Authentic Indian Butter Chicken Recipe: How to Make Easy Butter Chicken

Indian butter chicken consists of pieces of tandoori chicken cooked in a tangy, velvety tomato cream sauce. Despite its rich flavors and hearty consistency, butter chicken is a surprisingly low-carb meal.

Legend has it that butter chicken comes to us from pre-partition India in Peshawar, where it was invented by a man named Kundan Lal Gujral—who is also credited with inventing tandoori chicken. Gujral worked for a shop-owner named Mokha Singh. When Singh got sick, he sold the shop to his young employee, who eventually renamed it Moti Mahal.

Gujral found that his signature tandoori chicken—made by marinating skinless chicken in yogurt and spices before roasting it in a traditional clay tandoor oven—dried out as it hung unsold above the heat of the ovens all day. So, he came up with a plan: to avoid wasting the precious spiced chicken, they’d serve the meat in a silky tomato gravy with butter and cream, which would infuse it with moisture and make its spicy flavors softer and more subtle. After the partition in 1945, Gujral and his fellow restaurateurs packed up for Delhi, set up Moti Mahal once more, and the two dishes took off.

Whether it was a clever culinary improvisation, or a flavorful mistake, butter chicken still reigns supreme in Indian restaurants and home kitchens across the globe.

The best butter chicken is creamy, not oily, and not too sweet. Spices may include:

• Cardamom
• Cumin
• Cinnamon
• Coriander
• Pepper
• Fenugreek
• A healthy amount of chili powder

Unlike other Indian dishes like chicken tikka masala, the spice in butter chicken is more of an ensemble player, rather than the main focus. The goal here is balance, so try to find a middle ground without overdoing it.

1. 1. If you’re looking for a dairy-free substitute that’s equally rich and creamy, try substituting coconut milk for the heavy cream.
2. 2. Don’t toss out the butter: it makes the sauce nice and glossy, and gives the chicken a gorgeous flavor.
3. 3. You can make butter chicken without marinating the chicken first (simply brown the chicken in the pan with the spices and onions), but time in a marinade will get you closer to the succulent meat of the authentic butter chicken recipe.
4. 4. No tandoor oven or any other special equipment is required: you can absolutely cook butter chicken using the regular pots and pans you have on hand.