Discover the magic of our family’s favorite Butter Chicken recipe! A perfect blend of flavors and spices, it’s a delightful feast for your taste buds.

Do you crave for an authentic, flavorful Butter Chicken but don’t want to go out or want to save some serious dough? Look no further! Make this Butter Chicken recipe at home

My favorite Butter Chicken recipe will give you the experience of a bona fide Indian feast right in the comfort of your own kitchen.

The fusion of creamy, tangy, and spicy flavors is enough to get anyone’s mouth watering. Don’t get scared by the list of ingredients; each one plays an essential part in creating this delicious masterpiece. Despite its seemingly complex nature, you’ll find this recipe easy to follow, and the result, undeniably worth every step and ingredient. Let’s get into it!

Ingredients:

Again, don’t let this ingredients list scare you. Just take them one ingredient at a time and I promise it will be worth it.

How to Make Butter Chicken at Home:

Making Butter Chicken at home is easy if you take it one step at a time.

Marinade Time:

You will start by cutting your chicken breast into bite-size pieces then adding them to the marinade.

The marinade ingredients are listed above. The chicken pieces will hang out in the marinade for a few hours up to overnight.

If you’re in a super rush and need dinner on the table like yesterday, I have a speed method for you. More about that below.

Cooking the Butter Chicken:

When you’re ready to cook Butter Chicken you’ll start by browning the chicken chunks in the olive oil. Once browned you will remove the chicken from the pot and move on to the next step.

In the empty but hot pot add the ghee and onions. Sauté the onions until translucent. This step will take about 3-5 minutes.

Then stir in the ginger and garlic and cook until aromatic, about a minute.

After you begin smelling the delicious garlic and ginger, next in – the mustard, coriander, grama masala and cumin. You’re kitchen will begin to smell like a delicious Indian restaurant.

Now it’s time to add the tomato sauce, cayenne, chili powder, salt, and sugar. The ingredients in the pot up to this point are the base of the butter chicken sauce. From here you will puree what is in the pot. You can do this using a blender or, my preferred method is to use an immersion blender right in the pot.

Once your sauce base is smooth simmer for 10 minutes then add the browned chicken chunks back in. Lastly, add the cream (or half and half if you prefer a lighter option) and simmer an additional 10 minutes.

Let’s Eat!

Serve this classic butter chicken over rice, add a few sprigs of cilantro and a piece of naan and you have a delicious restaurant-quality Indian butter chicken right at home.

Pssst… have leftovers?

Butter Chicken leftovers are my favorite. I swear it’s better the day after. The flavors meld into each other even more… Mmmm, so good! For storage recommendations, see the Q&A section below.

Q&A Section:

Speed method… Can I make this in an evening?

Yes, you can toss the chicken in the marinade and cook immediately. The flavors will be very similar just not as strong within the chicken. This said, butter chicken is a very strong flavored dish naturally. This is one reason why it pairs so well with more neutral sides such as rice or naan.

Where can I buy garam masala spice blend?

Garam masala spice blend is available at Indian grocery stores, the international section of many supermarkets, and online. I usually get mine at Walmart or a local grocery store but if you have trouble finding it there, feel free to search one of the other options listed above OR try this recipe using a substitute.

Are there any garam masala substitutes?

While there’s no exact substitute for garam masala, you can try a blend of cumin, coriander, cardamom, and pepper as a temporary alternative.

Also, for a quicker more simple substitution you can use 1 part allspice to 4 parts cumin. This mixture of allspice and cumin can be used as a 1:1 in place of garam masala. Note, it will alter the original flavor of the recipe but only slightly.

What kind of rice is best?

For the most authentic experience, try it with a homemade Indian rice like Basmati or Jasmine. I love making Instant Pot Rice. It’s so easy and comes out perfectly fluffy.

If you’re looking for a more healthy alternative, Brown Jasmine rice is an excellent choice. I actually tried this for the first time last week and it was delicious.

Storage, Leftovers and Freeze-ability:

This butter chicken recipe is amazing fresh from the pot but I swear it’s even better the next day. I purposely make a double batch to ensure we have leftovers. They are that good.

With that said, Butter Chicken freezes quite well and reheats beautifully.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When ready to enjoy, thaw completely then reheat in the microwave or in a pot over the stove.

HERE’S THE FULL PRINTABLE BUTTER CHICKEN RECIPE. ENJOY!