30-Minute Butter Chicken in 5 Easy Steps

Ready to bring some bold, unforgettable flavors to your kitchen? We’re talking about the real deal: Butter Chicken—a classic that’s both creamy and tangy, rich in spices but totally easy to whip up. Forget scouring specialty stores, you’ll find everything you need in your regular supermarket. Whether you're kicking back with this dish on a Friday night or impressing friends, this recipe brings restaurant-quality Indian food straight to your table without the hassle.

With just three simple steps, you’ll be cooking like a pro: marinate the chicken, cook it up golden, and then create a velvety, spiced curry sauce that’s seriously next-level. Trust me, you’ll want every last bit of that sauce to dunk your rice in.

So go on, get that rice going, marinate your chicken, and create a curry sauce that’ll have everyone licking their plates clean. Let’s dive in and get cooking! This Butter Chicken is everything you love about Indian food—big flavors, creamy texture, and the satisfaction of making it yourself!

Butter Chicken—Everyone’s Favorite Curry

As someone who loves food with rich, creamy flavors, it’s no surprise that Indian food is one of my favorite foods next to Chinese, Japanese, and Mexican food. There’s nothing like a great curry to go with your favorite Netflix show.

For newcomers to Indian food, the idea of making a dish with so many complex flavors can be daunting and you may not know where to start from an ingredient standpoint. But that’s okay! When it comes to the complexity of Indian food, Butter Chicken is one of the few exceptions. This Butter Chicken is easy enough for anyone to make and you’ll be able to find all the ingredients you need from your local grocery store without the need to visit an Indian supermarket.

Is Butter Chicken Indian food?

Yes! Butter Chicken is Indian food. There are some misconceptions that this dish originated in the United Kingdom. That would be the case if we were talking about Tikka Masala, but Butter Chicken, or Murgh Makhani as it’s traditionally known, actually originates from Delhi, India in 1948 by Kundan Lal Gujral. Compared to other Indian curry sauces, it is quite mild. Because of its approachable spice level and flavor, it has become an international favorite!

Butter Chicken Ingredients

Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements!

• Basmati rice – This type of rice is the perfect accompaniment to the chicken that brings the dish together.
• Water – Cook your rice with equal parts water.
• Boneless skinless chicken thighs – The chicken is the star of the dish. Cut these into 1-inch pieces.
• Plain non-fat Greek yogurt – If you can’t find Greek yogurt, any plain non-fat yogurt will do!
• Kashmiri chili powder – This spice can be substituted for regular chili powder if you cannot find it at your grocery store.
• Turmeric
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice – You can optionally substitute for lemon juice that has already been bottled, but make sure it’s regular lemon juice and not a concentrate!
• Ground cumin
• Fine kosher sea salt – The salt doesn’t have to be this exact salt. Regular table salt will get the job done but I always prefer the flavor of this salt for everyday cooking.
• Raw ginger – I usually grab 3-4 inches of raw ginger root. Be sure to peel the outer layer off before grating!
• White onion – Ideally, you’ll want to go for a medium-size onion and finely dice it.
• Garlic cloves
• Garam masala – This is probably one of the most important spices that you should avoid omitting or substituting. Garam masala is what gives the curry sauce that Indian spice flavor.
• Fenugreek powder – If you can’t find this at the grocery store, you can optionally substitute it for ground fennel.
• Raw cane sugar – I prefer raw cane sugar for cooking, but you can always substitute with brown or granulated sugar.
• Ghee – If you have no idea what this is, it is clarified butter originating from India. This gives the dish a rich and buttery flavor. If you HAVE to substitute it (which I don’t recommend), substitute it for unsalted butter. Preferably, you’ll want it to be room temperature, but it honestly doesn’t make a huge difference once melted down.
• Crushed tomatoes – I accidentally bought fire roasted crushed tomatoes once and used that instead, which actually added a smokey flavor to the dish which was quite good. However, I’d still recommend regular unseasoned crushed tomatoes.
• Heavy cream
• Unsalted butter – The butter should ideally be room temperature or at least cold enough to melt into the sauce quickly. Frozen butter will take forever to melt!
• Fresh cilantro – You can either take a few sprigs or leaves and use it as garnish, or in my case, I finely chop it and sprinkle it on top of the curry and chicken so I can mix it with the dish when I eat it.

Butter Chicken Notes and Tips

Spice Level

• I’m honestly not the best judge of spice levels when it comes to food because I LOVE spicy food, so take this with a grain of salt (pun intended). As someone who loves spice, I find this dish to be more on the mild side of spice.
• To those totally not accustomed to spice and sensitive to heat, you can always cut the chili powder measurements in half or mix sour cream into the curry sauce to reduce the spice.

How to Make Butter Chicken in 5 Simple Steps

1. Cook your basmati rice
2. Make a marinade for your chicken thighs
3. Cook the marinated chicken in a skillet
4. Make the curry sauce in the same skillet that you cooked your chicken in
5. Mix your cooked chicken and sauce, garnish with cilantro, and boom! You’re done.

The secret to getting flavorful, tender chicken is marinating the chicken in a spice-infused yogurt mix containing non-fat yogurt, raw garlic, lemon juice, and spices. The spices in Butter Chicken include garam masala, turmeric, Kashmiri chili powder, cumin, and salt.

How Much Butter Does Butter Chicken Need?

Contrary to the name suggests, the rich and creamy flavors of the Butter Chicken sauce don’t require much butter—only 2 tablespoons will do! Instead, the richness of the sauce comes from the heavy cream that is used. Some recipes and restaurants live up to the name of the dish and throw in an extremely generous amount of butter to the sauce at the end, but I find that it is already rich enough and does not require such an unhealthy amount of butter. This Butter Chicken recipe perfectly encapsulates the curry sauce flavor and richness while still being less oily than restaurants!

Butter Chicken Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions

1. How to Cook Basmati Rice

Rinse your rice thoroughly to get rid of any starch. I typically wash it three times, or until the water is near-clear. To do this, I fill up my rice cooker bowl with the rice and water, put my hand out into a claw shape, and mix the rice in a circular motion for about 30 seconds, dump out the cloudy water, fill the bowl of rice back up with water, and repeat two more times, or until the water runs clear.

Place your rice and equal parts water into your rice cooker and let it do the work for you!

Keep the rice on the warm setting until you are ready to chunk up your rice and plate it.

2. Marinade The Chicken Thighs

Cut your chicken thighs into 1-inch pieces and place in a mixing bowl with the rest of the marinade ingredients.

With a spatula or your hand, mix the ingredients thoroughly to ensure the chicken gets completely coated with the marinade.

Cover in plastic wrap and set aside for cooking.

OPTIONAL: you can cook the marinated chicken right away if you are looking to make a quick meal (which is what I usually do because I’m impatient and hungry), or you can optionally let the chicken rest in the marinade for 3+ hours in the refrigerator to really absorb those flavors.

3. Cook The Chicken

Take a 12-inch skillet and heat it over medium-high heat. Next, add the ghee and allow it to melt completely and coat the pan.

Once the ghee is melted, throw your chicken in and give it a gentle stir to ensure each piece has been separated and do not stick together when cooking. Sear those suckers on all sides until golden brown. It is okay if the chicken pieces are not entirely cooked all the way through, because they will continue to cook in the curry sauce later.

Once the chicken gets a nice golden brown color, move them to a bowl or dish and set aside for later. Just be sure NOT to burn the chicken or marinade. Having black, charred crunchy bits does not taste good.

If there is any leftover marinade in the pan, leave it there to add some extra flavor to the onions!

4. Make The Curry Sauce 

Turn your heat down to medium and in the same pan, add your diced onions. Season with salt, garlic, and ginger.

After a couple of minutes, allow the aromatics to open up with the onions and add garam masala, Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric, fenugreek powder, and sugar. Stir until combined. Allow the onions to sweat and cook until they begin to become translucent without becoming too soft, stirring occasionally so they do not burn. This will take about 5-8 minutes.

Add your crushed tomatoes to the pan and stir to combine. Allow the sauce to reduce for 2 minutes and then place the onion and tomato mix in a blender and blend until smooth.

5. Mix Chicken and Curry Sauce, Then Add Remaining Ingredients

Pour your blended sauce back into the pan, add your chicken, and cover with a lid or tinfoil to allow the chicken to fully cook. Simmer on medium-low for 7-8  minutes. Keep a watchful eye to ensure the sauce and chicken do not burn. I would recommend stirring once or twice through the simmering process.

Uncover the pan and add the heavy cream. Stir until combined and allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes until thickened.

Turn the heat off, add a pinch of salt to taste, and finally add your butter and stir until the sauce is thoroughly incorporated. Plate your dish with basmati rice and your Butter Chicken before garnishing with fresh cilantro.

OPTIONAL: add a dollop of sour cream to the top of your curry and mix it into the curry sauce when you eat it. I prefer not to because I’m not a huge fan of sour cream and because… well… the dish is already PERFECT!

What Should I Serve with Butter Chicken?

• Naan – Easily the most popular side for Butter Chicken next to basmati rice. Tear it, dip it, and eat it with your curry sauce! If you can’t find naan, you can substitute no yeast flatbread or pita.
• Samosas – The ultimate Indian appetizer for any Indian dish. Leftover samosas make great sides and snacks!

Storage, Reheating, and Meal Preparation Tips for Butter Chicken

Any leftover Butter Chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days before it starts to go bad. If you want to freeze and save the leftovers for longer, you can certainly do that too!

Because this recipe makes three servings, I typically divide my portions into three airtight containers, separating the rice and the Butter Chicken into two separate halves of an airtight container. If you mix the rice with the curry sauce, reheating it will make the rice soggy.

To reheat one serving of the Butter Chicken stored in the refrigerator, pop it in the microwave and loosely cover with a lid to allow venting and microwave on high for 1.5-2.5 minutes, remove the lid and stir the curry sauce and chicken, loosely cover it with a lid again, and microwave for another 1.5-2.5 minutes, or 3-5 minutes total for the microwave reheating process. If you froze your leftovers, remove from the freezer and place in the refrigerator to thaw completely before following the microwaves steps just mentioned.

If you tried this Butter Chicken recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a STAR rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!

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