Which is the insanely delicious Indian curry that has fascinated foodies around the world? Without a doubt, I could say, butter chicken. I know, this blog will be incomplete without this fabulous recipe (with a restaurant style upgrade).
Usually, most of the recipes come out really good the very first time I try them, and then I make them again before sharing the recipes with you.
But this one has a completely different story. It has gone through plenty of trails and errors before coming down to this special recipe.
Honestly, the very first butter chicken I made wasabsolutely delicious, but it missed that 'something' I was looking for. I wanted it to be more rich and creamy. So to make the sauce taste amazing, I added two more ingredients to the recipe - yogurt and milk. And they literally made a remarkable difference.
Again, the addition of ground cashew nuts makes it creamier. But feel free to skip it if you're looking for a nut-free version.
This restaurant style butter chicken recipe turned out to be super creamy and bursting with deliciousness. I'd love to enjoy it with fresh homemade naan. How about you?
Before you start making this curry, get all the ingredients. There's nothing new in the list. All are regular ingredients that you use in everyday cooking. If you want to keep the recipe nut free, it's okay to skip them.
First, cook the chicken. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a frying pan, and add chicken. Sprinkle ground fenugreek and 1 teaspoon garam masala on top. Season with salt and pepper. Cook chicken until browned and cooked through. Stir occasionally to make sure all the sides are browned evenly. Set aside.
While the chicken is cooking, you can start making the sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pan. Fry onions until softened.
Add butter, ginger, garlic, bay leaves, ground cumin, garam masala, red chili powder and lemon juice. Fry for 2 minutes.
Add tomato paste. Mix well. Fry for one minute. Add cream, yogurt and milk. Mix well. Bring to the boil. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Add cooked chicken into the sauce. If you are using ground cashew nuts, add them at this stage. Mix well. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve this lip-smacking restaurant style butter chicken with naan or rice.
More Indian authentic recipes:
- Chicken Tikka
- Tandoori Chicken
- Chicken Lollipop
- Chicken Madras
- Chicken Jalfrezi
- Lamb Rogan Josh
- Paneer Butter Masala
- Instant Pot Butter Chicken
Restaurant Style Butter Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 large red or brown onion chopped
- ½ teaspoon minced ginger
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 2 tablespoon butter
- Juice from 1 small lemon
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup cream
- 1 tablespoon natural yogurt
- ¼ cup milk
- 500 g boneless chicken cut into cubes (I used thigh fillet)
- ¼ teaspoon ground fenugreek
- 6 - 8 cashew nuts ground (optional)
- Coriander leaves to garnish
- Naan, or basmati rice to serve
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add chicken. Sprinkle with ground fenugreek and 1 teaspoon garam masala. Season with salt and pepper. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 6-10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add bay leaves and onions, and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add ginger, garlic, ground cumin, 1 teaspoon garam masala, red chilli powder, butter and lemon juice. Saute, stirring, for 2 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, and cook, stirring, for a minute. Add cream, yogurt and milk. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 3-4 mins.
- Stir cooked chicken in the sauce. Add ground cashew nuts, if using. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Video
Nutrition
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CHCooks says
I am absolutely loving the vibrant color of this curry 🙂 I will try out a non-meat version soon 🙂
Traditionallymodernfood says
Looks perfect.. Your picture do justice to the dish.
kushi says
That looks so perfect with lovely color! Mouth watering
Anu-My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
What an awesome looking butter chicken. Flavors are amazingly delish here!
SV says
What kind of tomato paste do you use? Is it store bought, if so what brand.
Also, can we just use homemade tomato puree?
Rose Mary George says
I use Leggo's tomato paste. And yes, tomato puree is also great in this curry.
Dave b says
Hi do you use standard butter or ghee
Which is best
Looks amazing by the way 😍
Rose Mary George says
Butter
Cherry says
Looks yummy! Will try this out this week. If I want to make it spicy, do you suggest green chilies?
Jaclyn Brown says
My daughter is allergic to yogurt. Yet when she eats at Indian Restaurants she doesn’t seem to break out. So my assumption is they don’t add it?! Or I can hope that with cooking it, it looses something that she reacts to. We are gonna try it regardless because it’s her birthday wish BUT out of curiosity is there a recommendation to swap out the yogurt?
Rose Mary George says
You can add more cream or water. 🙂
Sandy says
At what stage do the bay leaves come in?! I can’t see them in the directions.
Rose Mary George says
In step 2, with onions. 🙂
Candice says
My husband can't eat oils or fats, I am going to try without cream and with nonfat milk. I know it won't be as creamy but excited to try! Thank you for the recipe!
Can I use ground ginger if I don't have fresh?
Rose Mary George says
You're welcome! Ground ginger and fresh ginger has completely different flavor profiles.
Hunny bunny says