Indian Butter Chicken
Indian Butter Chicken is a great and quick recipe, perfect for busy days and weeknight dinners. It is also a great dish to make if you're looking to explore Indian cuisine, and add a little spice to your weekly menu rotation!
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger OR 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
for the butter sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 white or yellow onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger OR 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tsp-1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes depending on how spicy you want it
- 1 14oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup heavy cream
For serving
- Naan bread
- Cooked Basmati rice
- Roast broccoli
Instructions
Chicken
- Cut the raw chicken into bite-sized pieces and place them in a medium bowl. Add the remaining chicken ingredients and mix well. Set the bowl aside and allow the chicken to marinate for 30min. If you are in a rush this step can defiantly be skipped and you can cook the chicken imminently if needed.
Sauce
- In a hot skillet(I love to use my deep cast iron pan for this recipe!) cook the chicken until cooked thru, it will cook for a bit longer later on but I would recommend cooking it until it is completely done. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan melt the butter, add the chopped onion, and cook into it is translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant. Add the remaining spices, stir, and cook for 2-3 mins until fragrant. The dish should have a warm and spicy smell.
- Add the canned tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes have broken down and released their juices, 10-15 min.
- *Blend the sauce until smooth and creamy(it doesn't have to be completely blended, but you don't have any noticeable chunks of onion or tomato.) SEE NOTE
- Return the mixture to the pan and bring it back up to a simmer. Add the heavy cream and mix well. Finally, return the chicken to the pan and cook until heated thru 5-10 min.
- Serve over a bed of rice or with fresh naan, or both! And Enjoy.
Notes
*This can be done by either blending the mixture in batches in a blending or food processor. Or you can transfer the mixture into a deep bowl, and blend with an immersion blender. If you are using a deep pan as I do, then you can use your immersion blender and blend the mixture right in the pan. Just be sure to remove the pan from the heat before you blend it.
You can so also serve your butter chicken topped with a drizzle of cream, chopped fresh cilantro, or a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
Any leftover chicken can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
If you are in pinch you can use plain greek yogurt in place of sour cream. Chicken thighs can also be subbed in place of chicken breasts.
You can find my recipe for home garam masala HERE. Garam Masala can also be found at most local shops or at your local Indian grocery store. It can so be purchased online. Though I would highly recommend making your own, as it is super easy to make and makes this delicious dish just that much better!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!