Butter Chicken | The Recipe Critic

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By Alex

• Aug 03, 2026 • 0 Comments •

4.2

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

45 mins

Servings

4 People

If you’ve never had Butter Chicken, you’re in for a treat! This classic Indian dish takes chicken thighs and simmers them in a creamy tomato sauce packed with spices until the chicken is irresistibly tender. Serve over steamed jasmine rice and serve with warm naan bread!

If you love butter chicken, don’t miss out on our Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala, this Coconut Curry Soup, or these Thai Chicken Skewers.

Classic Butter Chicken

If you’re a fan of Indian food, then chances are you’ve had classic Butter Chicken before. And if you have, chances are even higher that you have become a cult follower much like myself. If you’re not familiar, Butter Chicken is a classic Indian dish consisting of chicken thighs simmered in a creamy tomato sauce until the chicken is super tender and infused with the most delicious, creamy spice-infused tomato sauce.

If you’re a novice to the Indian food game, the spice the spice list we use may be unfamiliar to you, but don’t worry, because these days, you can find all of them at pretty much any grocery store. Garam masala is the dominant spice used in butter chicken (we will talk about the other spices below), and it has the most wonderful curry-like taste to it. It’s packed with spices, but it’s not “hot” spicy, in it you’ll find notes of coriander, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, and pepper. It’s quite heavenly.

Spices in Butter Chicken:

Garam masala. We talked about garam masala up above, but the full list of ingredients includes cinnamon, mace, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and cardamon pods. So if you don’t have any of the spices below, you can always double up on the garam masala instead.
Cumin. Ground cumin adds a nice smoky note to the butter chicken.
Fenugreek. While this ingredient is definitely optional if you can’t find it, it does add a lovely savory element to the butter chicken.
Coriander. Ground coriander is actually the seed version of cilantro, so it has a similar flavor profile to it. I find that ground coriander is a little more smoky in flavor and love the way it compliments ground cumin.
Tumeric. If you’ve never used turmeric before, now is a great time to start. This vibrant orange spice give dishes a lovely yellow hue and has a nice warm ginger-like flavor to it.
Brown sugar. To balance out all those spices, you need a little bit of sweetness and brown sugar is my sugar of choice.

Ingredients in Butter Chicken:

Chicken. Classic butter chicken is made with chicken thighs. Chicken thighs are a lot more flavorful than chicken breasts and they can hold up to a long-simmered sauce. Unlike chicken breasts, chicken thighs become super tender and shred really well when they’ve cooked for a semi-long period of time.
Yogurt. Whole-milk yogurt is a classic ingredient in a lot of Indian dishes. Here, we use it to marinate the chicken, since it helps to tenderize it in the process.
Garlic, onion, and ginger. I mean, is any dish complete without a little garlic and onion?
Crushed tomatoes. You could also use whole tomatoes and crush them yourself, but buying them pureed already is such a time-saver.
Lemon juice. I love the acidic bright flavor lemons adds to butter chicken, it’s a must!
Heavy cream. A classic component of butter chicken is the cream sauce, and to achieve that, we use a good amount of heavy cream. It’s what makes butter chicken so luxurious.

Let’s make Butter Chicken!

Marinate the chicken. Marinating is a really important part of making butter chicken.Here’s what we do: Add chicken to a large plastic baggie. Add in yogurt, garam masala, cumin, tumeric, garlic cloves, ginger, and salt. Zip the bag shut and massage marinade into the chicken. Marinate for at least three hours, but no longer than 12. I find that you don’t need to marinate the chicken much longer than a few hours, but of course, if you’re prepping ahead of time, you can do it further in advance.
Cook the chicken. Heat a large non-stick or cast-iron skillet to a medium-high heat. Add a little bit of olive oil and then sear the chicken. Sear for 3-4 minutes until brown and crusty, flip over and do the same on the other side.
Make the sauce. Once the chicken is brown, remove from the pan. Turn the heat down to medium and add more olive oil, onions and garlic. Sauté until slightly softened. Stir in tomato sauce, remaining garam masala, remaining cumin, remaining salt, and tumeric, fungeek, coriander, lemon juice, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add the chicken back to the pan and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.
Finish it off! Stir in the cream. Simmer another 2-3 minutes. Serve over rice with naan.

Substitutions and Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success

Make sure to get all the excess marinade off before searing the chicken otherwise, the bottom can burn.
If you don’t want to use heavy cream, you can swap out coconut milk or even light coconut milk.
If you’re really not into chicken thighs, you can use chicken breasts, but make sure you don’t overcook them.
Any kind of whole-milk plain yogurt will work, it doesn’t matter if it’s regular or Greek.
To add some sweetness and texture, I love to add in a handful of raisins and cashews. So yummy.
When searing the chicken, don’t try to flip it until it easily releases from the pan.

What to Serve with Butter Chicken:

The classic partners to butter chicken are steamed Jasmine rice and warm naan.
If you want a more substantial side, you could whip up a batch of these super crispy egg rolls.
Cilantro Lime Rice would be a nice update to plain steamed rice and would soak up all that delicious sauce wonderfully.

Can I make Butter Chicken in Advance?

Yes!!! In fact, this is just as good if not better the next day. Just make from start to finish, cool completely and store the chicken and sauce in one container and the rice in another container. Re-heat over a low heat until the chicken is up to temperature.

More Delicious Chicken Recipes to Try:

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Spicy Paprika & Lime Chicken Tenderloins

These Spicy Paprika and Lime Grilled Chicken Tenderloins are a great addition to your BBQ repertoire. Take your taste buds to the Caribbean, Mexico or Spain on a little holiday! Can be cooked outdoors or on a stove. Paleo, Whole30, Keto, gluten-free.

Paprika & Lime Grilled Chicken Tenderloins

Whether you’re heating up the BBQ on a warm summer’s day or you need to give your skillet a bit of a workout, this is a fabulous chicken recipe that I know you will love.

My paprika lime chicken tenderloins are tender and juicy. The spices and citrus used in the marinade will take your taste buds on a little holiday to the Caribbean, Mexico or Spain – your pick!

I used chicken tenderloins because I find the meat more tender than the rest of the chicken breast and it’s easier to work with than the chicken thighs. You can use any chicken meat you like, just adjust the cooking time depending on the size of the pieces. This marinade will also work well with turkey, pork, quail, prawns and even beef.

What Are Chicken Tenderloins?

Still confused about what chicken tenderloins are? They are short, thin cuts taken from beneath the breast of the bird. You might find that some grocers will sell thinner slices of breast meat and call it chicken tenderloins or tender. They tend to be softer than chicken breast when cooked BUT should not be overcooked, they don’t need as long as the chicken breast.

Nutritionally speaking, they are the same as chicken breast meat – high in protein, minerals, low in calories and fat.

Make-Ahead Tip For Paprika Lime Chicken

The chicken tenderloins can be marinated ahead of time for an even more robust flavour; keep uncooked in the fridge for maximum of 3 days and freeze for up to 2 months and simply defrost overnight in the fridge before you want to use it.

More Delicious Chicken Recipes:

Description

Grilled paprika and lime grilled chicken tenderloins are great with any side dish and can be used in salads, tacos, and wraps. Can be cooked outdoors or on a stove.

Mix the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Rinse the chicken and cut larger pieces in half.
Using your hands, rub the chicken with the marinade. Leave in the bowl, wrap with cling wrap and set aside in the fridge for at least one hour before grilling.
If using a grill plate or a skillet on your stove, heat one teaspoon of coconut oil until sizzling hot. Fry the chicken pieces for 4 minutes on each side and then remove to a plate to rest. Make sure not to overcrowd the frying pan or you will end up with too much meat juice and stewed rather than grilled chicken.
If using a BBQ, heat the plate to sizzling hot and either spray with olive oil or brush with coconut oil. Place chicken pieces on the plate with a little space in between and cook for 4 minutes on each side on medium/high heat with the lid on.
Remove cooked chicken to a serving plate and drizzle with lime juice before serving.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 2-3 tenderloins
Calories: 331
Sugar: 1 g
Sodium: 783.6 mg
Fat: 16.4 g
Carbohydrates: 4.4 g
Fiber: 1.3 g
Protein: 41.3 g
Cholesterol: 131.4 mg

Keywords: Tenderloins, Chicken, Paprika, Lime, BBQ, Grilling, Low-Carb, Paleo, Whole30