Go Back
–+ servings
A copper curry bowl filled with butter chicken on a marble bench top with a bowl of rice, poppadoms and coriander leaves.
Print Recipe
4.69 from 19 votes

Butter Chicken

This is an easy homemade butter chicken recipe, it is so tasty and has a little hack to add some extra veggies to everyone's dish.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Family Dinner Ideas
Cuisine: New Zealand
Keyword: butter chicken, butter chicken recipe, butter chicken sauce, butter chicken nz
Diet: Gluten free
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 354kcal
Author: Stacey

Ingredients

Marinade

  • ½ cup yogurt 140 grams
  • 1 Tablespoon minced ginger
  • 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 Tablepsoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon chilli powder This can be increased to ½ a teaspoon or one teaspoon depending on your prerernce for heat.
  • 800 grams chicken thighs (skinless boneless)

Curry

  • 1 onion grated
  • 1 carrot grated
  • 3 Tablespoons butter or ghee
  • 1 cup tomato puree 277g
  • 1 cup cream
  • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar

Instructions

Marinade

  • If you have the time to marinade the chicken overnight that's ideal, but as long as you have is fine a few hours or even 20 minutes is ok.
  • In a large mixing bowl or container (large enough to hold the chicken) mix together the marinade ingredients.
  • Dice the chicken thighs then cover in the narinade. Refrigerate.

Curry

  • Grate the onion and carrot
  • Heat the butter or ghee in a large frying pan. Sautee the onion and carrot.
  • Add the marinated chicken and cook until the chicken is sealed. (Don't discard any leftover marinade).
  • Once the chicken is sealed add the remaining ingredients; tomato puree, cream, brown sugar and any of the left over marinade. Reduce the heat until your curry is just simmering. Simmer for 30 mins.
  • Season your curry with salt.
  • Serve with steamed basmati rice.

Notes

  • Season at the end with salt
  • Serve your curry with fun sides, naan, poppadoms, and pickled vegetables such as pickled carrots or pickled cucumbers.
  • I love a little coriander/cilantro with my curry but this herb can be a bit divisive so have it on the table for people to add as a garnish.
  • Greek Yogurt: If you would like for your butter chicken sauce to be dairy-free you can substitute this for coconut yogurt or leave it out entirely. The yogurt does help with keeping the chicken tender but is not absolutely necessary.
  • Chilli powder: This can be increased or decreased depending on your love of spice. Your curry will still be full of flavor even if you leave it out.
  • Chicken thighs: I prefer chicken thighs in this recipe but these can be substituted for skinless chicken breasts. I typically buy boneless skinless chicken thighs but somehow made a mistake, I deboned the thighs before making my curry sauce.
  • Butter or ghee: This can be substituted for coconut oil or another mild-flavoured oil.
  • Tomato puree: This is sometimes called passata. You can use a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste if you don't have tomato puree.
  • Cream: This can be substituted for coconut cream if you would prefer.
  • Minced garlic: 2-3 garlic cloves minced

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 354kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 169mg | Potassium: 684mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2614IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 2mg