Butter Chicken Recipe
Ready in about 30 minutes, this butter chicken with a creamy tomato sauce spiced with garam masala, ground ginger, and chili powder is an easy weeknight dinner recipe everyone loves.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs , trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ lime
- cilantro leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Add the chunks of chicken to a bowl and season with the kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss to coat and set aside.
- In a large, high-sided skillet or 6-quart pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes or until it begins to soften. Add the garam masala, ground ginger, and chili powder and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't burn. Stir in the tomato paste and tomato sauce and whisk until smooth; cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the cream until smooth then add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
- While the sauce cooks, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is lightly browned on all sides.
- Add the tomato cream sauce to the chicken and stir to combine. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add a squeeze of lime and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with basmati rice and garlic naan on the side.