Butter Chicken – How to Make it Without Drowning it

I am not the biggest fan of butter. I find that is overused and if you’re going to over use something like that, it should be olive oil in my opinion. That being said, I am a huge fan of butter chicken. While I didn’t grow up eating really any Indian food, when I tried it in my adult life, I found out exactly what I have been missing.

Indian cuisine is like a flavor explosion. There are so many spices, but don’t let that intimidate you! Once you have the basic ingredients in your spice cabinet, my recipe for butter chicken comes together quite easily. And all of those spices are definitely worth it. When they come together it’s like a symphony of sapidity that keeps you coming back for more and more.

If you are not familiar with butter chicken it is a tomatoey-creamy sauce that bathes boneless chunks of juicy chicken that have been marinated in spices and yogurt. It all comes together, united by butter; the tie that unites us all. In many restaurant versions, I always feel like they really play up the butter and add a lot of it. In my version we are just using 2 tablespoons of it for cooking, but the flavor is still there!

So next time you are craving something different and delicious, try my easy butter chicken recipe for a homemade takeout treat.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pound of chicken breast, cut into chunks

1/2 cup of plain yogurt

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 teaspoon of turmeric

2 teaspoons of garam masala

1 teaspoon of cumin

1/2 onion, diced

2 Thai red chilis, minced (or 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper)

1 thumb of ginger, minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 – 14 ounce can of tomatoes

1 cup of cream

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

2 tablespoons of butter

1 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of basmati rice

Cilantro for the pretty

Instructions:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, garam masala, cumin onion, chilis, ginger, and garlic. Stir to combine and and mix in chicken. Allow it to marinate for 2 hours to overnight.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the chicken in the marinade. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and reduce the heat to low.
3. Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes, cream, and salt and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make your basmati rice according to the package directions.
5. Once the rice is done, your butter chicken will be too. To serve, divide the rice into bowls and top with with chicken and sauce. Sprinkle on some cilantro and enjoy with some naan on the side.

If you like this recipe, be sure to try my masoor dal recipe!