For most of my life, I've been spoiled with homemade Indian cooking from my grandmother, Nani. She makes dishes from Gujarat, the region of India our family is from. While I love the Gujarati dishes, a classic butter chicken is one of my all-time favorite Indian dishes. After visiting an Indian grocery store recently, I decided it was time to try making it for dinner. I'm a bit ashamed to admit I've never made Indian food myself before, but there's no better time than the present to start!

I watch a variety of YouTube videos and read recipes from how people make butter chicken, and decided to use the basics but wing the rest. This recipe turned out incredibly well, was easy to make, and is now a house favorite. I hope if you are interested in trying Indian food, you'll give this recipe a try!

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Chicken Marinade

  • 1.5 lbs of chicken breast, cut into cubes
  • 4-5 tbsp plain greek yogurt
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp ginger, grated
  • 2.5 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1.5 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric

For the Sauce

  • 1 red onion, sliced
  • 1 (15 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp ginger, grated
  • 1.5 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1.5 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Fresh cilantro

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, mix the chicken and the rest of the chicken marinade ingredients well. Coat the chicken and let rest in the marinade for at least 30 minutes.
  2. When the chicken is done marinating, heat a medium pot with 1-2 tbsp of butter (or ghee), and add the marinated chicken in. Sear the chicken until browned on the outside (the chicken does not have to be cooked all the way through).
  3. Once the chicken is browned, removed the chicken from the pot and set aside.
  4. In the same pot where the chicken is cooked, mix in the red onion and cook until soft (about 5-7 minutes)
  5. Mix in the minced garlic, ginger, garam masala, ground cumin, chili powder, and turmeric (about 1 minute)
  6. Slowly mix in the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste and simmer for about 10 minutes
  7. Using an immersion blender, blend the sauce until smooth (if you are transferring sauce into a blender, let the sauce cool a bit.)
  8. Once sauce is blended, mix in 1/2 cup of heavy cream.
  9. Once cream is mixed in, add chicken back into the sauce and simmer for 5-10 more minutes.
  10. Sprinkle fresh cilantro on top, serve with basmati rice, and naan!

Note: We bought the Truly Indian Garlic Naan that is extremely easy to make and delicious. Highly recommend!