This Butter Chicken Recipe is so easy and so delicious.  It’s the perfect weeknight meal. Better than take out, you’ll love making this Indian Butter Chicken at home!

I am so proud to be an ambassador for Gold’n Plump^® this year.

You guys, the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is a real thing, like a super real thing, and I keep thinking about all these great holiday recipes I want to make for you. But for real, we need some regular go-to dinner recipes still.  We can’t just have sugar cookies for dinner every night … right?

We are such huge fans of Indian cooking around here, the flavors and spices are always so perfect.  Nathan and I love getting chicken dishes, especially the ones that come with a lot of sauce that we can eat with rice and warm pieces of naan. The saucier the recipe, the better.  The biggest problem is that our favorite Indian restaurant is super far away and a hassle to get take out from.  So, an easy butter chicken recipe I can make at home is pretty much essential.

Like every other chicken recipe I make at home, I used Gold’n Plump Chicken.  Their chicken is always my go-to.  I find it stays moist and tender and doesn’t dry out.  I also love that their chickens are raised on family farms in the Midwest and they never use antibiotics – ever. As expected, their boneless skinless chicken breast fillets worked perfectly in this butter chicken.

HOW TO MAKE BUTTER CHICKEN

1. One of the keys to this recipe is to really let the onions cook down first before you add anything else.  Allowing them to cook by themselves keeps the chicken from over cooking and keeps the ginger and garlic from burning.
2. After you cook the onions, add your butter, ginger, garlic and Gold’n Plump chicken breasts.
3. From there, you add in the garam masala, chili powder, salt and black pepper.
4. After that, you stir in tomato puree, tomato paste, lemon juice, yogurt and half and half. You let the sauce cook down, but it will still be nice and saucy at the end, giving you lots of great sauce to eat with your chicken, rice and naan.

BUTTER CHICKEN WITHOUT CREAM

A lot of Butter Chicken recipes call for cream, but I opted out in this version.  Instead I used yogurt and half and half, which give you the nice creaminess you are looking for without the heavy cream.

WHAT IS GARAM MASALA?

Garam masala is a spice blend that is used in a lot of traditional Indian cooking.  It gives the recipe a little bit of a kick and a delicious signature flavor that really can’t be found using anything else.

WHAT CAN I USE INSTEAD OF GARAM MASALA?

I would really encourage you to go out and buy some Garam Masala for this recipe. Without it, the dish won’t have the same flavor.  If you can’t find it at your grocery store, you can certainly look for a recipe that will help you make just a small amount. But to really enjoy this creamy butter chicken recipe, throw in some garam masala!

IS BUTTER CHICKEN SPICY?

I didn’t think this dish was spicy, but my kids thought it had a little bit of a kick to it. If you wanted to cut down on the spice, I would cut the Garam Masala in half. It will change the flavor of the dish, but it will still be delicious. 

OTHER WEEKNIGHT CHICKEN RECIPES

Because I know you guys are like me and you are constantly on the hunt for other great chicken recipes, I can’t just leave you with this Butter Chicken Recipe and sugar cookies to live on until Christmas. (We agreed sugar cookies for dinner isn’t a thing … right?)

• This Bourbon Chicken is another tasty, easy dinner that family will love.
• These Slow Cooker Honey BBQ Chicken Drumsticks are perfect for the holiday season because they only require a few ingredients AND are made in the slow cooker!
• This Chicken Noodle Casserole is always a classic, and my version can be made the night before!
• These Baked Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs are AMAZING! My family loves them.

For more amazing chicken recipes, make sure to follow Gold’n Plump on social media! You can find them on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Butter Chicken Recipe

This Butter Chicken Recipe is so easy and so delicious. It's the perfect weeknight meal. Better than take out, you'lll love making this Indian Butter Chicken at home!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: butter chicken recipe

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 401kcal

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion diced small
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 pound Gold'n Plump Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Fillets diced into bit sized pieces
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 ounces tomato puree
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 cup half and half

Instructions

• In a large skillet, heat extra virgin olive oil.  Add diced onions and stir regularly, cooking until the onions are translucent - about four minutes.
• Add the butter and allow it to melt completely.  Then stir in the ginger and garlic, cooking for about 30 seconds to a minute or until fragrant. Be careful not to burn it.
• Add the chicken and cook, stirring often until the chicken is cooked through - about five minutes.
• Now stir in the garam masala, chili powder, salt and black pepper.  Then pour in the tomato puree, tomato paste, lemon juice, yogurt and half and half.  Stir to combine fully.  Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes to allow the sauce to reduce.
• The sauce will reduce but still be quite saucy. Serve with rice and naan.

Nutrition

Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 121mg | Sodium: 435mg | Potassium: 532mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 21% | Vitamin C: 48% | Calcium: 12% | Iron: 12%

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