Butter Chicken
A beloved classic, this Butter Chicken is exceptionally simple yet yields a luxuriously rich, aromatic curry sauce. Indulgent but well-balanced, this version avoids an excess of butter without sacrificing depth of flavour.
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Ingredients
Marinade
- 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 cup plain full-fat yoghurt
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1.5 lb / 750 g chicken thigh fillets diced
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder or cayenne pepper
Curry
- 1 cup heavy or thickened cream
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup tomato passata tomato puree
- 2 tbsp 30 g ghee or butter, or 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
To Serve
- Coriander cilantro, optional
- Basmati rice
- White rice
Instructions
- For an exceptionally smooth sauce, you may blitz all Marinade ingredients—excluding the chicken—until silky, though this is optional. In a bowl, combine the chicken pieces with all Marinade ingredients. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight or up to a full day. Warm ghee, butter, or oil over high heat in a spacious frying pan. Remove chicken from the marinade but refrain from shaking off excess coating; discard leftover marinade in the bowl for now. Sauté the chicken in the pan for approximately 3 minutes, until all pieces appear white throughout; browning will be minimal due to the marinade. Pour in the tomato passata, cream, sugar, and salt, then add any leftover marinade from the bowl. Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer for about 20 minutes, tasting and adjusting salt if needed. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves if desired, and accompany with fluffy basmati rice.
Notes
Garam Masala is widely available in supermarket spice aisles and is priced comparably to standard spices.
Use pure chilli powder or cayenne rather than American-style chilli powder blends. The resulting heat is mild.
Ghee is clarified butter traditional in Indian cuisine but may be replaced with butter or a neutral oil.
Tomato passata, also labelled as tomato puree, is simply strained pureed tomatoes—blend canned tomatoes if needed. Avoid ketchup-style “Tomato Sauce” in Australia.
For a lighter curry, substitute with 3/4 cup light cream and 1/4 cup milk.
For quick, oil-free papadums, microwave store-bought raw papadums at the edge of the turntable for 45–60 seconds until puffed; they crisp further upon cooling.