Indian Butter Chicken Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the sauce in butter chicken made of? ›

Butter chicken sauce is made of sauteed onions, tomato puree, and lots of spices. It's finished at the end with a smattering of heavy cream and some fenugreek leaves.

Ingredients. Tomato Paste, Sunflower Oil, Onions, Water, Spices, Garlic, Gram Flour, Salt, Sugar, Skim Milk Powder, Ginger, Melon Seeds, Cashews And Paprika Oleoresin. Contains Milk And Cashews. May Contain Mustard Seeds, Peanuts, Sesame Seeds, Soy, Tree Nuts And Wheat.

Tomato paste: Adds an umami note and contributes to the gorgeous orange hue. Red curry paste: Thai red curry paste is very easy to find in most grocery stores and adds so much flavor. I recommend a mild red curry paste unless you prefer your butter chicken spicy.

Yoghurt or heavy cream:

Stir them in gently, as high heat may cause curdling. These ingredients are ideal for creating a luxurious texture in dishes like butter chicken or tikka masala.

Ingredients You'll Need

You can sub it with chicken thighs. Yogurt – Plain yogurt or sour cream will work. Spices – I used a blend of Ground Coriander, Cumin, Smoked Paprika, Turmeric and Garam Masala (For information on garam masala, keep scrolling!)

I've made butter chicken recipes with heavy cream and loads of butter and they are just too heavy for my liking. I've swapped the heavy cream for evaporated milk and limit the amount of butter to only a few tablespoons. This lightens the dish up a bit, while still tasting very creamy.

Chicken tikka masala may derive from butter chicken, a popular dish in the northern Indian subcontinent. The Multicultural Handbook of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics credits its creation to Bangladeshi migrant chefs in Britain in the 1960s.

If your curry is too runny, there are a few simple ways to thicken it. Try mixing in a few spoonfuls of thick, unflavored yogurt. If your curry is tomato-based, you can use tomato paste as a thickener. For curries with potatoes in them, simply mash a few of the potatoes as they cook and combine them into the sauce.

Butter chicken is a traditional Indian dish that is rich and creamy with a subtle smoky flavor. At the same time, tikka masala is a British Indian dish with a more complex flavor profile with tangy and spicy notes. Butter chicken is generally sweeter and milder in spiciness, while tikka masala is tangy and spicy.

You don't have to dash out to the store if you're out of tomato paste; tomato sauce and tomato puree are both an excellent substitute. For every 1 tablespoon of tomato paste needed, use 3 tablespoons of tomato puree or sauce.

Why add cashews to butter chicken? ›

In many recipes for butter chicken, copious amounts of butter and heavy cream supply richness, but we do as we were taught in India and use cashews pureed with a small amount of water until smooth. The nut puree adds creaminess without making the dish heavy.

I used a can of coconut milk, instead of the traditional whipping cream and love it all the more for being healthier. The little knob of butter at the end makes the recipe just the slightest bit better. The sauce a bit glossier.

Your dish has a bitter flavor

Fats and sweetness can help smooth the bitter corners of a dish, just like they make coffee taste less bitter. So add a spoonful of sugar, cream or butter to tame that bitterness.

Butter chicken is a popular Indian dish made with chicken, spices, tomatoes & cream. This creamy & authentic tasting butter chicken is the best you can make at home. Serve butter chicken with Turmeric rice, Cumin rice, basmati rice or naan.

Do not overcook because it will continue to cook in the sauce.

Butter chicken, traditionally known as murgh makhani (pronounced [mʊrɣ ˈməkʰaːni]), is an Indian dish originating in Delhi. It is a type of curry made from chicken with a spiced tomato and butter (makhan) sauce. Its sauce is known for its rich texture.

Butter Chicken has a milder and creamier taste, while Tikka Masala has a spicier, earthy, and tangier taste. Butter Chicken is a buttery and creamy tomato-based sauce. At the same time, Tikka Masala has a slightly sour and tangy tomato-based sauce.

Garam masala consists of ground spices like cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms, cumin, coriander, nutmeg, bay leaf, mace and black pepper. Some versions even consist of fennel seeds, red chilies and black cardamoms.