Description
This quick and flavorful butter chicken is a great weeknight meal that’s packed with flavor and ready in just 30 minutes! The chicken is marinated in a creamy yogurt sauce, then cooked in a rich tomato sauce with warm spices. It’s a perfect dish to serve with naan or basmati rice.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
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For the Chicken Marinade:
- 2-3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, fat trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
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For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons oil (vegetable, canola, or avocado)
- 2 tablespoons ghee (or butter)
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 14-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 cup heavy cream or full fat coconut milk
- 1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek or crushed kasoori methi
- Fresh cilantro, optional
Instructions
- Marinate Chicken: In a large bowl, combine yogurt, garlic, ginger, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Mix well. Add chicken pieces and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Brown Chicken: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is sizzling hot, add chicken pieces, discarding extra marinade. Cook until brown and flip. Do not overcrowd the pan. You might need to cook in 2 batches. When chicken is browned, remove, cover, and set aside. The chicken will finish cooking in the sauce later.
- Make Sauce: Heat the ghee or butter in the pan. Add the garlic and ginger. Sauté for a minute or until fragrant.
- Add spices: Add coriander, cumin, garam masala, chili powder, and cayenne pepper to the hot pan. Stir for about 30 seconds.
- Add tomato sauce: Add the tomato sauce and salt. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan and get all the spices mixed into the tomato sauce. Reduce heat to simmer for about 5 minutes to allow flavors to combine. Stir occasionally.
- Add cream and chicken: Reduce heat to low. Slowly pour in the heavy cream, whisking to combine as you pour. Add the dried fenugreek. Stir. Add the chicken with juices back into the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling. If the sauce is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of ghee or butter. Stir to combine.
- Serve: Remove from heat. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with naan and basmati rice.
Notes
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Tips:
- Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces for quicker cooking.
- Open the tomato sauce can and measure the sauce spices before you begin cooking. Combine the coriander, cumin, garam masala, chili powder, and cayenne pepper in one small bowl.
- If you have the time, marinate your chicken all day. The extra marinating time helps enrich the flavors.
- If using coconut milk, use the full fat kind and use mostly the solid cream part at the top of the can.
- Taste the sauce while it’s cooking! Add more spice if you prefer.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 570kcal
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 870mg
- Fat: 30g
- Saturated Fat: 16g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 35g
- Cholesterol: 130mg
