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  • The Main Dish
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Butter Chicken That Will Knock Your Socks Off

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Butter Chicken smells amazing, tastes even better and is super easy to make all in one pot. Your guests will be asking for this recipe.

Butter Chicken on white rice served on a blue and white bowl
Butter Chicken is my go-to recipe when I want to impress my guests. This is one of those meals that is easy to prepare but delivers powerful, complex flavors. The combination of cardamom, cumin and coriander in this India-inspired dish is inexplicable. Each of these spices by themselves is unique but when you put them in this recipe, the result is perfection. Now this description may have you thinking that Butter Chicken is going to be heavily spiced, but you’re also going to simmer all these spices with a good amount of tomatoes and sauce which mellows the spices and melds them together just right.  Plus, adding the cream at the end helps tone down any acidic properties the tomatoes may bring and this step truly brings the flavors together. (My mom doesn’t like spicy food of any kind and she says it’s the best dish I make.)

A few notes when making this dish, do NOT leave out the cayenne pepper even if your family doesn’t like heat. I usually add 1/4 teaspoon and it isn’t hot at all but it’s a nice compliment to the other seasonings. Of course, increase it if you like spice. In traditional Butter Chicken, the spices, lime juice and chicken are marinated overnight. After forgetting this step too many times, I adjusted the cooking method as well as the spice quantities so the  marinade step is not necessary. I recommend continuing to simmer the ingredients uncovered for quite awhile, which makes the chicken fall-apart tender. As the sauce  thickens, the flavors are enhanced even more. Plus, as the sauce cooks down, you will be free to get everything else ready for your meal or just relax! Do NOT leave out the cream. If you want, add half and half (do not ruin this dish with low-fat or fat-free ingredients). I’ve forgotten this step before and everyone was wondering what was missing in the dish. And finally, use white rice to serve Butter Chicken. I substitute brown rice in my recipes whenever I can, but this is one recipe where brown rice doesn’t cut it. Basmati is my preferred rice here as the texture and flavor are divine. But any white rice will do.

Close up of butter chicken on rice on white and blue plate

 

 

And one last note: Be ready with extra copies of this recipe because everyone is going to want it.

Butter chicken over rice
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5 from 1 vote

Butter Chicken

This is THE meal to impress! The complex seasonings in this dish bring a flavor to the table your guests will crave again and again. Very simple to make, too.
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Indian
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 8 people
Calories 312
Author Sally Humeniuk

Ingredients 

  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • ½ cup butter (1 stick)
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoons black pepper
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon cardamom
  • Juice from 2 limes
  • 2- 14.5 oz. cans tomato sauce
  • 2- 14.5 oz. cans diced tomatoes
  • ¼ to ½ cup whipping cream
  • ½ cup chopped cilantro, to taste (parsley may be substituted)
  • 4 cups Basmati rice, cooked

Instructions

  • In a heavy-bottomed stock pot, sauté 1 diced onion in ½ cup (one stick) butter until soft. Add 8 minced garlic cloves, 3-4 chicken breasts, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, ¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne, ½ teaspoon coriander, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon cardamon and juice from 2 limes. Cook about 10 minutes.
  • Add 2 14.5 ounce cans tomato sauce and 2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes. Heat to boiling, then lower heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
  • Remove lid, increase heat just to maintain a good simmer and cook for additional 60 minutes or more to allow sauce to cook down further. You don't want it soupy. Add ¼ to ½ a cup whipping cream (I have successfully used light cream or half-and-half also) and ½ a cup of cilantro just before serving over 4 cups or cooked, Basmati rice.

Notes

  • For even deeper flavor, the original recipe recommends adding all the spices with the cut up chicken and placing in a ziplock bag, then refrigerating for two hours before cooking. It does deepen the spices in the dish, but I've made it many many times without this step with excellent results.
  • Adjust the cayenne pepper to your taste. I usually add 1/4 teaspoon and it is perfect for all tastes, kids and grown ups.
  • Don't leave out the cream, it's an important part of blending all the flavors together.
  • Continue to cook down the sauce until it's nice and thick like in my pictures. I promise the chicken will not dry out, but just become more tender with time.
  • Serve over white rice, basmati is our favorite. I use brown rice in many recipes but this one is not the dish for that. The combination of the floral basmati (or other long grain white rice) is perfect with the Butter Chicken. Save your brown rice for another time.
Nutrition Facts
Butter Chicken
Amount Per Serving
Calories 312 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Cholesterol 84mg28%
Sodium 639mg28%
Potassium 373mg11%
Carbohydrates 24g8%
Protein 20g40%
Vitamin A 380IU8%
Vitamin C 3mg4%
Calcium 24mg2%
Iron 0.7mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Pinterest pin of Butter Chicken

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Published on January 23, 2014

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Coral says

    July 16, 2019 at 6:49 PM

    5 stars
    This is the second recipe of yours I have used and, again, it was so delicious! I accidentally picked up two ground corianders thinking one was cardamom so after looking for substitutes online i used 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Don’t know what I’m going to do with all the extra coriander but was super happy with how it turned out! My boyfriend loved it as well. Will most definitely be back to scope out more recipes, thank you!

    Reply
    • Sally Humeniuk says

      July 17, 2019 at 7:21 AM

      Coral, thanks so much for trying another recipe! AND for commenting again. A couple more I’ll recommend for you are my Chicken with Tomato Basil Cream Sauce, Chicken Picatta, and Chicken Scallopini. If you like risotto, I’ll recommend my Mushroom Risotto (I have a regular and Instant Pot recipe). Have a great day, and again THANK YOU for coming back!

      Reply
      • Coral says

        July 17, 2019 at 1:43 PM

        Thank you so much, I will definitely try them out! :o)

        Reply
  2. lisa says

    October 2, 2014 at 9:35 AM

    I just want to let you know that my husband and I absolutely LOVE this recipe! We’ve made it at least 10 times since first discovering it several months back. It’s become a staple in our house and I just want to say THANK YOU! Incidentally, our 14 month old son also loves it, too. We made it for dinner last night and all 3 of us are eating the left-overs for lunch today! 🙂
    Also, I cannot get enough of Basmati rice! I had never bought it before finding this recipe and now Basmati and Jasmine are the only kinds of rice we eat!

    Reply
  3. Leslie says

    March 12, 2014 at 10:32 AM

    LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe. My husband and I can eat the entire dish in one sitting. So tasty.

    Reply
  4. Tina says

    March 8, 2014 at 5:31 PM

    I found your website when I Googled Gluten Free French Onion Soup. I am newly gluten free, I am very impressed with your recipes. I will be making the Butter Chicken for dinner tonight. Thank you! I am excited to cook with you 😉

    Reply
    • Sally says

      March 8, 2014 at 5:45 PM

      Tina, It just so happens that I too am making Butter Chicken tonight for my husband’s family. So, we truly will be cooking together! If you are gluten free, be sure to try my Super Moist Chocolate Cake recipe sometime for a special treat. It is the best chocolate cake we have ever had, period. Thanks for your nice comments. you made my day.

      Reply
  5. Samantha says

    January 23, 2014 at 9:20 PM

    I found this blog searching for Butter chicken….one of my favorite indian dishes that I used to eat in Australia (where I”m originally from)….I don’t see it offered too much over here though so I figured I’d make it myself….thanks for the recipe….it looks delicious.

    Reply
  6. Ann Gammell says

    January 23, 2014 at 2:01 PM

    The recipe is the best idea for dinner tonight. Also, it seems low in calories as well. Thank you for sharing it.

    Reply
  7. foodwithpictures says

    January 23, 2014 at 8:48 AM

    This recipe sounds delicious!

    Reply
About Sally - Good Dinner Mom.

About Good Dinner Mom

My name is Sally and I love to be in the kitchen. Making fresh, unique dishes is my way of showing love for family and friends and I hope that here you’ll find recipes of both healthy and indulgent dishes that will inspire you to cook more at home while sharing some love of your own. more about me

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