Butter Chicken Recipe (easy)

User Reviews

4.8

459 reviews
Excellent
  • Prep Time

    10 mins

  • Cook Time

    10 mins

  • Total Time

    30 mins

  • Servings

    4 servings

  • Calories

    345 kcal

  • Course

    Dinner

  • Cuisine

    Indian

Butter Chicken Recipe (easy)

This Easy Butter Chicken recipe (murgh makhani) can be on your dinner table in just 30 minutes. The sauce is deliciously rich and creamy, just like butter chicken from your favorite Indian restaurant.

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Ingredients

Servings

The Curry

  • 2 2 tablespoons butter or cooking oil
  • 2 2 yellow onions roughly chopped
  • 3 3 tablespoons chopped ginger
  • 6 6 cloves garlic crushed
  • 28 28 ounce can of crushed or diced tomatoes
  • 1 1 lb chicken breasts or thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 1 cup water
  • ¼ ¼ cup whipping cream, plain yogurt, or coconut milk
  • 2 2 tablespoons almond butter
  • 2-4 2-4 tablespoons coconut sugar can sub brown sugar
  • sea salt to taste (I like about 2 teaspoons)

The Spices

  • 1 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 4 4 cardamom pods seeds only - discard the pods
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Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a large-sized frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and cook for about 8 minutes, until well-browned, reducing the heat if necessary. While the onion cooks, place the spices in a small bowl.
  2. Add the spices to the pan and cook for 1 minute to remove their raw flavor. Pour the can of tomatoes into the pan and scrape the bottom to remove any bits that are stuck to the pan. Transfer to a blender and blend on high until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan.
  3. Add the chicken and water and bring the sauce to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and let the chicken cook through, about 10 minutes.
  4. Stir in the cream, yogurt, or coconut milk, the almond butter, and the coconut sugar. Season to taste with sea salt.

Notes

  • Note 1: Using butter will give you the most authentic flavor. But if you need to avoid dairy, opt for oil. 
  • Note 2: I like to use canned tomatoes as they have better flavor than many store-bought tomatoes. But if it's tomato season, and you have some homegrown tomatoes, feel free to use a few of those instead!
  • Note 3: Raw cashews are a more traditional ingredient. I opted to use almond butter so that you'll be able to blend this even without a high-powered blender. Feel free to use cashew butter, if you have that on hand. 
  • Note 4: If you don't have all of the spices, don't fret! Garam masala is the most important one here. If needed, you can substitute it with curry powder. 

Nutrition Information

Show Details
Serving 1 ½ cups Calories 345kcal (17%) Carbohydrates 16g (5%) Protein 28g (56%) Fat 19g (29%) Saturated Fat 8g (40%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 7g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 108mg (36%) Sodium 216mg (9%) Potassium 651mg (19%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 7g (14%) Vitamin A 584IU (12%) Vitamin C 7mg (8%) Calcium 79mg (8%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 345 kcal

% Daily Value*

Serving 1 ½ cups
Calories 345kcal 17%
Carbohydrates 16g 5%
Protein 28g 56%
Fat 19g 29%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 7g 35%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 108mg 36%
Sodium 216mg 9%
Potassium 651mg 14%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 7g 14%
Vitamin A 584IU 12%
Vitamin C 7mg 8%
Calcium 79mg 8%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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Overall Rating

4.8

459 reviews
Excellent

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