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Indian Butter Chicken

If you want a healthier version of this recipe — made in a slow cooker — check out my recipe for Healthy Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken!

Indian Butter Chicken | thekitchenpaper.com

You guys, I am not joking one tiny bit — not even exaggerating — when I say this recipe is a total game-changer. Literally, it has CHANGED MY LIFE! I know I sound dramatic. Get on board! Remember on Tuesday when I said I never thought making Indian food at home was possible? Well… it is. AND OMG IT’S AWESOME. I’m gushing through and through because when I made this last week, Derek and I pretty much ate the entire pan in one sitting because we were so wrapped up in the sauce! And then we were waaaay too full because this is definitely not a 2-person recipe.

Indian Butter Chicken | thekitchenpaper.com

According to the tiny bit of research I did, butter chicken and chicken tikka masala are NOT the same thing. And, in all honestly, this recipe may be more in line with chicken tikka masala for the simple reason that this chicken does not have bones. Butter chicken originated from using leftover dry tandoori chicken and giving it moisture with a creamy spiced tomato sauce — plus some butter, and we have butter chicken. According to Epicurious, chicken tikka masala was born when restaurants saw butter chicken’s popularity, and started cooking boneless chicken specifically for the tikka masala. Have I confused you yet? One thing I have found, is that information everywhere is a bit different. Some say there are deeper differences than that (starting with, and not limited to, the inclusion of butter/ghee in butter chicken), but others call them virtually the same thing. EITHER WAY: I LOVE IT.

Indian Butter Chicken | thekitchenpaper.com

Let me just put out this huge disclaimer and say: I am aware that this recipe is probably not anything like your Indian grandmother’s authentic butter chicken recipe. Hers probably takes way longer, has some ingredients I’ve never dreamed of, and tastes like absolute MAGIC. Mine, doesn’t take quite as long, doesn’t have any crazy ingredients, and pretty much tastes like ABSOLUTE MAGIC. We’re all about accessible recipes here, right? RIGHT! Get to making this. It’s honesty really easy, and you probably have most of the ingredients already.

Indian Butter Chicken | thekitchenpaper.com

First off: make your naan! Oooh yes make some naan. You shouldn’t even consider eating this recipe without naan. It’s probably a sin of the highest kind, and you definitely don’t want to go down that road! Next: brown your chicken. Seeing as I have only one skillet over here, I browned my chicken before starting the recipe. I’ve written the recipe as if you’ll do the same, but in reality you could start the sauce and brown the chicken at the same time — if you want to dirty two pans and speed up cooking time. Do whateva! Once the chicken is browned, you’ll throw together the sauce, let it simmer away for a while, add the chicken and then try not to drool in the pan too much. Also, don’t burn your tongue trying the sauce very three seconds (I may or may not be speaking from experience).

Indian Butter Chicken | thekitchenpaper.com

Pleeaaaase let me know if you try this out, especially if you’ve never cooked Indian food before! I want someone to commiserate with: WHY DID WE NOT TRY THIS BEFORE!?!? Enjoy!

Indian Butter Chicken
 
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Recipe:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 6 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 2 lbs chicken breasts, cut into 1" chunks
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tsp garam masala
  • 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1½ cups tomato sauce**** (or one 14 oz can would work)
  • 2 cups cream*
  • salt & pepper
  • lime & cilantro, for garnish
  • naan & rice for serving
Instructions
  1. Using 2 Tbsp of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the pieces of the chicken so each side is browned. They do not need to be fully cooked all the way through. Work in batches, and set aside when you're done.
  2. Melt another 2 Tbsp of butter in the pan over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until beginning to soften — about three minutes. Add the garlic, garam masala, ginger, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne. Stir to combine, and cook for about 45 seconds before adding the tomato sauce.
  3. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let cook for five minutes before adding the cream. Bring the mixture back to a simmer, add the browned chicken, and let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Keep the heat low here — not a rolling boil.
  4. Stir in the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  5. Serve garnished with lime and cilantro, alongside rice and naan.
Notes
*I used 1 cup HEAVY cream, and 1 cup water. You could use table cream, or sub 1 cup for milk (but be careful for curdling if you lessen the fat content!).
**** There have been MANY questions about tomato sauce. If you aren't in the USA, you probably call it something else. This is not ketchup. I used something very very similar to this product.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • I’ve made it with 14oz diced tomatos. Cream may be put in at the END of simmering to prevent curdlng. Low fat or regular yogurt , or coconut milk can be used instead of cream if you put it in at the end. (Just simmer for about 5 minutes)

      • This is the first mention I’ve seen in all the recipes that actually mentions that milk or cream will separate if you cook it too long. Whenever making any cream or milk sauce or soup, add it at the very end.
        I’m also surprised that this blogger says that cooking chicken longer will make it more tender. Over cooking chicken makes it into rubber and makes it dry, regardless of how much sauce is on it. Stew beef is something that gets more tender and not dry if you cook it longer, but certainly not chicken.

  2. Can’t wait to make this tonight! Indian food is our comfort food. Have you made it will milk? I am just wondering how it changes the dish. Do you mix the two or just do one or the other? I’d like to make it a little healthier, maybe.

    Thanks for the recipe!

    • Thanks, Brittany! I haven’t made it using 100% milk — but I think if you used a fatty enough milk (like whole milk) it could work. I have made it using 1/2 cream and 1/2 water — so just diluted cream. That worked great for me! Two cups of cream is a lot, I know! Let me know how it goes if you do try with all milk!

      • All milk will change the consistency. You can use low fat cream instead.

        One more tip, when the chicken is shallow fried or browned, use the same pan to make the gravy as well. The burnt chicken crust at the base of the pan adds flavor. You can even grill the chicken with Tandoori masala and add it to gravy. Or use left over tandoori chicken to make the butter chicken, its quick and super yum… Happy cooking.

      • Hi can you tell me , tomato sauce in your recipe. Is it tomato passata, tined plum tomatoes (which you purée your self) or something else. Thanks. ?

    • I have used yogurt or sour cream lite, yogurt is great as it has a slight tang but still makes the curry creamy.

  4. I have also recently discovered that you can make delicious Indian food at home. Its awesome! So far, I’ve been using lite coconut milk in place of cream. Maybe changes the flavor a bit (more Thai curry-esque maybe?), but its a bit lighter and still adds creaminess.

    • That’s a great idea! I’ll have to try that — since we ALWAYS have coconut milk on hand (and it’s waaaay cheaper than cream over here!). Any Indian dishes you’ve made that you recommend I try? I’m not sure what to try next!! I have restaurant-style aloo gobi coming up soon (pretty similar to this butter chicken sauce, actually), but I’m honestly just not familiar enough with a big variety of Indian dishes. I NEED MORE!

      • I’ve really only made tikka masala and saag. I’m trying to perfect those. 🙂 And usually with homemade paneer – I use the recipe from Journey Kitchen, always comes out great.

  5. We made it! Delicious. Thanks for the recipe. Maggie, Sam and Bear (although he didn’t get to eat any).

  6. We’re a dairy free household, but the idea of using coconut cream is interesting! I think I will have to try this!!

  7. Made this tonight…tastes amazing! BUT how is yours so vibrant and red?!? The cream made mine orange…not that it matters but maybe the 2 cups was too much?? I don’t recall skipping out in a spice…did you tweak anything? Just curious!

    • I think the pictures make it look more red than it really was! I was surprised about that too. Also, the fact that I used cream combined with water may play into it here. I’m glad you liked it, though!!

      • The actual butter chicken is always orange, buttery and slightly sweet. if a red butter chicken is served then it surely has added color..

  10. Made this tonight using 1/2 coconut milk and 1/2 cream, was wonderful – especially for a cold Oregon night! I have never cooked Indian at home and this was super simple, thank you!

  11. made this tonight for dinner and it was a hit with the WHOLE family, including my picky 6 year old. its totally going into our dinner rotation. thank you so much!!

  12. Made this meal tonight and I will say that it was some of the best butter chicken I have tasted! Mary thanks so much for the recipe and keep them coming!

  13. I have no words! Ok…I do because I must tell you that this has changed MY life as a cooking housewife! I waited until the kids went to bed and my husband and I made this dish along with some homemade naan and I’m not even sure how life existed before this! Thank you so much for sharing this with us…ugh…*licking my bowl…literally*

    • Haha! Jen! This is the kind of comment I LOVE! Thank you so much! This recipe seriously changed my life too… I had no clue I could cook something THAT DELICIOUS! Glad you two liked it! xo

  14. Great recipe…flavorful, not too spicy. Made your naan too. I only had whole chickens in the freezer, so after it thawed, I cut it up and cooked it with everything but the cayenne (which we omitted completely) and the milk on med in the oven for 1.5 hours, added milk and let simmer til it thickened a bit. consensus was that it was AWESOME and I have kids 3-15….all scarfed it right up. Thanks for sharing!!

  15. Hey.
    I have a stupid yet confusing question. By tomato sauce you mean ketchup or tomato purée ?
    I really wanna try this.
    Please help
    Thanks.

      • In moments of sheer desperation when I’m out of tomato sauce (suffering from withdrawal symptoms of not having had my weekly Butter Chicken fix), I have resorted to using ketchup with very good results! Whatever it takes….!! 🙂

  16. OH. my. gosh. This was sooooo delicious. We tried another recipe for this before; it was severely lacking and we had to make several modifications to make it only okay. NOT THIS. My husband made it and called me into the kitchen for the final taste test before dinner, and it was exquisite. Our 2 year old even complimented her daddy on making it (Good, daddy) and actually ate her dinner all the while repeating that it was good. I had no part in it’s creation except for pinning it, and even I was thanked for that :). He used a heavy hand on the garlic, ginger, and spices (because we always do), but other than that zero changes and it’s freaking amazing. We all licked our plates it was so good. Thank you for this awesome recipe!!

  18. I just made this, and I think I probably ate half of it while waiting for my partner to finish work. Absolutely delicious! I used ketchup instead of puree as we didn’t have any and it still tasted fantastic. This is going in the recipe book. Thanks a million!

  19. Hi,

    I was just wondering what sort of tomato sauce you used? Ketchup like sauce or are you talking about tinned tomatoes or tomato puree? I’m from New Zealand and they are all really different here!

    Thanks
    Chloe

    • I used tomato puree — but I am now wondering what that means in New Zealand! Some other people have said they used ketchup and had success, but to me ketchup is absolutely NOT what to use… is it the same as the condiment in the USA? Like the kind you put on a hot dog or hamburger? I need to learn about international tomatoes!! Good luck!

      • Haha tomato purée is tomato purée in NZ too, basically a smooth tomato sauce so I guess it’s the same? 🙂 Yes ketchup is the same, basically like sugary tomato sauce… I bought some tomato passata sauce, which is pretty much the same as purée just plain tomatoes puréed strained with a little salt and I’ll let you know how it goes! The recipe looks fabulous though! 🙂

  20. I have made this a few times now, and it’s my new favorite meal! I have tried a few different variations: once with white meat chicken, once with dark meat, once with chicken and potatoes, and next I want to try adding spinach! All of my friends are jealous until I tell them how easy it is to make. And of course the naan is essential (and super simple) too!

    You rock Mary! =)

  21. Made this for dinner tonight, with a few small changes:

    Used a cup of pureed silken tofu and a cup of non-fat milk instead of cream, and used margarine instead of butter to make it a low-cholesterol meal. Was super tasty with leftover rice and homemade naan!

  22. I made this recipe last night for dinner. I love Indian food and have always wanted to make it, but have usually been intimidated by a long and exotic ingredient list. I saw this on Pinterest and thought I could definitely do it.
    We are up in Duluth MN where we are in the midst of our January -20 degree cold snap and my sister in law was driving up from the Twin Cities for a visit, so I wanted to make something delicious and warming.
    I did as the recipe suggests and made the naan, which was very easy. I used more than a half a cup of milk for sure.
    Then the chicken – I used 1.75 lbs of boneless skinless thighs, which I generally prefer instead of breasts. There was more than enough sauce for it an next time I would maybe add a little more chicken. Also, I did the 1 c milk & 1 c cream mix, since I am doing the calorie counting thing, I thought the substitution worked well. And my final slight modification was that I threw the sauce in the vitamix to get it nice and velvety (before adding the chicken back in of course). Next time, too, I might skip the final 2 tbsp of butter, for calorie sake.
    Thanks for the super delicious recipe!!

  23. Hi Mary, even though I am quite versatile in the kitchen I had never tried cooking Indian food before and thought I should try it. I was looking for a recipe but most have too many ingredients, your one seemed simpler and I loved it straight away. I just cooked and it turned out amazing. Thanks for the great recipe!

  24. I made this last night and let me just say DELICIOUS! This is definitely a keeper in our house. Modifications I made was I subbed one cup of 2% milk for one of the cups of cream and I did not add in the 2 tablespoons of butter at the end. I loved the flavor of the sauce as it was. I did add a few more spices just for flavoring but all in all this was so yummy! Thank you for the recipe!

  25. Oh my gosh!! Thank you so much!! After living in The UAE for a year and then coming back to the states I really missed my Indian “fast food.” This Butter Chicken was amazing! It really was everything that I had hoped it would be! The recipe was well written and super easy to follow! Now I just need to work on my naan : )

  26. I thought “life changing” really did sound a bit dramatic! Nonetheless, I tried this recipe because it did sound pretty damn good, and life changing is an understatement! So amazingly good! I’m vegetarian, so I substituted the chicken with paneer and it might be the best dinner I’ve ever made! Piece of cake to make too. Thanks so much for sharing!

    • Ha! Such a great comment! I’m glad you agree that it is life changing — sooo good! I’ve been wanting to make this with either tofu or paneer — thanks for trying it out for me! 😛 Enjoy!

  27. Are these pictures staged? i made the recipe as written, but there’s no way you can get a sauce that red after adding 2 cups of cream to 1.5 cups of tomato sauce. i get more of a light brown sauce, which is fine … i just don’t trust recipe sites that use photos that clearly didn’t come from following those recipes.

    • Ryan — Your comment stuck with me, so I’ve re-made this a few times now and have concluded it has a LOT to do with what type of tomato sauce you use! I originally used Cirio tomato sauce, which is by far the most flavorful and vibrant tomato sauce I tried — making this dish much more red than you’d think! Other brands definitely didn’t turn out as red (or as delicious… I’m sticking with Cirio for now!). SO, it’s all about the sauce! xo

    • Oh no! I wonder if that’s because of the half n half, vs. cream… I’m not an expert on the science here, but I think it you use real cream it’s less likely to curdle, or perhaps try heating the dairy a bit first! Hopefully it tasted alright!! xo

  31. I’ve made this a couple times now. I turned this into a low fat, low cal version of itself, surprisingly not sacrificing flavor. Still tastes much like what I get from the local Indian joint. I subbed cream with unsweetened plain almond milk, which has a very creamy texture, but only adds 60 calories and 5 grams of fat (unsaturated). I also omitted the butter completely (I guess I can’t call it butter chicken!), using olive oil for the chicken browning and sautéing of the onion/spices. Coconut oil would probably work great too, but I have an unfortunate allergy. I also upped the chicken from 1 lb to a 2.5 bag of chicken breasts. Feeds my family of 6, with leftovers. And there is still plenty of sauce with all that extra chicken. Thank you for the great recipe!

    • Thanks for the comment, Autumn! It’s nice to have some great variations listed here in the comments — your version sounds delicious! xo

  32. I made this last night and it was a HUGE hit with my family!!!! The flavor was outstanding!!! I will be making this again very soon!! I did use the two cups of cream and really loved the thick creamy sauce that made. Next time I think I’ll add more chicken, maybe mixing in some thigh meat, along with chunks of potato and carrots. I can’t wait to make this again. Super easy and very full of flavor!!! Thank you, Mary!!

  33. Will this recipe feed 4 hungry indian butter chicken lovers or should I double the recipe?? Making it tomorrow night 🙂

  34. Thank you for your recipe. It is freaking delicious! My husband can’t get enough of this butter chicken 🙂 I modify the recipe for our slow cooker though. I make the sauce, and then cover raw chicken on high for ~3 hrs. I usually throw in chick peas too. We have been making this once a week! Thanks!!

    • You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing your version — I was actually thinking of making a slow-cooker version next week, so it’s good to hear how others are doing it! xo

  35. I didn’t see any salt or pepper listed on this recipe, is that not needed since there’s so many spices?

    • Hi Corsie! There is salt and pepper listed, and I’ve only instructed to add both to taste. I do find it needs some salt! Enjoy!

  36. This recipe was outstandingly delicious, and from my limited experience rather authentic as well. Much like Autumn, I’m going to cut back on the fat next time by using whole milk or even 2% instead of cream, but we will definitely be enjoying this recipe again. Thank you so much for sharing it (and for the naan recipe).

  37. I’m so addicted to this butter chicken, and I got my dad, sister, and lab mate hooked too! It was so great to see you in Bozeman. I think I will try and add a train ride from Seattle to Portland to my road trip itinerary, so hopefully I’ll see you soon!

    • Yay! Thanks for the comment, Becky! It was great to see you and Pilar in Bozeman — and I would love to see you if you pop down from Seattle! Good luck with the writing! xo

  38. We just made this. (found it on Pinterest.) It was amazing. We both really liked it. You got the spice picture just right! I made the naan, too – what an easy recipe to whip up! – but since we are kind of trying to cut back on gluten, it really didn’t need it, and I would only make it again if I was making it for a dinner party. The butter chicken is going in the dinner rotation!! My husband was licking the bowl!

  39. I have made this twice now and it is soooo good! I didn’t have garam masala but I did use a butter chicken curry mix. I followed the rest of the recipe step by step. Fantastic!

  40. I am wanting to make this.
    When you say 1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce, do you literally mean tomato sauce as in Ketchup?! Or do you mean canned tomatoes. I just thought it might be weird with tomato sauce, but also might taste alright.
    Wanted to check before I attempted it 🙂

    • Hi Louise — definitely not ketchup! I mean canned, smooth, tomato SAUCE… Which may be an American thing. Like what you’d make red pasta sauce out of!

  41. Found this browsing Pinterest. Made it today and it was soooo goood. Tasted pretty much the same as butter almond chicken at out local Indian restaurant. My tweens, very picky and prejudiced eaters, refuse to eat Indian take-out but today they even took seconds! I had to cut down the spices a bit (left chili out and used only a tiny bit of cayenne pepper) because it would have been too spicy for my 5 yrs old but it worked well anyways. And I added some almond flakes as garnish like they do at this restaurant. So thank you for this recipe! Definitely a new family favourite!

  42. Super easy!!! Great substitute for chicken tikka, which i have been wanting to make. Would DEFINITELY make this again. I wish we could put a rating on this so it would show up on a google search for everyone to find. Thanks so much for the recipe.

  44. I made this last night for dinner(my 1st time making Indian food). My husband is not a big Indian fan, but loved it!!!
    I can’t wait to finish the leftovers to make it again!!!

    Great recipe! Thanks for sharing!!!!!

  45. I was looking for the legit indian butter chicken for a looooong time and i came across your recipe and tried it last night. it was so good!!! my husband loved it!! thank you so much! it was delicious 🙂

  48. I made this tonight for my family. They loved it! I increased the amount of seasonings because my family prefers bold flavors.

  49. This recipe looks great and I can’t wait to try it! I would love to make it this week but I was wondering if I could substitute ginger (powder) for the fresh ginger. My little one is recovering from a bad case of the flu so I really don’t want to drag her to the store with me.

  50. Thank you so much for the recipe! I’ve made it a couple times already, husband said he could eat this everyday 🙂

  51. This was delicious! Restaurant quality butter chicken.
    Thank you for sharing the recipe <3

  52. Oh my gosh! I made this tonight and not only was it heavenly but it was incredibly easy too. This is the first time I have ever attempted to make Indian food but I have eaten it out many times. This tasted pretty authentic to me. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I have already shared it with my friends.

  53. I’m from Australia and over here tomato sauce is our term for ketchup. And for the ‘tomato sauce’ youre saying, we just call it tinned tomatoes or crushed tomatoes lol it can be very confusing but I had a feeling you weren’t meaning ketchup. Going to make this tonight with coconut cream and potatoes and pumpkin instead of chicken to make it Vegan 😀 pretty excited!

    • Aha! Thanks for the clarification, Eliza! I had no idea! Using ketchup would NOT be awesome in this… I hope you enjoy it! xo

  54. You have definitely nailed it with this recipe! This was SO SO DELICIOUS. I made this night and brought in leftovers for lunch. This recipe has finally ended my search for the perfect butter chicken recipe. Thank you for sharing!!

  56. My husband loves Indian food, I tried to make tikka masala few times but it was like middle east-Indian-African dish (clearly I’m not good at cooking Indian cuisine). I found this recipe tonight and decided to give it a try. I couldn’t find any cream or coconut milk, and hesitant to use milk. So I used cream cheese instead, and it was soooo yummy! My husband said ‘finally our dinner is home made Indian dish’…lol Thanks! its an easy, fast, and delicious recipe!

    • Hey Anderson — I have a version of this recipe (HERE!) for the slow cooker. The ingredients list is different, so play around with whatever one you’d like! Enjoy!

  58. I just made this last night and it was sooo good! I ended up using 2 cups of 2% lactose-free milk and it was amazing. I read some reviews about curdling so I decided to add the milk just a little bit at a time and let the mixture heat up again in between additions. I’m not sure if it made a difference but I definitely had no curdling and a deliciously creamy sauce. I too left out the last 2 tbsp of butter. I also made the naan and my husband couldn’t get enough! We will not be getting take out any longer! Thanks for the awesome recipe 🙂

    • Thanks for the comment, Maggie! I’m glad to hear that the gradual addition solved the curdling issue — I think that’s the way to go! Glad you liked it! xoxo

  59. Oh. My. Gosh. This recipe changed my life! My husband and I devoured this last night. SO dang good! We didn’t have heave cream, only whole milk and coconut milk so we did half coconut milk and half whole milk. It was still super yummy, but next time we’ll try the whole milk. We made some naan and coconut rice and were in Heaven! My husband hates left overs but begged to take the small amount we had left with him for lunch today. We now have a new “go to” meal. Thanks for sharing!

    • Haha yaaay! So glad to hear you both liked it, Whitney! This is definitely a recipe I make with the goal of having leftovers… they’re so good! Thanks for much for the comment! xoxo

  60. Omg. Just made this for my family last and it was amazing. I have been trying to branch out my family’s pallette and so once a week i have taken recipes from a different culture and made nothing else all week. This week is Indian food. Im so happy i found this recipe first! It tastes just as good as the Indian restaurant in town. Although I adjusted the spices levels to increase the heat, I stayed true to the rest so I would have an idea on what makes what taste like what. Thank you!

    • Yay! I’m so glad to hear it, Jennifer! What a fun/tasty adventure to take your family on each week! Thanks for sharing the success with me! xoxo

  61. I love cooking Indian food! My spin on this recipe is to marinate the chicken in 2 Tbsps Tandoori Curry paste – for about 4 hours. This is what my favourite Indian restaurant does. I did this and found this recipe to be excellent. Thanks for sharing it!

  62. I tried this out to surprise my husband who’s an avid butter chicken lover. Let me just say he came back home with a bunch of chicken breast and puppy eyes look asking that i make a huge batch and freeze em so he can eat every day!! I followed the recipe and i uou were right,i totally couldn’t stop licking and tasting!! I dont know if it freezes well though, what do you think?
    Thanks so much for this recipe

    • Oh yay! I’m so glad it’s a hit, Coko! I’ve never frozen it myself, so I’m not totally sure… But I imagine it’d work really well! Let me know if you try it! Xo

  63. Always a First For Everything! And coming from Hawaii this comes as a rare ordeal! But I’m always up for something New and Different and Ever So Delicious! Thankyou for your post! Fabulous Dish! I almost feel like Andrew Zimmermon but doing all the work! Haha…Mahalo Timra…(Jazz)

  64. Just finished eating dinner with my hubby and we were both impressed with this tasty dish! I made as directed with 2 cups of cream. Next time may try to lighten it a bit, but why mess with a great thing! Thank you so much for making it possible for us to experience a great, easy and fabulous dish! Will definitely be in the #willmakeagain file!

    • Thanks, Tina! Glad to hear you both enjoyed it! I totally struggle with the “lighten it a bit” thing: I always feel like I SHOULD, but… Ugh. It’s so tasty as is!! Enjoy! xoxo

  66. What the hell is “tomato sauce”?? That’s not really an ingredient, is it? A sauce made of tomatoes can be anything from salsa to ketchup or a gravy for a cured pork roast.

    • Hi Bjarne! Here in the US there is a commonly known canned “tomato sauce” that is basically pureed tomatoes that have been cooked down a bit. I realize that most international readers have issue with this — what do you call it?? Thanks! xo

  67. Oh, my! This was fantastic!! I was scouring the Internet looking for a butter chicken recipe. Most were very complicated and required a gazillion ingredients. My family (who thinks they don’t like Indian food) totally devoured it.

    Now, if you can make a recipe like that for Pho…

    • Ha! I love it when people “think” they don’t like something… and then they TOTALLY DO! Glad this was a hit! I am 100% with you on finding a pho recipe that’s as easy as this. If only!! I made this one way back in the day, but it’s definitely not REAL pho. I wish!! Thanks, Tara! xo

  68. Hi! I’m making this tonight for 10 people. Do you recommend doubling the recipe? I don’t mind having leftovers, just want to make sure I have enough! Looking forward to trying this!

    • Hi Maren! Sorry for the delayed reply — I hope you figured it out! I’d recommend at least TRIPlING this recipe for 10 people! I hope everyone loved it! xo

  69. CAN’T WAIT to try this, this week!!!
    What are your thoughts on using half/half cream?
    Or should I just pick up heavy?
    Thanks!! Xx

  70. I ate 2 helpings even thought was full after the first helping, So dam delishshsh!!!
    Didn’t have cream so I used some extra butter to brown the chicken in, then used
    2% milk, water, and sour cream. Was fantastic!! Didn’t use onion but might do so
    next time.

  71. I finally had a chance to make this dish tonight. And WOW!! It’s Just incredible!!!! I have just recently discovered my love for Indian food. And I have to say, I am SO glad that I can make this dish in my kitchen!! It’s simple and delicious and truly satisfied my craving for take out. And my kitchen smells exquisite. Thank you thank you!! From the tip of my taste buds, thank you!!!! 🙂

  72. Awesome recipe this was perfect!! I can’t wait to make it again!! Thanks for the detail direction

  73. This was amazing! Will definitely become a regular for my Wife and I. Plus the yeast less naan was so easy and good!

    • Hi Niki! I mean canned tomato sauce… if you’re not in the USA, they might call it something else — but it’s basically cooked, pureed tomatoes!

  76. I used 1/2 whipping cream and 1/2 water. The only thing I would change is cutting the chili powder by 1/2, it was just a little hot. I like my mild curries better. Thanks for the recipe. You satisfied a craving.

  77. I see that most of the comments on this are pretty old but somehow on glorious pinterest I found this gem and I am soooo thankful I did! I did change a few things like I took out the ginger (Im just not a fan of it at all) and I did both cups of cream instead of using water and I used Tofu instead of chicken. I made it last week and it was so amazing that I ate it for lunch 3 days in a row after that because I literally couldnt get enough of it. Im making this again tonight and I am sooooo excited! Thank you sooo much for sharing this because Im sure this is a new staple!

    • Hi Shar! It would certainly be different, but it would be a healthy alternative! I’d make sure to mix it in gradually right at the end (be careful of curdling). Enjoy!

  79. I’ve made this several times already and it’s reallly good. I used curry instead of garam masala. Great recipe!

  80. This looks delicious! I’m wondering: I should it very spicy? (I love spice) If not, are there any specific spices you would recommend to heat it up a bit? Thanks!

    • Hi Lexie! It isn’t very spicy naturally, but you could add more cayenne or another hot red spice to bring the heat level up! Enjoy! xo

  81. i decided to try to make butter chicken for the first time and i chose this recipe . i cooked it low and slow and OMG it is awesome my daughter tried it and she said it was amazing . i love this and i just wish to say thank you for sharing this .
    great meal on a cold December day.

  82. Excellent recipe! The whole family loved. I used a combo of 15% cream & 1% milk.
    Added a bit of tandoori powder to “redden” things up a bit. I made a side vegetable dish with curry powder & some leftover coconut milk as well. Basmati, naan & a Guinness = perfect Friday night dinner

  83. I love this recipe!!! We used chicken thighs instead and subbed in some coconut cream in place of some of the cream. It was amazing!!!

  84. Hi!
    I just made this recipe and wow!!! Its soooo good I was for sure I would mess it up but its simple and delicious . Thx!

  85. My family LOVED IT!!! Hubby and I ate Butter Chicken in Florida last week and enjoyed it so much that he asked me to make it at home. I made brown rice and used store brought Garlic Naan. Also my sauce didn’t turn out as red or thick, but it’s a hit for my family of five!!!

    I searched several recepies before I came across yours…. Thank you for sharing!!!

  86. Made this and loved it! I used coconut milk instead (my husband is lactose intolerant and cream would mess his stomach up!) and it turned out delish! I was wondering, have you ever made it ahead of time and froze it? If so, how did it turn out after you thawed it and heated it up? if not, do you think it would work to freeze it?
    Thanks so much for the recipe!

    • Hi Nicolena! So glad you found a version that works for you two!!

      I definitely have made and frozen this — works totally fine. Enjoy! xoxo

  87. I just came back from India and I loved the Butter Chicken there so I thought I would try and make it myself. It is good, and similar to some stuff I had in Delhi, but not quite at the level of the Punjab dish. I will have to keep experimenting. I think part of it was the fat content there was alway a good layer of fat and melted butter on top, it probably does need that second cup of cream and not the water. Thanks for sharing this!

    P.S. I tried the naan recipe as well and that was great. The puffy naan may be more in the South, but this flat naan is what they had in the North where I was. Thanks for that recipe as well.

  89. Made naan bread and both butter chicken recipes- preferred the regular recipe made with light cream. Delicious! New family favourites 🙂

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  2. […] Indian Butter Chicken Recipe Adapted from The Kitchen Paper. […]

  4. […] a type of cooking that I have yet to really delve into, but for Red’s birthday, I gave this Butter Chicken recipe a try. Let’s just say that it tastes even more amazing than it […]