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Butter Chicken Curry
Serves 3–4 · About 1 hr (30 min of this is just leaving the chicken in the fridge)
Not spicy. A mild, creamy curry made with tomato, butter, and heavy cream.
① Marinate the chicken→② Brown the chicken→③ Make the sauce→④ Combine and simmer→⑤ Finish with cream
What to buy
Meat & dairy
Vegetables & canned goods
Spices (small jars are enough)
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How to make it
1
Marinate the chicken
- Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces (about 3 cm)
- Put the chicken, all the yogurt, garlic and ginger (1 tsp each), 1 tsp garam masala, and 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl and rub it in with your hands
- Cover with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. 30 min (or from the night before)
While you waitFinely chop the onion.
2
Brown the chicken, then take it out
- Melt 10 g butter in a frying pan
- Put the chicken in the pan (let the yogurt on it drip back into the bowl, and keep the bowl — don't throw it out)
- When both sides are browned, take it out onto a plate
How to tell it's doneThe outside is golden brown. The inside can still be raw (it cooks through when you simmer it later).
3
Fry the onion
- Melt 20 g butter in the same pan (don't wash off the browned bits from the chicken. They add flavor)
- Add the chopped onion and fry, stirring now and then
- Add the rest of the garlic and ginger (1 tsp each) and fry for 1 min
How to tell it's doneThe onion is soft and light brown.
Be carefulButter burns and turns black quickly on high heat. Don't turn the heat up.
4
Add the spices
- Turn the heat to low first, then add paprika (2 tsp), cumin (1 tsp), and turmeric (1/2 tsp)
- Stir with a spatula until everything is coated
How to tell it's doneAs soon as it smells strong, move on. 30 sec is enough.
Be carefulGround spices turn bitter if they burn. Don't fry them for long.
5
Cook down the tomatoes
- Add the whole can of tomatoes (if whole, crush them with the spatula)
- Add 2 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt
- Cook it down, stirring now and then. Watch out, it splatters
How to tell it's doneIt's no longer watery, and it's thick enough that when you drag the spatula across the bottom, you can see the bottom of the pan for a moment.
6
Put the chicken back and simmer
- Add the chicken you took out in step 2 and the yogurt left in the bowl
- Add 100 ml water and stir
- Put the lid on and simmer on low heat for 10 min. Stir 2–3 times so it doesn't burn
How to tell it's doneCut open the biggest piece of chicken. The inside is white, not pink.
7
Finish with cream and butter
- Add 100 ml heavy cream, 1 tsp garam masala, and, if you have it, 1 tsp kasuri methi (crush it into small bits with your hands)
- Stir and warm for 2 min. Don't let it boil hard (the cream will separate and turn grainy)
- Turn off the heat, put 10 g butter on top, and let it melt
- Taste it. If it's bland, add salt a pinch at a time
ReadyServe with rice or naan.
📚 Learn more about this dish
🥬 Ingredient guide
If it didn't work out
Too sourStep 5 wasn't cooked down enough. Next time, cook it longer. This time, add a pinch of sugar.
BitterThe spices burned in step 4. Next time, only 30 sec on low heat.
Tastes flatAlmost always not enough salt. Add a pinch at a time and taste each time.
Sauce is grainyIt boiled in step 7. Next time, keep it on low heat after adding the cream.
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