• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Happily From Scratch
  • All Recipes
  • Meal Type
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Dinner
    • Lunch
    • Pasta
    • Salads
    • Sides
    • Snacks
    • Soups and Stews
  • Diet
    • Dairy Free
    • Gluten Free
    • Vegan
    • Vegetarian
    • Whole30
  • Ingredient
    • Beef
    • Chicken
    • Lamb
    • Seafood
    • Turkey
  • Quick and easy
  • About
    • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Meal Type
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Dinner
    • Lunch
    • Pasta
    • Salads
    • Sides
    • Snacks
    • Soups and Stews
  • Diet
    • Dairy Free
    • Gluten Free
    • Vegan
    • Vegetarian
    • Whole30
  • Ingredient
    • Beef
    • Chicken
    • Lamb
    • Seafood
    • Turkey
  • Quick and easy
  • About
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Chicken » Creamy Indian Butter Chicken

    Creamy Indian Butter Chicken

    Published: Dec 12, 2016 · Modified: Mar 19, 2022 by Erica Julson · This post may contain affiliate links · 7 Comments

    • Share
    • Yummly
    Recipe Print

    Creamy Indian Butter Chicken Over White Rice

    Butter chicken is like a hug in a bowl.

    Tender yogurt marinated chicken pieces, swimming in a lusciously creamy tomato sauce with a hint of sweetness and spice from garam masala. When spooned over fluffy rice, the sauce coats each bite with rich, comforting flavors that will make your tastebuds sing.

    And yes, true to it's name, butter chicken uses a lot of butter (and heavy cream).

    But OMG is it good.

    Homemade Indian Butter Chicken

    This is a relatively mild Indian dish, and a great introduction for those who might be apprehensive of strong spices or curry-heavy dishes. In fact, butter chicken doesn't use curry spice at all.

    Instead, it gets it's flavor from garam masala.

    What is garam masala? It's a spice blend made from peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cumin, and coriander.

    Garam masala gives butter chicken a deep, sweet and savory note that is perfect for a cold winter's night.

    The process of making Butter Chicken requires two steps:

    1. Overnight marinating of the chicken in yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, and a bunch of spices.
    2. Sautéing the chicken and simmering in a creamy tomato sauce.

    That's it!

    So really, once the chicken is marinated, it takes less than 30 minutes to throw together this meal. Just brown the chicken, melt in some butter, stir in tomato sauce and spices, and finish with heavy cream.

    Bravo.

    Get ready to enjoy a new family favorite!

    Creamy Indian Butter Chicken and Rice

    Recipe

    Creamy Indian Butter Chicken

    5 from 1 vote
    Print
    Prep15 minutes mins
    Cook30 minutes mins
    Total45 minutes mins
    Servings: 4
    (Toggle ON to prevent your screen from going dark)

    Ingredients 

    • 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
    • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
    • Juice of ½ lemon
    • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
    • 4 cloves minced garlic
    • ½ tablespoon ground turmeric
    • 2 tablespoons garam masala
    • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
    • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
    • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil + 2 tablespoons for cooking
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 2 cups white or brown basmati rice
    • ½ cup unsalted butter (4 ounces)
    • 1 cup tomato puree or tomato sauce
    • ½ tablespoon kosher salt
    • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon garam masala
    • ½ cup heavy whipping cream
    • Minced fresh cilantro for garnish, optional

    Instructions

    • Place the cubed chicken in a large dish or ziplock bag. Add the yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, turmeric, 2 tablespoons garam masala, cumin, coriander, ¼ cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Use your hands to toss the chicken and coat evenly with the marinade. Wash your hands well with soap and warm water, cover the dish or close the bag and place the chicken mixture in the fridge to marinate overnight.
    • The next day, when you're ready to make dinner, put the rice in a rice cooker or saucepan and cover with 4 cups of water. Cook in the rice cooker or according to package directions on the stove while you prepare the chicken.
    • Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown on all sides and cooked through, about 12 minutes. Note: Exact time will vary based on the strength of your stove & size and thickness of your pan. Cook the chicken until it is golden, no matter how long it takes, since this is where the base flavor of the dish is developed.
    • When the chicken is golden, reduce the heat to low and add the butter. Cook, stirring constantly, until the butter is melted but not browned. Add the tomato puree, salt, and sugar and stir to combine. Let simmer for 5 minutes until warmed. Turn down the heat and stir in the heavy cream and garam masala. Cook on low until warm. Serve right away over rice and sprinkled with cilantro, if desired.

    Helpful Tips:

    *Requires overnight marinade.
    Tried this recipe?Mention or tag @happilyfromscratch !
    Don't miss the goodies I share ONLY with my subscribers!

    Sign up to get recipes, wellness tips, and exclusive offers sent directly to your inbox each week.

    « Chard and Veggie Saute
    Green Posole with Shredded Chicken »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Jeff A

      September 17, 2017 at 3:51 pm

      Erica,
      Just made my marinade and have my chicken marinating in the fridge for tomorrow. When you say to "add the chicken to the pan and cook," I assume you mean along with the marinade substance, too, right? You're not picking the individual chicken pieces out of the marinade and then discarding the leftover marinade sauce are you?
      Thanks. This looks great. I look forward to reporting back.
      Jeff

      Reply
      • Erica Julson

        September 17, 2017 at 5:15 pm

        Oooo good question! I used my hands to pull the chicken out of the bag and cooked it with whatever marinade was stuck to it. If there's any marinade left in the bag after I've taken out all the chicken, I toss it!

        Reply
        • Jeff A

          September 17, 2017 at 5:49 pm

          Great - thank you! I have an awful lot of sauce leftover. I think I may use a bit more than what transfers with the chicken, but not all of it. It has such an vibrant color and creamy feel to it I hate to throw it out!

          Reply
    2. tanya

      January 17, 2017 at 5:45 pm

      if there is one suggestion I could make, try adding dried fenugreek leaves to the dish just before serving. It really adds the familiar flavour that youd find in a restaurant. 🙂

      Reply
      • Erica Julson

        January 19, 2017 at 6:35 pm

        Great suggestion! I'll try that next time 🙂

        Reply
    3. Jeff

      January 12, 2017 at 10:57 am

      I absolutely love this dish and so do my kids. I'm going to try your version. BTW do you shoot with natural light or lighting setup?

      Reply
      • Erica Julson

        January 13, 2017 at 9:00 pm

        Thanks! I agree- it's sooooo good! I shoot with both natural & artificial light 🙂 This one was artificial though. It just depends on when I'm cooking / what the weather is like! I use the simple Cowboy Studio lighting kit from Amazon & edit w. Lightroom.

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Erica Julson Profile Picture

    Hi, I'm Erica! Food & wellness lover, cooking enthusiast, and registered dietitian nutritionist. 

    My mission is to help you reclaim the joy of cooking at home by providing you with jaw-droppingly delicious recipes you'll want to make again and again.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Tomato, Zucchini, and Squash Gratin
      Tomato, Zucchini, and Summer Squash Gratin
    • Pasta with Sausage and Fennel Fronds
    • Pappardelle with Brown Butter Sage Sauce
    • Farro Salad with Butternut Squash

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright 2025 The Unconventional RD LLC

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.