Description
This easy 20-minute Butter Chicken recipe is a creamy, flavorful dish made with tender chicken chunks cooked in a rich tomato and spice sauce. It's a simplified, one-pan meal perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, served deliciously over basmati rice or with warm naan bread.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely minced or grated (or use paste)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced or crushed
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-inch chunks
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste (or 8 oz can of tomato sauce)
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon chili powder (or paprika, adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek powder (optional; seeds or mustard seeds can be used too)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream (or substitute half & half or yogurt for low fat)
- Hot cooked basmati rice and naan for serving
Instructions
- Heat the skillet: Heat a large skillet or medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, butter, and diced onions, cooking until the onions are lightly golden, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add ginger and garlic: Stir in the finely minced fresh ginger and garlic, cooking for 30 seconds while stirring to prevent burning.
- Cook chicken and spices: Add the chicken chunks, tomato paste, garam masala, chili powder, fenugreek, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Cook the mixture for 5-6 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the spices are well combined.
- Simmer with cream: Pour in the heavy cream and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let it simmer gently for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to blend flavors and thicken the sauce.
- Serve: Serve the butter chicken hot over basmati rice or with warm naan bread for a complete meal.
Notes
- This recipe is quick and easy, making it perfect for a 20-minute weeknight dinner.
- You can substitute half & half or yogurt for a lower fat version of the cream.
- Fenugreek is optional but adds authentic flavor; you can also use fenugreek seeds or mustard seeds if preferred.
- Adjust chili powder or paprika according to your preferred spice level.
- Serve with basmati rice or naan to complete the meal and soak up the creamy sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 491 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 963 mg
- Fat: 33 g
- Saturated Fat: 17 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 39 g
- Cholesterol: 198 mg
