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This Indian restaurant style butter chicken recipe features tender, juicy marinated chicken in a spiced, buttery sauce. I’m sharing my best tips, as well as the secret ingredient I learned from one of my favorite Indian restaurants!
I’m going to show you how easy it is to make restaurant-quality Indian butter chicken at home. With a couple restaurant tricks, this recipe will rival your favorite takeout!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Restaurant-style food from the comfort of your own kitchen. If butter chicken is your go-to order at Indian restaurants, you’ll love this recipe.
- Make meal prep work for you. This dish freezes and reheats like a dream, so it’s perfect for meal prep! Meal prep this dish and the next time you’re craving Indian food, it’ll be ready and waiting for you. (TIP: This recipe makes a relatively big batch of 7 servings, but with minimal effort you can double the recipe and fully stock your freezer.)
- Budget-friendly. Instead of eating out, make this dish at home and save money! Note that if you keep a well-stocked pantry, you’ll likely have all or at least most of the spices on hand for this recipe. Spices can be pricey, but once you have a stocked spice cabinet, you’re set for a while. (TIP: Head to your local Indian grocery store for spices; they’re usually a lot more economical, and they’re often available in bulk at an even more reasonable price.)
Ingredients
Breaking It Down
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
Chicken Marinade Ingredients For Butter Chicken
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs – Using dark meat and a tenderizing marinade ensures the chicken is tender and juicy. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts will also work fine if you prefer white meat, just start checking for doneness about 5 minutes earlier so they don’t dry out.
- Plain, unsweetened yogurt – Yogurt is the base ingredient in tenderizing butter chicken marinades.
- Olive oil – A little bit of oil in the marinade acts as a carrier to evenly distribute the spices. It also helps lock in moisture and promotes browning during cooking.
- Garlic – A classic component in authentic butter chicken marinade, garlic lends depth of flavor.
- Vinegar – In addition to yogurt, vinegar helps tenderize the chicken. You can use apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Coarse kosher salt – Use less if using fine salt.
- Garam masala – Garam masala is a warming blend of spices that typically includes cumin, coriander, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg or mace. If you’re not a fan of regular curry powder, give this a try because it’s completely different.
Butter Chicken Sauce Ingredients
- Salted butter – We sauté the aromatics in butter to create a rich base flavor. And taking a cue from how they serve this dish at restaurants, to bump up the richness (and just so there’s no mistaking what this dish is, lol!), we serve this curry topped with a pat of butter to melt down into it.
- Olive oil – Just a little bit of oil raises the smoke point and helps prevent the butter from burning.
- Onion, garlic, and ginger – These savory aromatics create a flavorful base for the curry.
- Garam masala spice mix, salt, coriander, cumin, smoked sweet paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, fenugreek, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and bay leaf – Garam masala spice mix provides a great starting point for the spice blend in this dish, and everything else rounds out the flavor profile for a well-balanced, richly-spiced, buttery gravy.
- Coconut sugar – Coconut sugar (or light brown sugar) adds a touch of sweetness for balance.
- Tomato sauce – Make sure you get plain, unflavored tomato sauce, not marinara sauce.
- Water – To thin out the sauce to the perfect consistency.
- Heavy whipping cream – Cream helps create a lusciously rich sauce.
- Ketchup – This is the “secret ingredient” I learned from an Indian restaurant! It sounds strange (and of course it isn’t authentic), but it makes sense. Ketchup is sweet and tangy, and adds another dimension of flavor.
- Fresh lemon juice – We add a splash of fresh lemon juice at the end to brighten the flavor and cut through some of the richness.
- Chopped fresh cilantro – Fresh cilantro sprinkled on top as a garnish lends a pop of pretty green color and a grassy/herby, slightly citrusy flavor. You can skip it if you’re not a cilantro person.
- Prepared long-grain basmati rice – Steamed basmati rice is a lovely pairing with this meal.
- Sourdough naan – Sourdough naan is my absolute favorite, but any kind of naan is great for serving with this dish.
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions: How to Make Restaurant Style Indian Butter Chicken
1: Marinate the Chicken (8 to 24 Hours), and Then Cook It
- Add all ingredients for the chicken to a gallon-sized zip-top plastic bag.
- Seal the bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, and rub it around so the marinade ingredients are mixed well and the chicken is coated. Refrigerate 8 hours (or up to 24 hours).
- During the first simmer, start cooking the chicken. Use your hands to scrape off as much of the marinade as possible, and then cook the chicken on a grill, in the oven, or in an air fryer (see the recipe card below for instructions for each method). I used the oven here. For the oven method, preheat the oven to 500F. Place the chicken in an even layer on a baking tray.
- Roast 15 minutes. Once it’s cooked, turn on the broiler and brown the chicken slightly (about 5 minutes, but stay with it because every broiler is different).
2: Make the Butter Sauce
- Add 6 tablespoons of butter and the oil to a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook until softened and starting to brown in spots, about 8 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the garam masala, salt, coriander, cumin, smoked sweet paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, fenugreek, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, and coconut sugar.
- Cook 30 seconds more, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the tomato sauce and bring up to a boil. Turn the heat down slightly, cover but leave the lid ajar, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently, and using a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits that have formed in the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in the water, cream, and ketchup; bring it back up to a gentle simmer and cook (uncovered) for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Remove the bay leaf. Carefully puree the sauce; you can use an immersion blender or a regular blender in batches. (TIP: If you use a regular blender, make sure to remove the plastic insert in the lid and hold a thick towel over the top so the steam can escape.)
3: Chop the Chicken and Stir Into the Sauce
After cooking, let the chicken rest for a few minutes, and then chop it into bite-sized chunks and stir it into the butter sauce. Taste and adjust the seasonings if desired.
4: Serve
Ladle the butter sauce to a serving bowl and top with the remaining tablespoon of butter and chopped cilantro. If desired, serve the butter chicken spooned on top of prepared basmati rice along with naan.
Storage
Cool to room temperature, and then store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Tips For the Best Restaurant Style Butter Chicken at Home
- As written, this recipe has about a medium spice level. For a mild version, reduce the cayenne pepper to 1/4 teaspoon.
- If you don’t have ground fenugreek on hand, I have an interesting substitute that works surprisingly well. Reduce the coconut sugar (or light brown sugar) to 1 1/2 tablespoons and add 2 teaspoons of pure maple syrup. Fenugreek has slightly bitter, subtly sweet, earthy undertones similar to caramel or maple syrup.
Frequently Asked Questions
For the chicken itself, the trick is to not rush marination. Plan ahead because it needs at least 8 hours, but up to 24 hours is fine (and even better if you have the time).
For the butter sauce, the key is to sauté the onion in butter until starting to caramelize so its natural sweetness comes out. And of course don’t skimp on the spices!
Have you had butter chicken at an Indian restaurant, loved it, and then made it at home only to be a little disappointed? Maybe it was still good but tasted a little flat, or like something was missing that you couldn’t quite put your finger on. The solution: ketchup!
Years ago when I still lived in Buffalo, I asked the waiter at my favorite Indian restaurant what the secret ingredient was in their butter chicken that made it so good. With a chuckle, the gentleman told me it was a little bit of ketchup!
As surprisingly as it is initially, ketchup makes sense here. It lends another dimension of sweet and tangy flavor that takes the dish over the top. Try it and let me know what you think!
Yes! To do so, reduce the smoked sweet paprika and cayenne pepper to 1/4 teaspoon each and add 2 teaspoons of Kashmiri chilli powder. Also, if you have it on hand, might as well add a teaspoon or so of Kashmiri chilli powder to the chicken marinade.
More Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani) Recipe Variations to Try
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Indian Restaurant Style Butter Chicken Recipe
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Ingredients
Chicken:
- 2 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (trimmed of excess fat; up to 2 1/2 pounds of chicken works well)
- 1/2 cup plain unsweetened yogurt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 large cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1 tablespoon vinegar (such as apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar)
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
Butter Sauce:
- 7 tablespoons salted butter (divided into 6 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 1 large onion (diced)
- 8 large cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground coriander
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground fenugreek
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (or light brown sugar)
- 28 ounces canned tomato sauce (plain, unflavored tomato sauce)
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Optional Garnish and Serving Suggestions:
- Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
- Prepared long-grain basmati rice for serving (optional)
- Sourdough naan for serving (optional)
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken:
- Add all ingredients for the chicken to a gallon-sized zip-top plastic bag. Seal the bag, squeeze out as much air as possible, and rub it around so the marinade ingredients are mixed well and the chicken is coated. Refrigerate 8 hours (or up to 24 hours).
Make the Butter Sauce:
- Create the base flavor. Add 6 tablespoons of butter and the oil to a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook until softened and starting to brown in spots, about 8 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.Stir in the garam masala, salt, coriander, cumin, smoked sweet paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, fenugreek, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, and coconut sugar, and cook 30 seconds more, stirring constantly.
- Simmer #1. Stir in the tomato sauce and bring up to a boil. Turn the heat down slightly, cover but leave the lid ajar, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently, and using a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits that have formed in the bottom of the pot.
- Simmer #2. Stir in the water, cream, and ketchup; bring it back up to a gentle simmer and cook (uncovered) for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Puree. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Remove the bay leaf. Carefully puree the sauce; you can use an immersion blender or a regular blender in batches. (TIP: If you use a regular blender, make sure to remove the plastic insert in the lid and hold a thick towel over the top so the steam can escape.)
Cook the Chicken:
- During the first simmer, start cooking the chicken. Use your hands to scrape off as much of the marinade as possible, and then use one of the following methods to cook the chicken. (TIP: Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165F.)
- Grill: Preheat a grill to medium-high. Cook the chicken until it’s charred and fully cooked in the center, about 8 to 10 minutes per side.
- Oven: Preheat the oven to 500F. Place the chicken in an even layer on a baking tray and roast 15 minutes. Once it’s cooked, turn on the broiler and brown the chicken slightly (about 5 minutes, but stay with it because every broiler is different).
- Air Fryer: Preheat the air fryer to 400F. Brush a little light olive oil or vegetable oil in the air fryer basket, and arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer. Air fry until fully cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes, flipping the chicken once halfway through.
- Rest and chop. After cooking, let the chicken rest for a few minutes, and then chop it into bite-sized chunks and stir it into the butter sauce.
Serve:
- Taste and adjust the seasonings if desired.Ladle the butter sauce to a serving bowl and top with the remaining tablespoon of butter and chopped cilantro.If desired, serve the butter chicken spooned on top of prepared basmati rice along with naan.
Notes
- Storage: Cool to room temperature, and then store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes a little over 7 cups; each serving is a slightly heaping 1 cup for a total of 7 servings.
- Nutrition Information: The nutritional information for this recipe was calculated without the optional garnish and serving suggestions.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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