Butter Chicken
A fuss-free Indian chicken built around boneless chicken thighs, plain yogurt and ground turmeric — roughly 70 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 6 steps.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and pan. At medium difficulty across 6 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (7)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Cut the chicken into large bite-sized pieces and marinate with the yogurt, half the ginger garlic paste, the turmeric, 1 teaspoon of the chili powder and a pinch of salt for at least 30 minutes.
- Sear the marinated chicken in a hot pan with a little of the butter for 3 to 4 minutes per side until charred at the edges and almost cooked through, then set aside; it will finish in the sauce.
- In the same pan melt the rest of the butter and fry the finely chopped onion for 6 to 8 minutes until soft and golden, then stir in the remaining ginger garlic paste, the cumin and the rest of the chili powder for a minute.
- Pour in the tomato passata with a splash of water, season with salt and the sugar, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until the sauce is thick and the rawness has cooked out.
- Return the chicken with any resting juices, lower the heat and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until the pieces are cooked through to 74C in the centre with no pink remaining.
- Stir in the cream, the garam masala and the fenugreek leaves crushed between your palms, simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes until glossy, then taste and adjust salt before serving with rice or naan.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet · Pan · Saucepan
Ingredient substitutions
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
- Heavy Cream
- evaporated milk · ½ cup milk + ¼ cup melted butter · full-fat coconut milk
What to serve with Butter Chicken
- Aloo Gobi Vegan
- Chana Masala Vegan
- Dal Tadka Vegetarian
- Egg Curry Vegetarian
Tips & common questions
How long does Butter Chicken take to make?
About 70 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 6 steps and 14 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of butter?
Try olive oil (¾ the amount). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Butter Chicken is an original Indian recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Butter chicken rice bowl - chaiiwala 2024-02-10.jpg (CC0) via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.