Butter Chicken
Butter Chicken recipe
🍛Butter Chicken
Butter chicken is a classic North Indian curry built around yoghurt-marinated chicken, tomato, cream, and warming spices. This dish does not rely on heavy heat. Instead, it focuses on balance with gentle spice. It also incorporates natural sweetness from tomato and richness developed through slow simmering.
In this version, the sauce is finished with butter added at the end. This creates a smooth, silky texture. It does so without overpowering the dish. It’s a reliable, crowd-pleasing curry that demonstrates how correct sequencing and temperature control deliver depth of flavour without complexity.
Butter Chicken
Equipment
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Ingredients
Marinade
- 120 grams plain full-fat yoghurt
- 15 grams lemon juice
- 2 grams turmeric powder
- 4 grams garam masala
- 1 grams chilli powder (or to taste)
- 2 grams ground cumin
- 15 grams fresh ginger, finely grated
- 10 grams garlic, crushed
- 750 grams chicken thigh or breast, cut into bite-size pieces
Sauce
- ½ small onion finely diced
- 30 grams ghee or oil
- 250 grams tomato passata
- 250 grams thickened cream
- 2 grams raw sugar or to taste
- 6 grams salt
Finish
- 100 grams butter
Instructions
1️⃣ Marinate the chicken
- Place all marinade ingredients into a bowl.Add the chicken and mix well so everything is evenly coated.Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
2️⃣ Cook the chicken
- Heat the ghee or oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.Add the chicken, letting excess marinade drip back into the bowl(do not wipe the chicken clean).Cook for about 3 minutes, until the chicken turns white all over.
3️⃣ Build the sauce
- Lower the heat.Remove the chicken from the pan on to a tray or plate, put to one sideAdd: the Onion and gently fry for about 5 minutes without browning too much.
- Then add:Tomato passataCreamSugarSaltAny leftover marinade from the bowlStir well.
- Return the chicken to the pan and stir in to the sauce.
4️⃣ Simmer
- Simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the chicken is cooked through.
5️⃣ Finish with butter
- Turn off the heat.Add 100 g butter, stirring gently until fully melted and incorporated.Taste and adjust salt if needed.
Serve
- Serve hot with:Basmati ricePlain riceOptional coriander garnish
Mark’s bench-side notes
- Butter goes in last to keep flavour clean and silkyDon’t boil after adding butterSauce should be rich, smooth, and gently spiced — not sharp
KOOK’S SECRETS
Nutrition
A note from the kook’s kitchen
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