Indian Restaurant Style Butter Chicken Recipe

This butter chicken recipe showcases moist, flavorful chicken swimming in a rich, buttery, beautifully spiced gravy with a secret ingredient so you can recreate your favorite Indian restaurant style curry at home.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Keyword Butter Chicken Recipe Restaurant Style, Indian Restaurant Butter Chicken, Indian Restaurant Butter Chicken Recipe, Restaurant Butter Chicken

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 30

Marinade Time: 8

Servings servings

Calories 539kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

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)

US Customary - Metric

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