Seriously tasty, this super easy Indian curry chicken recipe consists of deeply marinated chicken in an incredibly creamy tomato-based curry sauce. This is Butter Chicken at its best and its I-Can't-Stop-Tasting-It Good!

What is Butter Chicken?
Butter Chicken is a fragrant Indian curry chicken consisting of juicy, deeply marinated pieces of chicken in a creamy, sweet and mildly spicy tomato based sauce. Similar to Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken is one of the most popular curries ordered in Indian restaurants all over the world.

Why make this Butter Chicken recipe?
- Very easy to make
- Ready in under an hour
- Easy to find ingredients
- BIG FLAVORS
Why is this dish called Butter Chicken?
Butter Chicken or Mugh Makahani in Hindi, is one of the most popular dishes in Indian cuisine. Its creamy, mildly spicy tomato based sauce is ridiculously addictive making it an internationally loved delicacy. This is one of the best chicken curry recipes ever invented!
Butter Chicken is said to have originated in Delhi in the 1950s. During this time, Kundan Lal Gurjal, operated a restaurant called Moti Mahal. According to the story, the cooks of Moti Mahal combined the leftover marinade juices with butter and tomato and then stewed tandoor cooked chicken in it. Over the years, the dish became was a cross-continental hit.
Ingredients for this Indian Chicken Curry Recipe
This dish gets its unique flavor through a unique combination of ingredients which once cooked, results in an incredibly tender chicken combined with an addictive, hard-to-resist sauce. There are two parts to the ingredients - the first is the ingredients of the marinade, the second the ingredients for the sauce. All the ingredients should be easily available at your local grocery store.
Marinade

The ingredients for the marinade include full fat yoghurt, lemon juice, crushed or minced garlic and ginger, powdered spices like turmeric, cumin, red chilli and garam masala and melted ghee.
- Yoghurt is traditionally used to marinate chicken in India. Yoghurt infuses meat with a delicious, tangy flavor, and also tenderizes it more gently and effectively than regular acidic vinegar or citrus based marinades.
- I like using a little lemon juice to help loosen the yoghurt and also infuse the meat with a subtle citrusy flavor.
- In addition to adding flavor, fresh ginger also acts as a meat tenderizer. Ginger is full of a powerful enzyme called zingibain which breaks down protein and really helps make the meat fork tender.
- Garlic is probably one of the most prominent ingredients in Indian curries and in addition to adding its signature flavor it also has several medicinal benefits.
- Traditional Indian spices like turmeric, ground cumin and red chili powder are used in this recipe. The turmeric can be omitted if you prefer not to use it. The turmeric does not really add to the taste - however it does add a golden color to the chicken and also has many health benefits. Reduce the red chili powder to ½ teaspoon or substitute with paprika for less heat.
- Garam Masala is a blend of ground spices which is widely used in Indian cuisine. Garam masala is made first by toasting whole spices like cinnamon, cardamom, peppercorns, cloves, cumin seeds and coriander seeds to release their aromatic flavors. The toasted whole spices are then ground into a powder. In a pinch, you can use cinnamon powder instead of garam masala.
- Adding the ghee to the marinade helps carry fat soluble flavors to the meat. If you don't have ghee don't worry - it is very easy to make. Just take a stick of butter and simmer until all the moisture has evaporated and fat proteins form at the bottom of the pan - about 20 minutes If you are looking for a non-dairy option, you can easily substitute the ghee with vegetable oil (e.g., corn, canola), olive oil or coconut oil.
- You can use either chicken breast or skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. The chicken needs to be cut into small bite size pieces.
Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) Sauce
Several ingredients in the marinade are repeated in the sauce with the exception of heavy cream and pureed tomato sauce, onion, sugar and cilantro

- The tomato puree is the primary base for the sauce. If you decide to substitute whole tomatoes, chop them into the small pieces before simmering it in the spices.
- Heavy cream is traditionally used in this recipe but if you are looking for a non-dairy option, use coconut milk instead. I often substitute coconut milk for the heavy cream because I love the taste of the resulting creamy coconut chicken curry. You can also use evaporated milk or half and half as a lower calorie option.
- In this recipe, a little fresh cilantro is used for garnish. Cilantro is traditionally used in Indian curry chicken dishes like this, however chopped parsley or scallion will work as well.
- If you do not have garam masala for the sauce you can substitute 1-2 one inch cinnamon sticks instead.
- You can increase or decrease the spice level of this dish by adjusting the amount of red chili powder.
- A little sugar and acid like lemon juice helps really round up and brighten the flavors. I use white sugar in this recipe but you can easily substitute with brown sugar or your favorite sweetener.
How to make Homemade Butter Chicken
You can make Butter Chicken in literally 3 simple steps:
Step One: Marinate the chicken

- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the chicken marinade except the chicken and mix well. Add the chicken and miss, making sure the chicken is well covered. If time permits, cover the bowl and put in the fridge to marinade for at least a half hour. For optimal results marinate the chicken overnight.
Step Two: Fry the marinated chicken

- Heat the ghee over moderate heat in a large skillet. When the oil is hot, take the chicken out of the marinade, shake off any excess marinade and fry the chicken in small batches so that the chicken is cooked about 80% through (about 3 minutes). Put the fried chicken pieces into a bowl for later. While frying, do not wipe off the marinade. Also, discard the leftover marinade in the bowl.
Step Three: Create the Sauce & Cook the Butter Chicken




- Continuing on medium heat, add the vegetable oil to the same frying pan that the chicken was fried in. Add the onions and sauté until transparent. Add the garlic, ginger, red chili powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, salt and sugar and a cup of water. Fry until you see the spices separate from the oil 2-3 minutes. If the spices look too dry while cooking feel free to add up to a cup of water.
- Add the fried chicken (including any juices in the bowl), pureed tomatoes and cream. Turn down the heat to low and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt, sugar or lemon juice as needed.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro, ghee and a little cream. Enjoy!
How do I make the sauce even more smooth?
This recipe will contain bits of onion which I love because it really adds to the texture. However if you prefer a very smooth sauce, simply blend the sauce before adding the chicken.
How do I make this Indian Curry Chicken more buttery and fragrant?
This recipe has been simplified to reduce the ingredients and make it less caloric. If you wanted to make this chicken very fragrant use ghee instead of vegetable oil. Instead of garam masala, fry 1 stick of cinnamon, 5 smashed cardamom pods, 5 cloves and 5 peppercorns in the ghee with the onion. If blending the sauce, do not blend these - add them in later when simmering with the chicken. Remove these spices prior to serving.
Make ahead tips
The dish can be made up to two days ahead. Allow it to cool completely then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Leftovers
One of the best things about this delicious recipe which is actually better the next day. The additional time helps the flavors deepen and intensify.
How many calories are in Butter Chicken?
This Butter Chicken recipe has 367 calories with 10.1g of carbohydrates, 20.2g of fat and 35.2g of protein.
This recipe yields approximately 8 servings. The nutrition information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator and is intended for informational purposes only and should be used as a general guideline. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should independently verify it using your preferred tool.
What to serve with Indian Curry Chicken
This Indian curry chicken is perfect over piping hot white rice, plain basmati rice and of course naan bread. The Butter Chicken also works very well with plain fresh salads as a dressing is not really required because of the delicious curry gravy! This is also a great recipe that works really well with Roti, Quick Homemade Bread, tandoori roti and naan.
Indian Chicken Curry Recipe - Butter Chicken (Murgh Kari)
Ingredients
Chicken and Marinade
- 2 pounds chicken skinless chicken thighs or breasts cut into bite size pieces
- ½ cup yogurt plain, full fat
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon red chili powder to taste
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoon ghee melted
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) Sauce
- 4 tablespoon ghee
- 2 onions sliced
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- ½ tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 cup water as needed
- 2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 2 teaspoon red chili powder
- 2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- 15 oz. tomato sauce canned, pureed
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon sugar or sweetener to taste, optional
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice to taste, optional
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves sliced for garnish, optional
Instructions
Marinate the chicken
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the chicken marinade except the chicken and mix well. Add the chicken and miss, making sure the chicken is well covered. If time permits, cover the bowl and marinate the chicken in the fridge for at least a half hour. For optimal results, marinate the chicken overnight.
Fry the marinated chicken
- Heat the ghee over moderate heat in a large skillet. When the oil is hot, take the chicken out of the marinade, shake off any excess marinade and fry the chicken in small batches so that the chicken is cooked about 80% through (about 3 minutes). Put the fried chicken pieces into a bowl for later. While frying, do not wipe off the marinade. Also, discard the leftover marinade in the bowl.
Create the sauce and cook the butter chicken
- Continuing on medium heat, add the vegetable oil to the same frying pan that the chicken was fried in. Add the onions and sauté until transparent. Add the garlic, ginger, red chili powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, salt and sugar and a cup of water. Fry until you see the spices separate from the oil 2-3 minutes. If the spices look too dry while cooking feel free to add up to a cup of water.
- Add the fried chicken (including any juices in the bowl), pureed tomatoes and cream. Turn down the heat to low and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt, sugar and lemon juice as needed.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro, ghee and a little cream. Enjoy!
Jane E Smith
I've made curry with packaged mixes before. My daughter and I enjoyed it. We moved to the South from Southern CA and really missed the variety of cuisines there. I looked for this recipe in several places and found yours. It's wonderful. I followed it line by line. We liked it so much that I made two more batches to freeze. Thank you! I can't wait to try more recipes.
Lima
Thank you so much Jane! Thrilled that you like it!
Meenakshi Thakur
Made this for dinner last night.. it was an absolute hit. thanks fro the recipe.
Lima
So glad you liked it!
Mairead
I love Indian recipes and butter chicken is one of my favorite dishes. Thank you for such a detailed recipe. I will be adding this dish to my to make list.
Lima
Wonderful - let me know how it goes!
Farah Abumaizar
This curry looks like exactly the type I'd want to know how to make at home, and you make it seem so simple! Thanks so much for the great recipe, can't wait to try it!
Lima
Awesome! Thank you for dropping by Farah!
Elizabeth
My family absolutely loved the flavors in this recipe! So delicious! We’ll definitely be making it again!
Lima
Wonderful!
Tara
One of my favorites! Your Murgh Kari looks absolutely amazing. I love the addition of all those spices. Such a flavorful meal.
Lima
Thank you Tara!
Carrie Robinson
This is one of my absolute favorite Indian dishes! Can't wait to try your recipe soon. 🙂
Lima
Awesome - please let me know how it goes!
Elizabeth
This curry is packed with flavor and the recipe was so easy to follow! I’ll definitely be making this again!
Lima
Delighted to hear it! Thank you so much!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
Love all the ingredients, can’t wait to try this! It looks so delicious and easy!
Lima
Awesome!! Please let me know if you try it.
Toni
This is so comforting! Quickly become a favorite meal at my house!
Lima
Awesome!
Gina
One of my favorite Indian dishes but I'd never tried it at home until this recipe - so good!
Lima
Wonderful! Thank you!
Alison
Butter chicken is one of my husband's favorite things to order when we go out for Indian food. I made this version for him, and he said it was the best he ever tasted. Thanks for a great recipe!
Lima
Awesome! Thank you so much!
Ali - We Made This Vegan
My husband loves a curry and I've been looking for a recipe with lovely fresh ingredients and still low in calories - this is perfect, thank you!
Lima
Thrilled to hear that - let me know how it goes.
Amanda Dixon
This curry was fabulous! It didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would, and I pretty much had all the ingredients on hand. So good!
Lima
Thank you so much!
Sara Welch
Served this for dinner last night and it did not disappoint! Perfectly hearty and bold; my whole family loved it!
Lima
Thank you so much!
Michaela
This butter chicken/ curry chicken looks and sounds absolutely amazing! I can't wait to make it!
Lima
Please let me know how it goes!