stir it into a rich, buttery tomato curry. Our version starts with fresh chicken but is just as indulgent. For the best flavor, Marinate at least one hour or overnight.
Serve this butter chicken recipe with additional fresh cilantro, rice, and naan bread. If you'd like to make butter chicken in your pressure cooker or slow cooker, this helpful butter chicken recipe breaks down both cooking methods. This easy butter chicken recipe can be prepped the night before you plan to serve for easy weeknight cooking. We recommend using chicken thighs or drumsticks for this recipe. They cook up tender and juicy in the butter chicken sauce.
Tips for the Perfect Butter Chicken
If you make a mistake when cooking your butter chicken, it can probably be fixed with a slight adjustment. To create butter chicken that tastes sweet and tangy, follow these helpful tips.
If your butter chicken is watery: Your chicken could come out too watery if you added too much broth or if you did not allow it to cook for long enough. Make sure that you leave your ingredients on the stove until they're fully ready. If the butter chicken is still watery, you can also add a thickening agent like cornstarch (mixed with cold water) toward the end of cooking.
If your butter chicken tastes too bitter: Add a spoonful of cream, butter, or sugar to your recipe. The sweetness of these ingredients will help the dish taste less bitter.
If your butter chicken tastes too chewy: If your chicken is undercooked, it could turn out rubbery, so make sure that you're cooking for the proper amount of time. Marinating for too long could also force moisture out of the chicken, so avoid letting the chicken soak for too long before cooking.
Ingredients
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6 to 8 bone-in chicken thighs and/or drumsticks, skinned
Marinade
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1/2 cup plain whole milk greek yogurt
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1 tablespoon ground coriander
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1 tablespoon ground cumin
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1 tablespoon lemon juice
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1 teaspoon ground turmeric
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne
Sauce
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1 cup chopped onion
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2 tablespoons vegetable oil
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3 cloves garlic, minced
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1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
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1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
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2 tablespoons tomato paste
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3/4 cup whipping cream
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2 tablespoons butter, cut up
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2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
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2 teaspoons garam masala
Serve With
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Cooked basmati rice (optional)
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Additional chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
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Naan (optional)
Directions
Marinade
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In a large bowl whisk together the greek yogurt, coriander, cumin, lemon juice, turmeric, salt, and cayenne. Add the chicken pieces, turning to coat well with the marinade. Cover; marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour or overnight.
Sauce
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In a 12-inch skillet, cook the onion in hot oil over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the garlic and ginger. Add the chicken to skillet, reserving any marinade that remains in the bowl. Cook the chicken for 6 to 8 minutes or until browned, turning once (marinade may stick to skillet). Add any remaining marinade from the bowl to the skillet with chicken.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the broth and tomato paste until smooth. Add to the skillet with the chicken along with whipping cream. Bring just to boiling, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from bottom of skillet; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the chicken is done (175°F), stirring occasionally.
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Transfer the chicken to a serving platter, reserving the sauce in the skillet. Add butter, cilantro, and garam masala to sauce. Whisk until the butter is melted and sauce is well-combined. Serve chicken with sauce and (if using) basmati rice, additional cilantro, and naan.
Test Kitchen Tip: Garam masala is an Indian spice blend that often contains cumin, coriander, black pepper, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon. You can often find it in the spice aisle of your grocery store.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| 413 | Calories |
| 32g | Fat |
| 9g | Carbs |
| 24g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 6 | |
| Calories 413.1 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 32.5g | 42% |
| Saturated Fat 13.7g | 68% |
| Cholesterol 155.1mg | 52% |
| Sodium 424mg | 18% |
| Total Carbohydrate 9.4g | 3% |
| Dietary Fiber 1.7g | 6% |
| Total Sugars 4.3g | |
| Protein 24.2g | 48% |
| Vitamin D 0.7mcg | 4% |
| Vitamin C 4.9mg | 5% |
| Calcium 87.1mg | 7% |
| Iron 2.6mg | 15% |
| Potassium 478.1mg | 10% |
| Fatty acids, total trans 0.7g | |
| Vitamin D 30.6IU | |
| Alanine 1g | |
| Arginine 1.2g | |
| Ash 2.6g | |
| Aspartic acid 1.8g | |
| Caffeine 0mg | |
| Carotene, alpha 1.7mcg | |
| Choline, total 95.3mg | |
| Copper, Cu 0.2mg | |
| Cystine 0.2g | |
| Energy 1729kJ | |
| Fluoride, F 1.1mcg | |
| Folate, total 13.8mcg | |
| Glutamic acid 3.1g | |
| Glycine 0.8g | |
| Histidine 0.5g | |
| Isoleucine 0.9g | |
| Leucine 1.5g | |
| Lysine 1.6g | |
| Methionine 0.5g | |
| Magnesium, Mg 41.7mg | |
| Manganese, Mn 0.4mg | |
| Niacin 5.6mg | |
| Phosphorus, P 249.1mg | |
| Pantothenic acid 1.2mg | |
| Phenylalanine 0.7g | |
| Phytosterols 20.2mg | |
| Proline 0.8g | |
| Retinol 166.9mcg | |
| Selenium, Se 30.3mcg | |
| Serine 0.7g | |
| Starch 0g | |
| Theobromine 0mg | |
| Threonine 0.8g | |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 1.6mg | |
| Tryptophan 0.2g | |
| Tyrosine 0.7g | |
| Valine 0.9g | |
| Vitamin A, IU 856.6IU | |
| Vitamin A, RAE 182mcg | |
| Vitamin B-12 0.6mcg | |
| Vitamin B-6 0.5mg | |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 12.9mcg | |
| Water 147.8g | |
| Zinc, Zn 2mg | |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.