If you’ve never experienced the bold, incredible flavors of Butter Chicken, then boy, are you in for a treat! My husband loves Indian food, and this butter chicken recipe is a favorite in our household. This Indian-inspired recipe includes marinated tender chicken, lots of warm spices, and an irresistible sauce. It’s definitely a great budget-friendly recipe if you’re looking to switch things up for dinner this week!

Overhead view of a homemade butter chicken in a cast iron skillet.

Easy Butter Chicken Recipe

Of course, there are many versions of butter chicken recipes, but today, I’m sharing one that my family and I love. Like our chicken tikka masala, it’s certainly not an authentic recipe, but it’s made with easy-to-find pantry staples I almost always have on hand. I marinate the chicken with Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, and lots of spices to make it extra tender and flavorful, then simmer it all in a buttery, spiced tomato cream sauce. It’s a total weeknight winner in my house and always satisfies our takeout cravings!

Overhead view of a homemade butter chicken in a cast iron skillet.

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Butter Chicken

This homemade Butter Chicken recipe is rich, creamy, mild, and full of warm spices. Perfect for an easy weeknight dinner for the whole family! Course Main CourseCuisine IndianTotal Cost $10.91 recipe / $2.72 serving Prep Time 10 minutes minutesCook Time 25 minutes minutesMarinate Time 1 hour hourTotal Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes Servings 4 servings Calories 468kcal Author Marsha McDougal

Equipment

  • Large Bowl
  • Large Cast Iron Skillet

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lb.)* $6.25
  • ½ cup Greek yogurt $0.74
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice $0.58
  • 1 tsp grated fresh ginger $0.10
  • 2 garlic cloves, pressed $0.08
  • 2 tsp garam masala $0.20
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika $0.05
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder $0.05
  • ¾ tsp salt $0.03

Butter Chicken

  • 2 Tbsp cooking oil $0.08
  • 3 Tbsp butter $0.37
  • 1 yellow onion, finely diced $0.48
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced $0.08
  • 1 tsp grated fresh ginger $0.10
  • 2 tsp garam masala $0.20
  • ½ tsp ground cumin $0.05
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika $0.05
  • ½ tsp salt $0.02
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder $0.05
  • 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce** $1.00
  • ¼ cup water $0.00
  • ⅓ cup heavy cream, room temperature $0.35

Instructions

  • Cut the chicken breasts up into small ½ inch pieces. Then, in a large bowl, combine the marinade ingredients (Greek yogurt, lemon juice, grated ginger, garlic, garam masala, smoked paprika, turmeric, and salt). Mix the marinade ingredients together until well combined.
  • Add the cut chicken pieces to the marinade and mix, making sure all of the chicken is coated evenly. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight. Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator 10 minutes before you are ready to cook.
  • Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the cooking oil. Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned on all sides and cooked through. It may be difficult to see the brown color due to the marinade, but it should only take approximately 8-10 minutes to cook the chicken on all sides.
  • Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the skillet to a separate plate. Cover with foil and set aside.
  • Reduce the heat to medium, then in the same skillet, add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the diced onion. Sauté the onion for about 4 minutes.
  • Now add in the minced garlic, grated ginger, and the rest of the spices (garam masala, ground cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and turmeric powder). Stir together and cook for 1 minute.
  • Next, add in the tomato sauce and water. Stir and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer the sauce for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Once the tomato sauce has simmered, add the room temperature heavy cream to the sauce and stir to combine.
  • Add the cooked chicken back to the skillet and stir to combine with the sauce. Simmer the sauce and chicken for 2-3 minutes. Finally, garnish with chopped cilantro, serve hot with cooked rice or naan bread (all optional), and enjoy!

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. **Tomato sauce in the US is just cooked and pureed tomatoes with minimal added seasonings. The closest alternative would be passata in other countries. You can also swap the tomato sauce for canned diced tomatoes. If you’re using diced tomatoes instead of tomato sauce, you will need to blend the tomatoes and spices in a blender or food processor to get a smooth consistency for your sauce. The blender step is not needed if you are simply using tomato sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 468kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 28g | Sodium: 1515mg | Fiber: 3g

how to make Butter Chicken step-by-step photos

Ingredients for butter chicken.

Gather all of your ingredients.

Diced chicken breast on a meat preparation mat.

Cut the chicken: Slice 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lb.) into small ½-inch pieces. Try to cut them evenly so they cook through at the same rate later on.

Greek yogurt and spices in a mixing bowl to make a marinade for butter chicken.

Make the marinade: Add ½ cup Greek yogurt, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp grated fresh ginger, 2 pressed garlic cloves, 2 tsp garam masala, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp turmeric, and ¾ tsp salt to a large mixing bowl. Mix well to combine.

Diced chicken breast marinating in a bowl of butter chicken marinade.

Marinate the chicken: Now add your diced chicken to the marinade mixture. Combine so each piece of chicken is well covered in the marinade. Place the bowl into the fridge for at least 1 hour. Once the chicken has marinated, remove the bowl from the fridge 10 minutes before you’re ready to cook.

Marinated chicken breast cooking in a cast iron skillet.

Cook the chicken: Place a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and pour in 2 Tbsp cooking oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and cook until lightly browned and cooked all the way through. (It can be tricky to see any browning due to the marinade, but it only took me approximately 8-10 minutes to cook the chicken on all sides). Remove the chicken from the skillet and place it on a separate plate. Cover the plate with foil and set aside.

Diced onion cooking in melted butter in a cast iron skillet.

Make the butter sauce: Turn the heat down to medium and add 3 Tbsp butter to the same skillet you cooked the chicken in. When the butter is melted and bubbly, add 1 diced yellow onion and sauté for about 4 minutes. Be sure to scrape up any stuck-on bits from the bottom of the skillet as the onion cooks!

Butter chicken seasonings and pressed garlic in a skillet with satueed diced onion.

Add 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp grated fresh ginger, 2 tsp garam masala, ½ tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp turmeric powder to the sautéed onion. Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute to bloom the spices.

Tomato sauce being poured into spiced sautéed onions in a skillet.

Now, pour in 1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce and ¼ cup water into the skillet and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 7-8 minutes. Be sure to stir the sauce occasionally as it simmers.

Heavy cream being added to a skillet to make a homemade butter chicken sauce.

Now add in ⅓ cup room-temperature heavy cream and combine.

Marinated and cooked diced chicken breast added to butter chicken sauce in a skillet.

Assemble the butter chicken: Add the cooked chicken back to your skillet and mix to combine it with the sauce. Simmer everything together for 2-3 minutes.

Finished butter chicken recipe in a cast iron skillet.

Serve: Sprinkle over some freshly chopped cilantro (optional) and serve with your favorite sides! Enjoy.

Overhead view off a plate of butter chicken and rice.