Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) is one of the most popular curries in the world and yet happens to be one of the easiest! No hunting down hard to find ingredients, this chef recipe that makes the most incredible curry sauce.
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
Butter Chicken – a chef recipe!
As someone who loves food with big, BIG flavours, it’s no surprise that Indian is one of my favourite foods. A good curry and binge watching Netflix is pretty much my idea of a perfect Friday night. #NanaAlert! 😂
As much as I love making Indian food at home, sometimes I find the list of ingredients daunting. It’s easy enough to make once I gather all the ingredients, but that’s where I usually fall short because it requires a trip to an Indian grocery store – and my closest one is a fair drive away.
Butter Chicken is one of the few exceptions. I was elated when I discovered a Chef recipe for Butter Chicken and realised how easy it is. But more importantly, you can get all the ingredients from any supermarket. Yes!
Is Butter Chicken really Indian??
YES it is! It’s called Murgh Makhani and it hails from Northern India. It’s quite a mild curry compared to many Indian curries, and outside of India, it’s become just about everybody’s favourite curry!
How to make Butter Chicken – in 3 Simple Steps
Make Butter Chicken Marinade and marinate chicken for 3+ hours (overnight is best)
Cook chicken
Make sauce in the same skillet
The secret to the tender, flavour infused chicken is a spice infused yogurt marinade made with fresh ginger, garlic, lemon juice and spices. The spices in Butter Chicken are turmeric, garam masala, chilli powder and cumin.
Did you know….You don’t need copious amounts of butter for a great Butter Chicken!
The beautiful Butter Chicken Sauce mostly gets its richness from cream. While some restaurants take it over the top by stirring in a (very!) generous amount of butter into the sauce at the end, I find that it’s rich enough as it is. The Butter Chicken flavour and experience – but less oily than restaurant versions!
The sauce will initially be a pale orange colour but as it simmers and thickens, the colour will deepen to a rich orange colour.
What to serve with Butter Chicken
To make a proper Indian feast, sides and starters are essentials! Because every curry needs papadums for dunking and naan to scoop up the sauce with, right?
No-fry quick papadums – just microwave them! Place the papadums around the edge of the microwave turntable and cook on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute or until they are puffed up. They’ll be soft while warm but as soon as they cool down, they crisp up. They don’t expand as much as when deep fried, but neither will your thighs. 😂
Samosas! The ultimate Indian appetiser. Leftovers make great snacks or even lunch!
Proper naan – A recipe in the works for 5 years, I’m thrilled to finally share my proper naan recipe that can be easily made at home (no tandoor needed!)
Shortcut “naan” – For a simpler, no-yeast flatbread that’s just as good, my Easy No Yeast Flatbread looks and tastes very similar to real naan (except it’s much faster and easier!). Try telling me this doesn’t look like it belongs in this feast!
And it’s MADE for dunking in that creamy Butter Chicken Sauce!!
Sides for Butter Chicken
Readers have also asked for Vegetable Side options – to add some greens to a meal. Indian food doesn’t really have fresh side salads like in Western cuisine. Partly because so much Indian food is vegetarian, so you get plenty of veggies in your diet!
But here are some Vegetable Side Options you can add on the side of Butter Chicken:
Indian Tomato Salad – with a refreshing minted yogurt dressing;
Cucumber salad with lemon yogurt dressing – another great refreshing salad that goes perfectly with curries;
Just some sliced cucumber and wedges of tomato – not dressed. Nice cool, refreshing side
South Indian Thoran-style Cabbage and Carrot Salad with Coconut is fresh, crunchy and shot through with gentle spices and coconut!
For a simpler cabbage salad, try my Everyday Cabbage Salad
I hope this has inspired you to try your hand at making an Indian feast at home! You will honestly be amazed how much depth of flavour there is in the Butter Chicken despite how few ingredients are in it. – Nagi x
PS Don’t miss the new streamlined oven version: One-Pan Baked Butter Chicken. Readers are loving it!
Watch How To Make It
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!
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Butter Chicken
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1/2 cup plain yoghurt , full fat
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp tumeric powder
- 2 tsp garam masala (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder or cayenne pepper powder (Note 2)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ginger, freshly grated
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1.5 lb / 750 g chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite size pieces
Curry
- 2 tbsp (30 g) ghee or butter, OR 1 tbsp vegetable oil (Note 3)
- 1 cup tomato passata (aka tomato puree) (Note 4)
- 1 cup heavy / thickened cream (Note 5)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
To serve – choose
- Basmati rice
- White rice
- Coriander/cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Optional blitz: for an extra smooth sauce, combine the Marinade ingredients (except the chicken) in a food processor and blend until smooth. (I do not do this)
- Marinade: Combine the Marinade ingredients with the chicken in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or up to 24 hours (minimum 3 hrs).
- Cook chicken: Heat the ghee (butter or oil) over high heat in a large fry pan. Take the chicken out of the Marinade but do not wipe or shake off the marinade from the chicken (but don’t pour the Marinade left in the bowl into the fry pan).
- Place chicken in the fry pan and cook for around 3 minutes, or until the chicken is white all over (it doesn’t really brown because of the Marinade).
- Sauce: Add the tomato passata, cream, sugar and salt. Also add any remaining marinade left in the bowl. Turn down to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Do a taste test to see if it needs more salt.
- Garnish with coriander/cilantro leaves if using. Serve with basmati rice.
- The Butter Chicken is pictured with my very easy No Yeast Flatbread and no-fry papadums (Note 5).
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published July 2015. Updated for housekeeping matters and a new video added January 2019. But most importantly, Life of Dozer section added!
For Indian Curry Lovers
- Chicken Tikka Masala – kind of like Butter Chicken on steroids!
- Palak Paneer – Indian cottage cheese and spinach curry
- Rogan Josh – fall apart lamb in a rich creamy sauce!
- Dal – the highest and best use of lentils, ever. Period.
- Biryani – the world’s best Chicken & Rice. Full stop!
- Qeema: Curried Ground Beef (Mince) – the fastest way ever to get a real Indian curry fix
- Curry lovers, head here -> Curry Collection
Life of Dozer
Flashback: Dozer’s first time in water. Look at those wild eyes!!! 😂 Fear? Excitement??
Hi Nagi,
Could you please tell me if this recipe freezes well, am thinking about making ahead for a weekend away?
Also, would this go well topped with potato mash or sweet potato and potato mash,…. like a Shepherds Pie, instead of having it with rice?
Am gradually working through your recipes and so far we have loved each one that I have made.
Keep up the great work, absolutely love your site.
Hi Kerry, I’ve frozen it before and it was perfectly fine. Mash potato would be amazing with this sauce!!
I am making this recipe tonight but planning on using yoghurt instead of the cream- do you think this will compromise the taste of the whole dish?
Thank you nagi!
Yogurt has a tangier taste so it may taste different – love to know what you think though!
Happy New Year to you and Dozer! Please can you add metric measurements for this Butter Chicken?
Hi Helen – I’ll look into this for you!
Thank you! Sorry for bothering you again, but I just love your recipes and want to be able to make them all!
Not a bother at all! I’m so happy you love them!
Nagi, I’m finally trying this. I’m using goat yoghurt and milk (can’t find goat cream) so my milk allergic daughter can have it. It’s marinating and already smells delicious! So exciting!
Hi Josie, I’ve never had it with goat milk so I’d love to know how it turns out and if your daughter enjoys it!
Could you add Thai red curry paste to this as well?
Hi Aly, I don’t see why you would want to, the flavour is amazing as is! ☺️
Loved your butter chicken. Had your garlic shrimp mac’n cheese for Christmas. A lttle too cheesy for me but…. I ate it all of course.
I’m so happy you loved the butter chicken! And you can never have enough cheese in my books 😉
Hello! This looks really yummy but I was wondering if it would work with lamb? I can’t eat chicken but everyone in my family always raves about butter chicken. It’s probably their favourite dish so I’m trying to find a good protein alternative that won’t clash. I don’t think fish is a good idea, and my husband can’t eat tofu so I figure lamb or turkey.
Hi! It would work fine with turkey – that’s probably the closest to chicken. Otherwise lamb would be a good option – love to know if you try it and what you think!
This has become a staple in my household. My three, somewhat picky children, absolutely devour this! Your recipe’s continue to make an impression on our family dinners! Thank you!
I’m so glad your family love it Zac, kids are the hardest to please!!! ❤️
Love that Dozer, gorgeous hunk.
Also your simple quick recipes I don’t particularly like cooking but you inspire me.
Cheers for that.
I’m so glad to be some inspiration Margaret!!
This recipe was fabulous!
I’m so glad you loved it Sandra! It’s one of my favourites!
Another winner! Your recipes are so reliable. Thank you!
Thanks so much Susan!!! ❤️
Where’s Dozer?
Hi Nagi, is plain yoghurt the same as Greek yoghurt or is it something different? Thanks!
Nagi, could you use chicken breast instead of things ?
Hi Tracey! Yep you sure can 🙂
Is the ‘cream’ a heavy whipping cream, half & half cream or some other cream I am not thinking of? Sorry, not much of a cook over here!
Since I’m an Indian and make this a lot with both chicken and paneer, I have to tell you a butter chicken gravy or the makhani gravy is incomplete without dried fenugreek Leaves (Kasuri Methi). Try putting them just before adding cream to the curry and you’ll know what i mean 🙂
Hello Shweta, how much fenugreek would you add to a batch this size??
Can you use coconut milk or coconut yoghurt as a dairy free version
I’m afraid I am not sure Hannah, sorry 🙂
Hey =) I love this recipe, we eat it almost weekly [some months, it IS weekly]. I’d love to share it with my MiL but she’s found she has a very negative reaction to cumin in other dishes [she learned the dish had cumin because of that, sometimes]. Is there another spice we could substitute for cumin so I can introduce her to this wonderful dish?
Thanks!
Hi Nagi
Have the chicken marinating to cook tomorrow.
I’m making a double batch. Can I freeze it?
That should be fine Karen! The yoghurt will probably separate when thawed but it doesn’t matter once cooked 🙂 N x
This was by far my favorite butter chicken dish ever! Amazing flavor and texture, will definitely be making this one again. I didn’t have (and here we go haha with the alterations..I know, I know) cream, so I put a combo of full fat sour cream and yoghurt in with the milk and it was seriously delicious. Next time I will try it with the cream if I have it, it’s nice to know that you can make substitutions and still have it taste amazing. Also I always add a little cinnamon to my curries which give them a little extra warmth 😉 Your easy flatbread recipe worked out great used as naan bread too 😀
Thanks for all your hard work and dedication!