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Quick & Easy Homemade Butter Chicken

This Quick & Easy Homemade Butter Chicken delivers rich, creamy flavors of restaurant-style butter chicken with minimal fuss, perfect for weeknights.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Calories: 580
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Chicken Marinade
  • 1.5 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 0.5 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
For the Sauce
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
  • 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 0.5 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional for heat)
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 0.5 teaspoon curry powder
  • 0.25 cup freshly chopped parsley (optional, for garnish)
To Serve
  • Naan bread
  • Steamed rice

Method
 

Marination
  1. In a bowl, mix the chicken with salt, garlic powder, paprika, curry powder, and Greek yogurt. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
Cooking the Sauce
  1. In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Sauté garlic and onion until fragrant.
  2. Add tomato sauce, sugar, salt, black pepper, heavy cream, cayenne pepper, garam masala, and curry powder. Simmer for a few minutes.
Cooking the Chicken
  1. In another pan, cook the marinated chicken until browned and cooked through.
Final Assembly
  1. Add the cooked chicken to the sauce. Stir in the remaining butter. Simmer for a few more minutes.
  2. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve hot with naan bread and steamed rice.

Notes

Use thigh meat for juicier results. Don't overcook chicken as it will finish cooking in the sauce. Adjust seasoning after adding cream. For smoother sauce, blend onion-tomato mixture before adding cream. For a dairy-free version, substitute heavy cream with coconut milk and use vegan butter.