Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken is made with vegan chicken bites, aromatic spices and is one of the most amazing curries you will ever try. You will love these chicken pieces marinated in yoghurt with a curry sauce that is super creamy, rich and tastes like in an amazing restaurant.

 

You know curries are just amazing any time you make them, yum.

So many to choose from: from my Lentil Curry to the Sweet Potato Curry, the Eggplant Curry, or my Dal Makhani and the Chickpea Tikka Masala.

Butter Chicken, aka Murgh Makhani, is no exception. Make it and you will know why it is one of those popular dishes that you will find in Indian restaurants around the globe. But now you can make this comfort food easily at home in a fraction of time.

What makes this Butter Chicken so amazing

You have marinated chicken and fantastic spices and also all is dunked in a creamy sauce. I mean it doesn’t get any better than this.

Easy step by step pictures make each steps visually easier and I’ll share them all with you, friends.

You can use the marinate for many more delicious things. A keeper and a winner if you like big flavors.

What you need for this Butter Chicken recipe

You and me know Butter Chicken ingredients like onions, garlic and oil are always easy to find, because there isn’t any complicated about that. I tell you, you will love this dish even more than before.

Vegan chicken is here for a delicious and tender texture. It is marinaded which takes it over the top. You will get tender pieces so aromatic and delicious.

Tomato paste is an addition that makes our Butter Chicken sauce so easy. I tested with diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, and I find tomato paste is the clear winner. There is nothing comparable to its smooth and robust flavor. Diced tomatoes are nice, but I find the flavor was not prominent enough. Tomato sauce, on the other hand, is in my gusto too liquid and not tasty enough.

Vegan butter is simply an ingredient which adds richness and creaminess to our curry along with oil which I mention above. I find the combination just amazing: the oil is there to get our chicken crispy and the butter for flavor.

As a spice mix I use Garam masala that you can find in almost every supermarket. It is delicious, cheap and the foundation for our dish.

Fresh ginger, cumin, and chili power are great for a little bit of extra kick. You can easily scale up on the chili powder.

Sugar: you can use white or brown sugar both are delicious and balances the other flavors great.

Non dairy creamer can be used as alternative to heavy cream. Make sure to use an unsweetened and plain non dairy creamer.

How to make Butter Chicken

Prepare the marinade

In a bowl, combine yoghurt, half of the garlic (pressed), grated ginger, garam masala, cumin, chili powder and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix in the chicken bites and let it marinade for at least 15 minutes. You can also let it sit overnight so it develops even more flavors.

Cook onions and garlic

Heat oil and butter in a skillet. Add the diced onions and cook them for around 3 minutes until they begin to soften. Then add marinated chicken pieces. Cook everything for another 4 minutes.

Make the sauce

The sauce is super easy to prepare: add tomato paste, remaining garlic, ginger, garam masala, chili powder, sugar, a pinch of salt and pepper, and the non dairy creamer. Bring to a simmer and let the Butter Chicken cook for 3 minutes more on medium heat.

Serve it up plain or with rice or naan.

Note on the non dairy creamer

I use a plain and unsweetened non dairy creamer which is similar to heavy cream. If you absolutely don’t find any, you can use coconut milk.

Use any milk or yoghurt mixed with some oil for richness. Also you can blend some cashews with any milk.

For sure heavy cream will also work for those who prefer.

Tips and tricks

Instead of rice or naan, try serving the Butter Chicken with papadums. It is a thin Indian flatbread that can be heated up in the microwave or pan for easy convenience.

You can make the sauce in advance for up to 2 days. Then you can marinate the chicken overnight or up to 1 day so the flavors will be even more prominent and you have it whenever you want.
Also you can make bigger quantities.

Leftovers can be used for around 4 days. Freezing is fine for 3 months in an airtight container. For reheating, always first thaw completely and reheat slowly this will lead to the best flavor and texture until hot.

Other recipes to try

• American Goulash
• Cowboy Stew
• Focaccia
• Salisbury Steak
• Bang Bang Sauce

Share your remakes of my Butter Chicken on Instagram and Facebook.

Enjoy, Florian.