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What is it about butter chicken (or murgh makhani in Hindi) that makes it loved by children and adults alike? Butter chicken is like a big hug. A must-order item on an Indian restaurant menu, this home-cooked version has all the same complexity of flavour, yet it’s so simple to make yourself. Tender chicken swims in a tomato sauce flavoured with sweet spices such as cumin, coriander and garam masala, and it’s finished with a generous slug of cream.
Why is this our best butter chicken recipe?
So what makes our butter chicken recipe such a delicious curry? In any authentic butter chicken, the chicken is left to marinate in a mixture of yoghurt and spices for hours before cooking. The yoghurt makes the chicken super tender, while the spices penetrate it and give it much more depth of flavour. While butter chicken sauce isn’t JUST made from butter, it is made up of a beautiful blend of rich ingredients: the yoghurt from the marinade, stock, tomato and cream.
Key ingredients in our butter chicken recipe
- Yoghurt: Greek-style yoghurt thickens the sauce and adds a creamy lusciousness to the dish (plus a cooling quality and yoghurt tang).
- Garlic and ginger: this flavourful pairing brings a depth of flavour and a little zing to our butter chicken recipe. Crush the garlic and finely grate the ginger to bring out their flavours.
- Spices: ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala and chilli powder come together to create a delicious depth of flavour and bring this well-balanced, mildly spiced sauce to life.
- Chicken: we use free-range chicken thigh, cut into small pieces to help them cook more evenly (and quickly).
- Oil and butter: while many traditional Indian recipes use ghee (clarified butter), oil and butter do a good job of recreating the texture of this ingredient. It wouldn't be butter chicken without its namesake ingredient!
- Onion: thickly sliced brown onion is an instant flavour-booster in this curry. If you don't have a brown onion, you could substitute with a red or white onion.
- Tomato puree: tomato puree (not to be confused with tomato paste) brings added sweetness, richness and colour to the butter chicken.
- Chicken stock: stock is a must-add ingredient in this recipe, but if you don't have a chicken stock or chicken-style stock, you can use a vegetable stock instead. In fact, to make this dish vegetarian, all you need to do is use a vegie stock and substitute chicken for paneer or tofu cubes.
- Cream: thickened cream is what takes this recipe to the next level and gives it the creamy comfort food factor.
I recommend serving this version of butter chicken the traditional way with steamed basmati rice and naan bread. If you love chicken curry, you'll enjoy these 15 comforting chicken curry recipes. Or, try our 50 comforting curry recipe ideas.
Additional recipe notes by Sonya Gellert, food writer and recipes editor
How to make butter chicken: full recipe below
- Step 1Place yoghurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, garam masala and chilli powder in a glass or ceramic dish. Add chicken. Stir to coat. Cover. Refrigerate for 2 hours
- Step 2Heat oil and butter in a heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes or until softened. Add chicken mixture to pan. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until chicken just starts to change colour. Add tomato puree and stock. Cover. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until chicken is tender and mixture has thickened slightly.
- Step 3Stir in cream and season to taste. Simmer for a further 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve with steamed rice and coriander leaves.
