Description
This easy Butter Chicken recipe delivers a creamy, flavorful Indian-inspired dish ready in just 30 minutes. Featuring tender chicken simmered in a spiced tomato sauce enriched with butter, cream, almond butter, and coconut sugar, it’s perfect for a comforting weeknight meal. Serve with rice and naan, garnished with fresh cilantro for an authentic touch.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
The Curry
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 yellow onions, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons chopped ginger
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 28 ounce can of crushed or diced tomatoes
- 1 lb chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup whipping cream (or plain yogurt or coconut milk)
- 2 tablespoons almond butter
- 2-4 tablespoons coconut sugar (can substitute brown sugar)
- Sea salt to taste (about 2 teaspoons)
- Cilantro, to serve
The Spices
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 4 cardamom pods, seeds only (discard pods)
Instructions
- Cook Aromatics: Heat the butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions, ginger, and crushed garlic. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the onions are well browned, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat if necessary to avoid burning.
- Prepare Spices: While the onions cook, place the garam masala, turmeric, coriander, cumin, chili powder, and cardamom seeds in a small bowl.
- Add Spices to Pan: Add the mixed spices to the pan with the aromatics and cook for 1 minute to toast and remove raw flavors, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
- Add Tomatoes: Pour the canned crushed or diced tomatoes into the pan. Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits and incorporate them into the sauce.
- Blend Sauce: Transfer the tomato and spice mixture to a blender. Blend on high speed until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Simmer Chicken: Return the blended sauce to the pan. Add the bite-sized chicken pieces and water. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.
- Finish Sauce: Stir in the whipping cream, almond butter, and coconut sugar. Adjust seasoning with sea salt to taste and gently simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes to meld flavors.
- Serve: Serve the butter chicken hot with steamed rice and naan bread if available. Garnish with fresh cilantro on top for added freshness and color.
Notes
- Butter provides the most authentic flavor, but oil can be used for a dairy-free alternative.
- Canned tomatoes are preferred for consistent flavor, but fresh ripe tomatoes can be substituted during tomato season.
- Almond butter offers ease of blending; raw cashews or cashew butter can be used for a more traditional taste.
- If some spices are missing, prioritize garam masala as the essential spice; curry powder can be a reasonable substitute.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 1/4 recipe)
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
