Classic Butter Chicken
Butter chicken is one of those classic Indian dishes that most are familiar with and love. It’s ones of my husband’s favorite Indian dish and I love it too. Who can resist tender pieces of chicken in a mildly spiced tomato-based sauce. I have made quite a few versions but many times they are lacking in flavour, the texture is not right it, or they are way to complex to even try or have me motivated to try again. In comes My Indian Kitchen by my talented Insta friend and author Swayampurna Mishra. Absolutely the best butter chicken recipe I have ever tried. It is simple to make and can even be made ahead if you are planning to make if for company.
I chose butter chicken, actually I should say my husband chose the recipe that I was to make to feature on the blog as it’s his favourite and a no brainer to try. I thought it was also a perfect recipe to share with you guys on the blog because I know you love comforting dishes and thought you would love a staple Indian butter chicken recipe, and guess what? That is what this one is. Look no further, this is it! The flavours, textures and spice is all on point. You will absolutely love it and will have it on repeat and I’m so happy I get to share it with you guys. Definitely give it a try and do check out My Indian Kitchen by Swayampurna Mishra for more of her delicious recipes.
Butter chicken Ingredients:
- Chicken - I usually use chicken breast but chicken thighs work here too. You can even use leftover grilled or roasted chicken in this dish too.
- Vegetable oil + butter - One thing I love about the recipe is the fact that it doesn’t use as much butter as you would think in a dish called butter chicken.
- Onion - I like to use red onion
- Garlic - you can use fresh peeled and minced or garlic paste
- Ginger - you can use fresh peeled and grated or ginger paste
- Green or Red chili - this is optional but it adds nice flavour and some heat (you could also use a jalepeno if you want an alternative)
- Spices and Seasonings - cardamon pods, cinnamon stick, ground coriander, tandoori chicken seasoning, cumin, asafetida, turmeric, garam masala, Kashmiri chilli powder or cayenne, dried fenugreek leaves, salt and pepper. Seems like a lot but its this combination of spices that gives butter chicken its signature flavor. Many Indian dishes and Indian food include these spices. We love Indian food so I usually have these stocked but I have substations listed below and also some of them are optional ingredients so if yo don’t have those ones don’t sweat it, you will still get a delicious butter chicken.
- Tomato puree - you could use fresh tomatoes or canned tomato puree or crushed tomatoes
- Heavy cream - 35% or whipping cream - just 2 tablespoons needs for this recipe - some recipes call for up to a half a cup - way to excessive for my taste but feel free to a ss more to taste
- Water - as needed to thin sauce
- Honey - this helps take the edge off any acidity from the tomato puree but this is optional
- Cilantro (for garnish)
How to make Butter Chicken
There are just a few steps are needed to make this butter chicken.
- Marinate the chicken. Allow chicken to marinate for 1-2 hours or overnight in the fridge.
- Make the butter chicken sauce/gravy/curry then puree it
- Saute chicken in skillet and then add sauce and simmer. Finish off with the cream and then serve.
I chose butter chicken, actually I should say my husband chose the recipe that I was to make to feature on the blog as it’s his favourite and a no brainer to try. I thought it was also a perfect recipe to share with you guys on the blog because I know you love comforting dishes and thought you would love a staple butter chicken recipe, and guess what? That is what this one is. Look no further, this is it! The flavours, textures and spice is all on point. You will absolutely love it and will have it on repeat and I’m so happy I get to share it with you guys. Definitely give it a try and do check out My Indian Kitchen by Swayampurna Mishra for more of her delicious recipes.
Recipe notes from Swayampurna
The gravy will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days and in a resealable bag in the freezer for 3 months. If you are storing the gravy, follow the directions as outlined up until adding the cream. When reheating gravy, bring it to room temperature and resume the directions at the point of adding the cream. Be sure to add an extra dollop of butter.
My notes
Marinade
Marinating is optional in the book but I like to marinate the the chicken for 1 hour at least or up to overnight before cooking. For the marinade I used a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, a pinch of salt, pinch of red chili powder or paprika, a pinch of turmeric, garam masala, cumin and some times I will use some grated garlic and grated ginger or some ginger garlic paste and ½ cup of Greek yoghurt. Simply whisk the ingredients together, toss the chicken in it and cover and refrigerate. I think this intensifies the flavours in the chicken. The marinade is very similar to the one Swayampurna uses in her Yogurt and Saffron grilled chicken Tikka.
The sauce
I made it ahead of time (the night before I cooked it) and I found that I didn’t need to strain mine as it was super creamy. My high speed blender did an amazing job but if you find yours isn’t as smooth definitely strain it. Making the sauce ahead and marinating the chicken the night before makes this super easy to prep in advance and reduces the cooking time by so much. I strongly recommend it especially if you are planning on making this for a dinner party.
The chicken
I already told you about the marinade but one thing I like to do is pan fry and brown the chicken a little bit before. I remove the chicken from the marinade and pan fry it in 1 tbsp of oil before adding the butter, asafetida and sauce in the pan. You can also grill the chicken as Swayampurna recommends for added flavour before adding it to the sauce or broil it in the oven until cooked through and charred to add smoky flavour. You could even use leftover tandoori chicken or grilled chicken and add the precooked chicken to the sauce and simmer until heated through, making this a perfect make ahead recipe.
Substitutions
- Green chili = jalapeño
- Kashmiri red chili power = paprika/cayenne combo
- Asafetida = onion garlic powder combo
- Kasuri methi = fresh chopped celery leaves and fennel combo is the closest
Storage & Freezing
You can store butter chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can reheat butter chicken easily stove top in a frying pan or in the microwave.
Some more recipes and Indian curries you will love:
Recipe
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 1½ lbs of chicken boneless skinless (chicken breasts or chicken thighs), cut into bite size pieces
- ½ cup yoghurt, full fat
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
For the Sauce or the curry
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3½ tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 2 green cardamom pods
- 1 (½ inch) cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
- 1 (½ inch) piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 green chili or red, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
- 6 large tomatoes, puréed, or 1¾ cup tomato purée or crushed tomatoes
- Salt (as needed)
- Water (as needed)
- Pinch of asafetida (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon tandoori chicken seasoning (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi), optional
- 2 tablespoons room-temperature heavy cream (plus for drizzling)
- ½ teaspoon fo honey (optional)
For Serving (optional)
- Basmati Rice, and or naan, chopped cilantro, sliced toasted almonds, lime wedges
Directions
- Combine marinade ingredients with the chicken in a bowl. Cover and allow to marinate 1-3 hours or overnight.
- Heat the oil and 1 tbsp of the butter in a deep saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Cook for 20 seconds, until the spices are fragrant. Add the ginger, garlic, chili and onion. Reduce the heat to medium-low and sauté until the onion has softened, about 4 minutes.
- Add the puréed tomatoes and a pinch of salt and let the mixture simmer, stirring occasionally, until the oil separates from the sides, about 20 minutes. If needed, add a little water to prevent the mixture from sticking.Let the mixture cool slightly then transfer it to a blender or use an immersion blender or food processor and blend until it forms a smooth sauce. For an extra smooth sauce push the sauce through a strainer so that it is silky smooth - I usually don’t.
- Melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 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 skillet and cook for around 3 minutes, or until the chicken is white all over.
- Add the asafetida (if using) and pour the sauce into the skillet. Add the Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander, tandoori chicken seasoning, garam masala and fenugreek leaves.Let this mixture simmer for 10 minutes. Add up to a ¼ cup of warm water if the sauce is too thick.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add the cream, stir the mixture well and remove the skillet from the heat immediately.Drizzle the honey and additional cream over the chicken, them sprinkle it with the cilantro. Serve with rice, naan and Mango-Saffron Lassi.
Recipe Notes
The original recipe calls for whole spices. They add the best flavours and when the sauce is blended they ge incorporated right into the sauce. Feel free to sue ground spices if you prefer though. Just a pinch of each or more to taste.
Storage & Freezing
You can store butter chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can reheat butter chicken easily stove top in a frying pan or in the microwave.
