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Chicken butter masala recipe | Indian chicken butter masala

By swasthi , on May 21, 2019, 110 Comments, Jump to Recipe

Chicken butter masala recipe – An easy recipe to make delicious and creamy restaurant style Indian chicken butter masala under 30 mins. It goes great with butter naan, roti or even with jeera rice. It is similar to the north Indian or punjabi murgh makhani or the Butter chicken. But there are variations in making both the dishes.

chicken butter masala recipe

To make punjabi murgh makhani, chicken is marinated in yogurt and then grilled. It is cooked in a tomato gravy without the use of onions. Then cream is used towards the end.

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Chicken butter masala is made with an onion tomato gravy. The marinated chicken is just sauteed and then added to the onion tomato gravy. Then cream is poured to make it richer.

While the punjabi chicken makhani uses a stronger garam masala, chicken butter masala is made using milder spice powders. So a good chicken masala powder or garam masala is the main ingredient to make this recipe.

This chicken butter masala is best served Ghee rice,  simple jeera rice or plain paratha..

Preparation for chicken butter masala

1. Marinate chicken with 1 to 2 tbsp yogurt, red chilli powder, turmeric, ginger garlic paste, garam masala and salt. If you have time you can also leave it overnight in refrigerator, this is what I do.

2. Heat a pan with butter or oil. Saute onions until they turn pink. Just for the raw smell to go off.

sauteing onions for chicken butter masala recipe

3. Add tomatoes, sprinkle salt. Cook until they turn soft and mushy.

sauteing tomatoes for chicken butter masala recipe

4. Add red chili powder, garam masala, coriander powder and cashews. If you do not want to use cream to this recipe then i suggest using a bit more of cashews.

addition of spice powders

5. Fry until the raw smell of the masala goes off.

frying masala to make chicken butter masala

6. Cool it and add to a blender with 3/4 to 1 cup water.

blending onion tomato for chicken butter masala recipe
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7. Blend to a smooth puree. This is the onion tomato base for the chicken butter masala.

gravy for chicken butter masala

How to make chicken butter masala recipe

8. Heat the same pan with butter. Saute 1 bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves and cardamom.

saute spices for indian chicken butter masala

9. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes off completely.

ginger garlic paste
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10. Add the marinated chicken and a deseeded slit green chili if desired. On a medium high flame, fry until the chicken turns pale and white in color. Make sure the yogurt masala dries up now. Saute until the masala dries up. Usually chicken oozes out lot of moisture, that’s just normal . Continue to cook.

addition of marinade

11. Add the puree now. You can also add more red chili powder and garam masala now if needed. Also adjust water as needed to bring the gravy to a consistency. I use about 1/4 to 1/2 cup water.

Take care not to add too much otherwise the gravy turns very thin.  Simmer until the chicken is cooked completely, soft and tender. When you see the chicken is soft cooked, then add crushed kasuri methi. By the end of this step you must have a thick creamy and smooth gravy.

kasuri methi for chicken butter  masala

12. This step is optional. If you like you can use cream to suit your liking. For health reasons if you like to skip cream, you can just add a bit more of cashews at step 4.

add cream

Serve chicken butter masala hot with rice or paratha and a dollop of butter or cream topped over the curry.

Tips to make chicken butter masala

  1. Chicken butter masala can be made with boneless or bone-in chicken. However the restaurant style dish is made with boneless cubes.
  2. Marination is the key step to make flavorful, juicy, tender & succulent chicken. So do not skip the marination. You can rest the chicken for at least 45 mins. But over night is recommended for the best flavors & juicy chicken.
  3. To make the dish creamy & restaurant like, do use 3 tbsps of cream. If you do not have cream then just add in 6 to 8 more cashews. This sure will improve the texture of the gravy but will not give the same creamy texture as cream does.
  4. You can use any cream like whipping cream, cooking cream, heavy cream.
  5. Kasuri methi is another ingredient that lends a authentic Indian flavor to the chicken butter masala. If you do not have it just skip but you will surely miss out that unique aroma. Kasuri methi are dried fenugreek leaves and are easily available in the Indian stores.
  6. You can also make the onion tomato puree ahead & refrigerate. Just saute the chicken well and pour the puree. Cook the same following the instructions below when you are ready to consume.

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Chicken butter masala

Easy restaurant style creamy and delicious chicken butter masala in onion tomato gravy. Serve it with basmati plain rice, naan or roti.
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For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings4
AuthorSwasthi

Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )

Marination

  • 500 grams chicken
  • ½ to ¾ tsp red chili powder
  • 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
  • Salt as needed
  • 1 to 2 tbsp yogurt (or curd)
  • ½ to ¾ tsp garam masala
  • ¼ tsp turmeric (or haldi)

ingredients for gravy

  • 1 tbsp butter or Oil
  • 1 cups onions cubed , 3 medium
  • 1½ cups tomatoes (3 large), finely chopped deseeded
  • salt as needed
  • 10 to 12 cashew nuts (or kaju)
  • ½ to ¾ tsp garam masala powder
  • ½ to ¾ tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • ½ tsp sugar (optional)
  • 1 ½ tbsp Butter
  • 1 bay leaf (or tej patta)
  • 3 green cardamom (or elaichi)
  • 2 to 3 cloves (or laung)
  • 1 cinnamon stick (or dalchini) , small
  • 1½ tsp ginger garlic paste
  • ½ tsp kasuri methi (or dried fenugreek leaves)
  • 3 tbsp cream ( for restaurant style)
  • coriander leaves few , for garnish
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Instructions

Marinade

  • To a large mixing bowl add chicken, red chilli powder, salt, turmeric, yogurt, garam masala & ginger garlic paste. Rub the spices well into the chicken and marinate well. 
  • Set aside until needed. To get juicy tender chicken you will need to rest this marinade in the fridge for atleast 45 minutes. For best results over night marination is needed.

How to make chicken butter masala

  • Heat 1 tbsp butter or in a pan, fry onions till the raw smell goes away
  • Saute tomatoes with salt until mushy.
  • Add chili powder, garam masala powder and coriander powder along with cashews. Saute until the raw smell goes away.
  • Cool and blend together with ¾ to 1 cup water.
  • Heat the pan with more butter. Saute cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf and cardamom for a minute.
  • Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes off.
  • Next add marinated chicken. Saute on a medium high flame until the masala dries up.
  • Pour the onion tomato puree. Adjust as needed chili powder and masala powder. Also adjust the consistency of gravy by adding more water if needed.
  • Cook until the chicken turns tender & soft.
  • Add kasuri methi, cream and stir well. You can skip cream by increasing the amount of cashews. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves.
  • Serve Indian chicken butter masala with roti, butter naan or jeera rice.
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Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.

For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.

NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)

Nutrition Facts
Chicken butter masala
Amount Per Serving
Calories 454 Calories from Fat 288
% Daily Value*
Fat 32g49%
Saturated Fat 13g81%
Cholesterol 128mg43%
Sodium 284mg12%
Potassium 596mg17%
Carbohydrates 14g5%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 26g52%
Vitamin A 855IU17%
Vitamin C 14.3mg17%
Calcium 81mg8%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @SwasthisRecipes or tag #swasthisrecipes!

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About swasthi

I’m Swasthi shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthis recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills.
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Comments

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  2. Sunadha says

    January 12, 2021

    5 stars
    Great recipe instructions…every time I try your recipes they turn out to be delicious and whole family loves them….thq ur such a great helper indeed to me in my kitchen….

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      January 16, 2021

      Welcome Sunadha
      Glad to know!
      🙂

      Reply
  3. Eve says

    December 29, 2020

    5 stars
    I tried this recipe tonight and it was the best one ever. The flavor was amazing and your instructions were the best! Thank you so much for sharing.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      December 30, 2020

      Welcome Eve
      Glad to know it turned out good. Thanks for leaving a comment

      Reply
  4. Deborah Small says

    November 8, 2020

    5 stars
    Oh so yummy. I had to make minor changes due to lack of ingredients, but it still turned out delicious!!

    Reply
  5. Aishani says

    October 31, 2020

    5 stars
    I have learnt a lot from ur recipe..They are easy and the dishes turn out to be delicious..

    Reply
  6. Shanthini Jayanthan says

    October 26, 2020

    5 stars
    Hello Swasthi
    Tried your chicken butter masala with coconut milk instead of cream and glad to say it came out well. This is a recipe I can always make in the future. Thank you for taking the time to share the recipe.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      October 30, 2020

      Hello Shanthini
      You are welcome! Glad to know it turned out good.
      🙂

      Reply
  7. Linda says

    October 24, 2020

    5 stars
    I made this today for my family after marinating the chicken overnight. It was sooooo good! I’ve tried various butter chicken recipes over the years. This one is the best!
    I used bone-in chicken pieces for more flavour. I followed the instructions pretty closely. The only ingredients I didn’t have were the cardamom and cloves. This is the first time I’ve used cashews in this recipe and I really think it makes a difference.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      October 30, 2020

      Hi Linda
      Glad it turned out good. Thank you! Yes cashews make a huge difference here.
      🙂

      Reply
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  9. Nandita says

    September 1, 2020

    5 stars
    Hi Swasthi! Your recipes are so easy to follow and the end result is always awesome 😊 In fact, I refer to your recipes so often that you are actually like an invisible member of my family. Thank you.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      September 2, 2020

      Welcome Nandita,
      So happy to hear that! I’m so honored!!!
      Thank you so much.
      🙂

      Reply
  10. Gwen says

    June 15, 2020

    Hi there,

    So this is funny.. and strange, but I marinated my chicken with strawberry yogurt

    (I did think through this and it went something like – “S*** I bought the wrong yogurt; but i’ve already chopped up the chicken; i guess i don’t have to marinade it overnight; it’s late; the stores are closed; but i WANT to marinade it overnight; i dont have time to run to the store or marinade tomorrow; i NEED to cook this dish tomorrow; should i? ; i’m sure it’s the effect of the yogurt and less the flavour; should work fine? eeh why not? ok im doing it”)

    Any hint of how that might turn out? HAH

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      June 15, 2020

      Hi Gwen,
      Haha! It’s just 2 tbsps of yogurt so shouldn’t be a problem. Wipe off the marinade and discard in the morning before cooking. It would still have the strawberry flavor. But may not be that bad. Hope this helps.

      Reply
  11. Priyabrata says

    June 7, 2020

    5 stars
    The actual butter chicken that Moti Mahal of New Delhi developed was using tandoor chicken not marinated chicken. For serving of two 2 chicken tandoor wings can be used and rest recipe remains same. Moti Mahal has credited for developing the recipe. Even Chef Gordon Ramsay acknowledged the same

    Reply
  12. Shruthi says

    April 29, 2020

    Hi,
    Thank you for the recipe. I tried it today’s… came out really yummy !!!
    Best regards!!!

    Reply
  13. Marianna says

    April 25, 2020

    Dear Swasthi,
    I tried your butter masala recipe today and it tasted incredible! Thank you so much, I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. 🙂

    Reply
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  15. Mona says

    April 19, 2020

    5 stars
    First attempt at Butter chicken and it turned our perfectly! Instructions & pictures were so clear made it really easy to follow. It was a little time consuming but good use of my time in quarantine:-)
    Wasn’t sure when to add the sugar so I skipped that; also I reduced the chilli powder for the kids but it was still tasty.
    Your website is wonderful and I use it several times a week!

    Reply
  16. Mel says

    December 29, 2019

    Trying your Butter Chicken masala recipe. My first attempt at Indian cookery. I looked at many recipes,this one resonated. Chicken is marinating. I like spicy, wife likes mild. This is for her. I will spice mine when serving.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      December 30, 2019

      Hi Mel,
      Thank you! Hope you both enjoy the dish!

      Reply
  17. Arun says

    December 10, 2019

    If required spicy butter chicken recipe
    With original test remaining
    Not need sweet flavor
    What to do?

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      December 11, 2019

      Hi Arun,
      Chicken butter masala is usually not made spicy. But if you prefer it to be spicy then just use a spicier kind of chilli powder.

      Reply
  18. Saachi says

    September 24, 2019

    5 stars
    Thank you So so much for your recipes.. recently I tried your coconut chutney and chicken butter masala recipe and it was amazing..have tried many other recipes in the past too and they all turned so good..my daughter always used to complain about the spice level in chicken curries that I made but this one she loved it.. thank you again..keep it up!!

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      September 25, 2019

      Hi Saachi,
      You are welcome. Glad you liked the recipes. Yes this is the best for those who can’t handle the heat. Thanks for the comment!
      🙂

      Reply
  19. Atehcus says

    August 11, 2019

    5 stars
    Very good, easy to follow

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      August 11, 2019

      Thank you

      Reply
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  21. Geetha says

    July 27, 2019

    This is THE best butter chicken I have ever made. Came out really well. Chicken was absolutelyy juicy and overall was amazing taste. Can’t thank you enough for these wonderful receipes.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      July 28, 2019

      Welcome Geetha
      Glad you like it. Thanks for the comment

      Reply
    • Salman says

      August 29, 2019

      This very nice food

      Reply
  22. Faye says

    July 22, 2019

    5 stars
    I tried this recipe yesterday and it turned out absolutely amazing!!.. my husband loved it soo much.. even my one year old.. *happy all round*.. no doubt this is my favourite website now!!!! :):):):):):) Thankyou so much for being so clear on the quantities, stating alternatives, and visuals too, makes cooking fun and easy..Youve inspired me x

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      July 23, 2019

      Hi Faye,
      You are welcome. So glad you all loved the curry. Thanks much for the comment.
      🙂

      Reply
  23. Sree Kumar Kesavan says

    May 19, 2019

    5 stars
    Tried the recipe today.
    Turned out awesome.

    Reply
    • swasthi says

      May 25, 2019

      Thank you so much!

      Reply
  24. L says

    March 15, 2019

    Was a hit for the whole family…yummy.
    Recipe was well layed out….easy to follow.
    Thank you!

    Reply
  25. Aliona Kanevsky says

    March 11, 2019

    Hello, I have tried this recipe and it tasted great, the whole family loved it. Is it possible to to print this recipe?

    Reply
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