Summary:
This is a one-pot dinner recipe for Indian butter chicken, with tender bites of chicken breast browned and simmered in a rich and creamy tomato-based sauce. Onions add sweetness, and butter is stirred in at the end for extra richness. Cilantro and ground coriander add a subtle earthy flavor.
INGREDIENTS
Browning Chicken:
Spices:
- 1 tablespoon
garam masala (Note 3) - 1 teaspoon
ground coriander seed - 1/2 teaspoon
ground cumin - 1/4 teaspoon
ground ginger - 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon
ground cayenne (Note 4)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prepare Chicken: Pat chicken dry with paper towels and trim off excess fat, if any. Cut into 1-inch chunks. Stir together yogurt, salt, and pepper in large bowl until well-mixed. Add chicken chunks and stir until well-coated with yogurt.
- Sear Chicken: Heat large nonstick pan (Note 7) over high heat until very hot. Add half of yogurt-covered chicken chunks to pan and spread out. Cook until golden brown and a bit charred, a few minutes, while stirring and flipping chicken to sear all sides. As they finish searing, transfer to large plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Sauté Onions: Reduce to medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter to now-empty pan, spreading around until melted. Add chopped onions and cook for about 5 minutes to soften, stirring frequently and loosening any browned bits stuck to bottom of pan. Add minced garlic and all spices, stirring for a minute until aromatic.
- Simmer Sauce: Add tomato sauce and heavy cream, stirring for a minute until mixed. Add seared chicken chunks (without drippings) to pan and submerge in sauce; no need to stir. Bring sauce to simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and decreasing heat as needed to maintain light simmer. Chicken should be cooked through and sauce should be slightly thickened and orange.
- Finish & Serve: Add 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro and 2 tablespoons butter to sauce, stirring until melted. Turn off heat. Serve into bowls (Note 8), and garnish with 1 tablespoon cilantro.
NUTRITION
| Makes 4 Servings |
| Amount Per Serving: |
| Calories 560 (56% from fat) | |
| Total Fat 35g | 54% |
| Saturated Fat 21g | 107% |
| Cholesterol 199mg | 66% |
| Sodium 530mg | 22% |
| Net Carb 8.5g | |
| Total Carb 11.5g | 4% |
| Dietary Fiber 3g | 12% |
| Sugars 6.5g | |
| Protein 44g |
PHOTOS
This is a family favorite in our home. Our children are used to spicy foods. When we make this we have to make a recipe and a half to feed the four of us and have left overs for my husband’s lunch the next day. It is flavorful, rich and a great meal after a cold day of working outside. ❤
Hi, I’m from Australia so a little confused when you say “tomato sauce” for us that’s your version of ketchup.
Are you referring to a “tomato paste” style sauce?
Look forward to making this 😊
Hi Fabian! When I say “tomato sauce” I am talking about tomato puree that comes in canned form. If you took tomatoes and blended them until smooth, you would get tomato puree. It is not tomato paste, which is much more concentrated. Hope that clears things up!
Wow. Not lying when I say this is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever had.
Just made the other day and my husband is already asking me to make it again. It is going to be a regular in my “favourite recipe” folder.
Absolutely delicious, I like a little more heat so doubled the cayenne and added a little more garam Marsala. Will be a regular dish at my home. Also used tomato paste with the tomato sauce.
Sorry one more thing I just want to ask if I can marinate the chicken for 24 hrs? I tried to do it today but I got some errands to do and I forgot about it. Im planning to cook it for tomorrow is that ok? Thank you
Marinating the chicken for 24 hours should be fine. By the way, the recipe does not require marination; once the chicken chunks are coated in the yogurt mixture in Step 1, they can be immediately seared in Step 2 without waiting for them to marinate. I wanted to mention that in case it’s not clear. Please let me know if there’s anything else I can clarify.
Can I use All Purpose Cream instead of whipping cream? And how can I substitute tomato purée (just in case it’s not available) using fresh tomatoes?
I haven’t used all purpose cream, but I think it would be fine since its fat content (30% fat) is not too dissimilar to heavy whipping cream (36% fat). If you’re using fresh tomatoes, use a blender or food processor until it’s puréed to a similar consistency as the canned variety. Since you’re replacing a 15-ounce can, you’ll want roughly 2 cups of puréed tomatoes. Hope that helps!
Thank you for responding. God bless🥰🥰🥰
I’ve made this recipes many times, I love it but mine never turns that deep orange color, what am I doing wrong? Thanks!
The color is most affected by the spices, heavy whipping cream, and tomato sauce. For example, different brands of garam masala may differ in color. Make sure you’re using exactly “heavy whipping cream” and not similar products.
I have been making this dish for years. It’s one of my favorite dishes and it’s always a hit with family and friends! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe! I do sometimes substitute the heavy cream with half-and-half, and I’ve never noticed a taste or texture difference. I also serve this with rice.
Could I use 18% table cream instead of whipping cream?
That is a lower fat content than heavy whipping cream, which is usually 36%. I don’t think the fat percentage will be an issue because readers have substituted with ingredients that have a different fat content (like half-and-half) with good results, so I assume table cream will also work for this recipe.
If you give it a try, please let me know how it turns out for you.
Can I use minced ginger instead of ground ginger?
Using minced fresh ginger is fine. Use 4x the amount of ground ginger in the recipe.
Is the Greek yogurt absolutely necessary? I want to try this recipe but the grocery stores near me are all out of plain Greek yogurt.
If you can’t find Greek yogurt, you can try substituting with a non-greek plain yogurt, ideally one that’s thicker in texture.
Thanks
I loved and miss the old version of this recipe. I tried doing this one and it took forever to pick out all the bits of black burnt yogurt “browned bits” (which were like flaked charcoal) out of my dish. Is the old version available anywhere?
If you make this again, I suggest sauteing less and not to the point where you have to fish out many bits of burnt yogurt. Ideally, the chicken is nicely seared and golden brown. If you send me an e-mail, I’ll see if I can dig up the older version of this recipe for you.
I just tried it again and didn’t get too held up getting the chicken browned. It turned out great even though the chicken was barely yellow (though well cooked!) and I had some light brown pan scrapings instead of the black flakes I had before. Thank you, it’s a delicious recipe!
I’m glad to hear that, Mona. Thank you for taking the time to report back!
A lot of prep but worth it. Love the flavors. Served with Jasmine rice.
Just finished making this. Wow. Serves 5, HA! Not when it tastes this good. Thank you for this!!
I love makhani, can’t wait to try this!