This restaurant style butter chicken, otherwise known as murgh makhani, tastes just like your favorite Indian restaurant version, with a few tweaks to make it easy and weeknight friendly. Tender, seasoned chicken is simmered in a flavorful, savory sauce. Served with homemade tandoori naan, flavourful onion pulao or plain, fluffy rice, you'll choose this over take out, any day!
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👩🏽🍳Why This Recipe Works
Packed with flavor: Like most Indian dishes, this butter chicken is packed with flavor. It's a great dish to try out if you are just trying out Indian food, too!
Easy to make: The chicken and sauce are very easy to make. No fancy methods or cooking equipment is needed, which makes it all the better.
Easy shortcuts: To bring this dish together quickly, I have tested some fantastic shortcuts that will make prep and cooking a breeze. All the taste, for less effort!
🥘Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: Chicken breasts are perfect for this recipe, as they stay tender and juicy and add a delicious depth of flavor in a small amount of time.
- Greek yogurt: Greek yogurt is a great way to keep the chicken flavorful and tender, in a short period of time. I always recommend using greek yogurt because of its thick texture. Regular yogurt has too much liquid, and will not cling to the chicken as well.
- Chaat masala: Chaat masala is a blend of spices, including mango powder, black salt and dried pomegranate. It adds a tangy flavour to chicken marinade, all in one spice mix.
- Chilli powder: This is actual red chilli powder, as opposed to the spice blend known as chili powder - which is used in Tex Mex cooking.
- Tomato passata: Tomato passata is strained pureed tomatoes. This is a great shortcut for the butter chicken sauce, instead of taking the time to cook down fresh tomatoes.
- Heavy whipping cream: This is the creamy element that everyone knows and loves in butter chicken. Heavy whipping cream is the best choice, as it maintains its richness in the tomatoes, and cuts the acidity, too.
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
📖Substitutions
- Chicken: You can opt for chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts, if you prefer dark meat. Be mindful to keep the pieces uniform, and bite-sized.
- Tomato passata: You can also use canned crushed tomatoes, or diced fresh tomatoes. You will likely have to put the mixture through a strainer after blending, if using fresh tomatoes. This will yield a silky sauce.
- Dairy-free: Instead of sautéing in butter, feel free to use olive oil or your oil of choice. You can also use a dairy substitute instead of heavy cream. The cashews add a good creaminess to the sauce, so you won't lose too much by using a dairy substitute.
- Dried fenugreek: You can omit the fenugreek if you do not have it on hand, or cannot find it.
🔪Variations
- Spicy: Increase the amount of red chilli powder in both the chicken marinade, and the gravy. The recipe as written has a nice kick to it.
- Kid friendly or mild: Omit the red chilli powder all together.
⏲️ Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep Work Before Cooking
Collecting all your ingredients - This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
Prepare your chicken - You will want to cut your chicken thighs into bite-sized chunks.
Preheat your oven - The gravy for this butter chicken does not take long to make. To make sure your chicken is ready to go, preheat your oven to 375°F so it is waiting for you!
Combine your chicken with all the ingredients needed for the marinade. Saute in a large skillet with a tablespoon of butter, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet. [photos 1 & 2]
In the same skillet with 1 tablespoon of butter, brown garlic, ginger, cashew nuts, cardamon and a cinnamon stick until fragrant. [photo 3]
Add the spices to the mixture, and toast. Top with tomato passata to the skillet, and let it cook through until the water has evaporated, and it has thickened. [photos 4 & 5]
Once the passata is thick, remove the visibly large spices such as cardamon pods and cinnamon sticks, and put the sauce into a blender. Add half of the water, and blend until smooth. [photo 6]
Return the mixture back to the skillet, and add the remaining water. Add the sugar and salt, as well as the chicken. Finish with heavy whipping cream, and dried fenugreek. [photos 7 & 8]
💭 Expert Tips
If you don't have a blender: Use an immersion blender. Be mindful that it may not break down the cashews as well as a regular blender. If you find it to be chunky, try straining it.
Cut the chicken in even-sized pieces: This will ensure that all the chicken cooks at the same time, and will prevent some pieces from drying out while others are undercooked.
🍽 Make Ahead & Storage
- Store the butter chicken in an airtight container in the fridge.
- The chicken will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
- You can also freeze leftover chicken in freezer-safe containers.
- Defrost, and reheat on the stove.
⭐ Recipe FAQs
Butter chicken is actually an authentic Indian dish, whereas chicken tikka masala is a westernized adaptation. Chicken tikka masala has an onion-tomato gravy, and butter chicken is a little bit sweeter with the addition of cashews and heavy cream.
Yes - you can use fresh tomatoes for the butter chicken gravy. The traditional way of making butter chicken involves cooking down fresh tomatoes until they are paste-like. Tomato puree is an easy shortcut, that saves time.
Thin out the tomato gravy with extra water. The heavy whipping cream will also thin out the gravy, at the end.
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Restaurant Style Butter Chicken {Murgh Makhani}
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 4 Chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cubed
- ¼ cup Plain greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon Ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon Chaat masala
- ½ teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Chili powder
For the Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Salted butter
- 1 tablespoon Garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon Ginger paste
- 15 Cashews
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 2 pods Green cardamon
- 1 teaspoon Red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
- 2 teaspoon Dried fenugreek kasoori methi
- 1 cup Tomato passata
- 2 tablespoon Sugar
- ½ cup Heavy whipping cream
- Sea salt to taste
- 1 cup Water
Equipment
Instructions
- Combine your chicken with all the ingredients needed for the marinade. Saute in a large skillet with a tablespoon of butter, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the skillet.4 Chicken breasts, ¼ cup Plain greek yogurt, 2 tablespoon Lemon juice, 1 tablespoon Garlic paste, 1 tablespoon Ginger paste, 1 teaspoon Chaat masala, ½ teaspoon Garam masala, 1 teaspoon Chili powder, 1 teaspoon Paprika
- In the same skillet with 1 tablespoon of butter, brown garlic, ginger, cashew nuts, cardamon and a cinnamon stick until fragrant.1 tablespoon Salted butter, 1 tablespoon Garlic paste, 1 tablespoon Ginger paste, 15 Cashews, 1 Cinnamon stick, 2 pods Green cardamon
- Add the spices to the mixture, and toast. Top with tomato passata to the skillet, and let it cook through until the water has evaporated, and it has thickened.1 teaspoon Red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon Garam masala, 1 cup Tomato passata, 2 tablespoon Sugar, Sea salt, 1 cup Water, 2 teaspoon Dried fenugreek
- Once the passata is thick, remove the visibly large spices such as cardamon pods and cinnamon sticks, and put the sauce into a blender. Add half of the water, and blend until smooth.
- Return the mixture back to the skillet, and add the remaining water. Add the sugar and salt, as well as the chicken. Finish with heavy whipping cream, and dried fenugreek.½ cup Heavy whipping cream
Notes
- If you don't have a blender: Use an immersion blender. Be mindful that it may not break down the cashews as well as a regular blender. If you find it to be chunky, try straining it.
- Cut the chicken in even-sized pieces: This will ensure that all the chicken cooks at the same time, and will prevent some pieces from drying out while others are undercooked.
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