Butter Chicken
Try this authentic Butter Chicken recipe. Juicy tender chicken in a flavorful, creamy tomato-based sauce! It can also be made in an instant pot. Serve it with naan or roti to mope up its rich and delicious sauce!
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 35 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1.3 pounds boneless skinless chicken
- ½ salt (or to taste)
- ½ lemon
- ¾ cup natural yogurt
- 1 small brown onion (chopped)
- 1 clove garlic (peeled)
- ½ inch ginger (peeled)
- 1 fresh chili
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon orange food coloring (optional)
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste/ puree
- 1 cup water
- 4 ounces salted butter
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt (or according to taste)
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves and extra for garnish.
- 1 fresh green chili (finely chopped)
- 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice. About ½ lemon
- 1 cup single cream
Instructions
- 1
For the chicken:
- 2
Prepare the chicken. Add the lemon juice and salt to it. Stir well. You can pierce the poultry with a fork or a skewer. This little trick can help the chicken to absorb the flavor later.
- 3
Put the chopped onion, garlic, garlic, chili, garam masala, and yogurt in a food chopper or food processor. Blitz until everything is blended and you get a smooth mixture.
- 4
Pour the spice mixture into the chicken. Add food coloring if you use it. Mix well and leave the chicken to marinate for at least 20 minutes.
- 5
Arrange the chicken pieces on a baking sheet, then bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 400°F/ 200°C or until the chicken is cooked through.
- 6
For the masala sauce:
- 7
Mix the tomato paste and a cup of water in a jug until you get a smooth tomato mixture.
- 8
Add the ginger,
- 9
Add the grated ginger, garam masala, ground cumin, salt, sugar, Kashmiri red chili powder, chopped cilantro, chopped chili, lemon juice, and cream. Mix well until all is combined and you get a smooth, creamy consistency.
- 10
Heat the butter in a large frying pan until it melts.
- 11
Pour the spicy tomato mixture over the butter and cook at medium heat as you keep stirring. Bring it to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.
- 12
Add the chicken pieces to the sauce. But don’t include the chicken juice from the roasting.
- 13
Simmer and stir the chicken in the sauce for 3-5 minutes or until the fat slightly separates from the edges.
- 14
Serve the chicken with sauce spooned over it.