Description
This Easy 20 Minute Butter Chicken recipe is a creamy, flavorful Indian-inspired dish made with tender chicken pieces simmered in a rich tomato and spice sauce. Ready in just 20 minutes, it’s perfect for a quick weeknight dinner served with basmati rice or naan.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (finely minced or grated or paste)
- 2-3 cloves garlic (finely minced or crushed)
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into ¾-inch chunks)
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste (or 8 oz can of tomato sauce)
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon chili powder (or paprika, adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek powder (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream (substitute half & half or yogurt for low fat)
- Hot cooked basmati rice and naan for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the aromatics: Heat a large skillet or medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, butter, and diced onions. Cook the onions until they turn lightly golden, about 3-4 minutes. Add the fresh ginger and garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds, stirring frequently to avoid burning.
- Cook the chicken and spices: Add the chicken pieces, tomato paste, garam masala, chili powder, fenugreek (if using), cumin, salt, and black pepper to the pan. Stir well to coat the chicken with the spices and tomato paste. Cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Add the cream and simmer: Pour in the heavy cream and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the sauce simmer gently for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and to allow the flavors to meld.
- Serve: Spoon the butter chicken over hot cooked basmati rice or serve alongside naan bread. Enjoy your flavorful and creamy butter chicken dish!
Notes
- This recipe uses common spices like garam masala and cumin, but you can adjust the chili powder for your desired heat level.
- Fenugreek is optional but adds authentic flavor; you can substitute with mustard seeds or fenugreek seeds if preferred.
- For a lighter version, substitute heavy cream with half & half or plain yogurt.
- Cooking all ingredients in one pan makes cleanup easy and speeds up preparation time.
- Serve butter chicken with basmati rice or naan to soak up the creamy sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 491 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 963 mg
- Fat: 33 g
- Saturated Fat: 17 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 9 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 39 g
- Cholesterol: 198 mg
