Creamy Butter Chicken Recipe

Rich, flavorful, and packed with tender pieces of chicken, this butter chicken recipe is a must-try when you’re craving some Indian food. 

What is Butter Chicken?

Butter chicken is one of the most popular Indian curries in the world. It has shredded pieces of soft, tender chicken swimming in a tangy and smoky tomato-based gravy, which is then thickened with cream to give it that luxurious and rich taste. 

If you’ve been keen on trying your hands on an Indian curry, but are not sure if you’ll like it, give this one a try- it is the most versatile Indian dish you could come across. Plus, you don’t even need a lot of effort to make it- it is actually pretty easy. 

Jump to:

• What is Butter Chicken?
• Ingredients For the Creamy Butter Chicken
• How to Make it
• Creamy Butter Chicken Recipe

Ingredients For the Creamy Butter Chicken

You’ll need just a few ingredients to put this Indian curry together. 

For the Gravy: 

• Water: ½ cup
• Tomatoes  (cut into half): 4 large
• Onions (sliced): 2-3
• Ginger: 1 inch
• Garlic: 4-5 cloves
• Bay leaf: 3-4
• Cinnamon stick: 1 inch
• Dry red chili: 2
• Cloves: 5-6
• Black Peppercorns: 5-6
• Green Cardamoms: 2
• Degi Mirch powder: 1 tbsp
• Salt: As per taste
• Butter: 2 tbsp

For the Chicken:

• Chicken (shredded and boneless): 500 grams
• Curd (thick): 1 cup
• Turmeric powder: 1 tsp
• Red chili powder: 1 tbsp
• Salt: 1 tbsp
• Tandoori Masala: 2 tbsp
• Butter: 2 tbsp
• Burnt charcoal

For Butter Chicken:

• Butter: 1 cup
• Red chili powder: 2 tsp
• Coriander powder: 2 tsp
• Prepared gravy
• Prepared chicken
• Fresh cream: As required
• Kasuri Methi: As required
• Honey: 1 tsp
• Burnt Charcoal

How to Make it

Making the butter chicken is pretty easy. Just follow these simple steps and you are sorted. 

For the gravy, add the ingredients mentioned under gravy one by one. Once the mixture starts to sizzle and the butter begins to melt, mix everything properly and saute. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the tomatoes are done. 

Once the tomatoes are soft, with a hand blender, blend the gravy till smooth. If you do not have a hand blender, you can transfer the contents once they are cold to a mixie blender and blend smoothly. 

Strain the gravy through a strainer. Keep aside.

Next, prepare the chicken. Add chicken, curd, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and tandoori masala to a bowl and mix. Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes. 

For the smokey tandoori feel, take a small steel vessel and put it in between the marinated chicken. Bring in a hot piece of charcoal and add some butter to it. Once the smoke emerges, cover it with a lid and trap the smoke. Keep it covered until all smoke has disappeared. 

Then, grease a pan with butter and cook the chicken pieces. Keep turning them so as not to burn them. Once done, keep aside. 

Finally, let's bring all the elements together. In a pan, add butter and allow it to melt. Add red chili powder and coriander powder and saute for a minute. 

Pour the prepared blended gravy and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes. 

Next, add the prepared tandoori chicken and mix well. 

Add fresh cream, Kasuri methi, and honey and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Repeat the charcoal technique for a smokey flavor with the gravy as well. 

Serve hot with rice or roti. 

How Do I Store the Leftovers?

One of the best things about this butter chicken recipe is the fact that it makes a really good freezer meal. You can store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to 3 days, or store it in the freezer if you plan to have them within 15 days. 

Tips & Tricks to Make the Butter Chicken

Ready to give this creamy butter chicken recipe a shot? Keep these little tips and tricks in mind to nail the recipe. 

• While it may sound counterintuitive, you don’t actually need any butter to make the butter chicken. The cream pretty much does the job of adding the rich flavor that the curry is famous for. 
• If you’re short of time, you can use canned tomato puree instead of going through the process of chopping up the tomatoes and cooking them. 
• The sliced onions are another important component of this recipe. They can act as a base for your gravy, and will also lend the butter chicken a bit of sweetness. 
• If the gravy has turned out runny, you can thicken it up by adding in some more cream and letting it simmer for a few minutes. Alternatively, you can add a teaspoon or two of ground cashew paste.
• While the recipe needs you to let the chicken rest in the spices for 15 minutes, you can also do this part of the recipe a night before you plan to make the butter chicken. When the chicken is allowed to marinate overnight, it will soak up all those delicious flavors, and your butter chicken will end up with a more intense flavor. 
• If you don’t have the coal, but still want to let your butter chicken have that smoky flavor that it is famous for, you can oven roast your tomatoes until they get that nice char on the outside, and then use them for the recipe. 

Serving Ideas & Suggestions

This creamy butter chicken is big on flavors, so you don’t need to put in a lot of effort to serve it. Here are a few serving ideas & suggestions you might want to implement. 

• Pair the butter chicken with some fresh homemade naan or chapatis or even some steamed Basmati rice. 
• No Indian curry is complete without some raita on the side, and this one is no less. The yogurt-based side will also act as a nice palate cleanser. 
• You can also team the butter chicken up with some mango lassi on the side. This foolproof combination can work wonders especially in the warmer months of the year. 
• If you’re looking to take things up a notch, you can also serve the curry with a simple salad of sliced onions on the side, and some roasted poppadums of course.