This easy to make, flavorful One-Pot Butter Chicken recipe is perfectly spiced and creamy. It rivals anything you can get out of a jar or from takeout and is surprisingly simple to do. Serve with rice and naan for a complete meal you will want to make again soon!
Since the very first time I tried it, I absolutely loved butter chicken or murgh makhani. It is easily my favorite dish to order at an Indian restaurant, up there with other Indian food favorites like tandoori chicken and crispy samosas. Tender pieces of chicken coated in a spiced sauce that is so creamy and buttery, you just have to sop up all of it so it doesn’t go to waste.
I just had to figure out a way to make it at home so I can make it as saucy as I want. And saucy, this homemade version of butter chicken is.
This One Pot Butter Chicken recipe is made with a generous amount of sauce because nothing beats pouring that perfectly spiced, juicy chicken over basmati rice so it can soak in all of the flavor. You should definitely keep a piece of naan bread nearby too to sop up all that leftover sauce too.
Homemade Butter Chicken
If you have never made butter chicken at home before, it may seem intimidating but it really is easy to do. The spices used to make this easy butter chicken recipe are similar to those you will find throughout Indian cuisine so if you have made other Indian recipes before, you probably don’t have to run out to get anything from the grocery store.
This Indian butter chicken recipe comes together in one pot too which is great for easy clean up! Meals that come together in a single pot or pan are perfect for those busy weeknights!
I make this easy recipe with basmati rice using my Baked Rice recipe. This hands-off recipe means the rice can bake in the oven, while I whip up the star of our chicken dinner. Naan bread is also always part of our meal too because we definitely don’t want to waste any of that sauce. If you don’t have naan, you can easily whip up a Yogurt Flatbread, which does the trick in a pinch.
Ingredients in One-Pot Butter Chicken
- Spice mix: A homemade spice mix is made using garam masala, brown sugar, red chili powder, cumin, coriander powder, ginger powder, and salt. This spice mix adds so much flavor to this dish.
- Chicken: Skinless and boneless chicken breasts that are cut into bite sized pieces. You can also use boneless chicken thighs for this recipe.
- Yogurt: plain yogurt is used marinate the chicken.
- Oil: you can use any type of cooking oil. Vegetable oil, olive oil, etc.
- Ghee: or you can substitute butter.
- Tomato passata: This recipe uses passata which is a simple tomato puree.
- Heavy cream: For best results, heavy cream (aka whipping cream in some countries) is added at the end to make the sauce rich and thick. While you can substitute milk, the end result won’t be a luxuriously creamy butter chicken recipe as the sauce will be a bit thinner.
- Cilantro/coriander: to garnish
**Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.**
Easy Steps to the perfect Butter Chicken
- Make the spice blend. Begin by mixing all of the ingredients for the spice mix in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Marinate the chicken. Pat the chicken dry and cut into bite sized cubes. Place yogurt and 2 teaspoons of spice mix into a medium sized bowl and mix well. Add the chicken and mix to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let it marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Brown the chicken. Heat a tablespoon of oil and a tablespoon of ghee or butter in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, ensuring it browns on all sides about 5-6 minutes.
- Start the sauce. Add the passata and remaining spice mix. Bring it to a simmer and then cover and let it continue simmering for 15 minutes.
- Finish off the sauce. Uncover the pot and stir in the cream and remaining 3 tablespoons ghee or butter. Simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust as needed. If the sauce feels to acidic, add more brown sugar. If more spice is needed or salt, adjust accordingly.
- Serve. Sprinkle with cilantro (aka coriander). Serve with basmati rice and/or naan.
Tips for making this the best butter chicken recipe you’ve had:
Tip #1: Do some prep work in advance to make dinner time a breeze. If you want to simplify your weeknight dinner, you could have a couple of steps done the night before. The spice mix could be mixed and ready and you can even leave your chicken marinating in the fridge overnight.
Tip #2: Marinate overnight if you can for tender chicken. If you can marinate the chicken overnight, it will be even more tender.
Tip #3: Adjust the spices to suit your own taste.
Tip #4: Sugar helps cut the acidity. In this and other tomato sauce based dishes, adding sugar can help cut the acidity from the tomatoes. Taste the dish at the end and add some sugar if you think it needs it. Butter chicken tends to have a mildly spicy, slightly sweet flavor profile.
Tip #5: Use milk for a lighter dish. While cream is essential to make this a thick, saucy dish similar to what you get in restaurants, if you want to make this a bit lighter, you can swap in milk instead of cream.
Storing and reheating
Once cooled, leftover butter chicken can be transferred to an airtight container and stored in the fridge.
To reheat, place the butter chicken back in a pot and heat through over medium heat. Alternatively, you can microwave it to warm it up, making it great for work lunch leftovers.
Other ways to use leftover butter chicken
While eating this creamy butter chicken dish all over again is always a welcome idea in our home, there is so much more you can do with this dish!
- Butter Chicken Naan Pizzas. Add a layer of the creamy butter chicken sauce on leftover naan bread and then sprinkle it with shredded mozzarella. Sprinkle the butter chicken pieces over it and add any veggies you like. Bake it until the cheese is all melted and enjoy!
- Butter Chicken Quesadillas. Sprinkle a tortilla with shredded cheese and then sprinkle leftover butter chicken over it. Add other veggies if you like and then top with a little more cheese and another tortilla. Cook as you would any other quesadilla.
- Butter Chicken Burrito. Add the leftover butter chicken (and some of its creamy sauce) and rice to a large tortilla along with cheese and any other toppings you wish to add for a delicious twist on a burrito.
This delicious and simple butter chicken recipe is one we love and I hope it will become a new family favorite in your home too.
Hope you give this recipe a try and enjoy it! Be sure to also check out my recipe for Butter Chicken Meatballs for a fun twist on this classic Indian dish.
-Cathy
P.S. if you do not have naan and don’t feel like whipping some up, my quick go-to is to make Yogurt Flatbread. Its quick and easy to do last minute.
You may also like these other saucy chicken dishes:
Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
Creamy Honey Mustard Chicken with Bacon
Creamy Spinach Chicken
Butter Chicken
Ingredients
Spice Mix
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garam masala
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 3/4 teaspoon ginger powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
Chicken Marinade
- 1 lb skinless and boneless chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 teaspoons spice mix (see above)
Other Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons ghee or butter, divided (I often just use butter)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 cups tomato passata
- 1/2 cup cream
- cilantro to garnish aka coriander
Instructions
- Begin by mixing all of the ingredients for the spice mix in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Pat the chicken dry and cut into bite sized cubes. Place yogurt and 2 teaspoons of spice mix into a medium sized bowl and mix well. Add the chicken and mix to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let it marinade in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil and a tablespoon of ghee or butter in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, ensuring it browns on all sides about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the passata and remaining spice mix. Bring it to a simmer and then cover and let it continue simmering for 15 minutes.
- Uncover the pot and stir in the cream and remaining 3 tablespoons ghee or butter. Simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust as needed. If the sauce feels to acidic, add more brown sugar. If more spice is needed or salt, adjust accordingly.
- Sprinkle with cilantro (aka coriander). Serve with basmati rice and/or naan.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.