Healthy butter chicken is a delicious Indian dish with tender chicken pieces swimming in an amazing, creamy tomato curry sauce! And it's ready in just 30 minutes!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Additional TimeAdditional Time1 hourhr
Total Time1 hourhr25 minutesmins
Yield: 6servings
Ingredients
For the marinated chicken:
2lbs.boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
¼cuptomato paste
¼cupplain Greek yogurt
1tablespoonlemon juice
2teaspoonscumin
2teaspoonsgaram masala (see notes)
1teaspoonground coriander
1teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonground ginger
¾teaspoonsblack pepper
½teaspoonturmeric
½teaspooncinnamon
¼teaspooncayenne pepper
For cooking:
1tablespooncanola oil
1small onion, diced
5clovesgarlic, minced
2tablespoonslight brown sugar
½cupplain Greek yogurt
½cupwater
Instructions
Place the cut pieces of chicken in a bowl or tiptop plastic bag. Combine all of the marinate ingredients in a bowl and stir well. (It will be very thick.) Pour the marinate ingredients over the chicken and stir to coat all of the chicken. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours (see notes).
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add canola oil.
Add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Add the marinated chicken (along with all of the marinade) to the pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the yogurt and water, reduce the heat to medium or medium-low, enough to maintain a steady simmer. Let cook for 8-10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and sauce is thickened.
Season to taste with salt and pepper (it may not need any).
Serve the chicken hot with extra sauce spooned over top.
Notes
Marinade time: I think this tastes best when you let the chicken marinate for at least 45 minutes to an hour. If you’ve only got 30 minutes, that’s good too. If you don’t have time to marinate it at all, just mix it all together first and then start cooking. It’ll still taste great!Spices: Garam masala is a tasty blend of ground spices often used in Indian cooking. If you don’t have any, you can substitute curry powder.Like it spicy? You can increase the amount of cayenne up to ½ teaspoon.Greek yogurt: I use a nonfat or 2% Greek yogurt to stir into this dish at the end. You could try substituting half and half or heavy cream, but I’ve not tested it that wayI never have an issue with curdling but milk and yogurt can curdle if they come to a boil or heat too quickly. You may want to remove your pan from the heat when you add the yogurt in this recipe to help prevent curdling.Leftovers: Leftover butter chicken, once cooled, can be kept in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat over medium low in a small pot on the stove or reheat individual servings in the microwave. You can also freeze leftover butter chicken. Label, date and freeze it for up to 5-6 months in a freezer-safe ziptop bag or container. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat on the stove or in the microwave