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30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken…the perfect bowl of warming comfort food that’s incredibly delicious. Indian inspired butter chicken made with plenty of spice and creamy coconut milk for a slight twist. It’s cozy, creamy, a little spicy, and filled with warming Indian flavors. Finish each bowl off with steamed rice and serve with fresh naan. You’ll have the perfect dinner that can be enjoyed any night of the week. Bonus? This is quickly made on the stove, with one skillet, and in just about 30 minutes. And…the leftovers are even more delicious the next day.
I’ve said this before I’m sure, but the reason I love to cook so much is because I really love cooking for others. I find so much enjoyment in creating meals for the people I love most. It’s really what inspires me to keep cooking away every day. There’s nothing I love more than having a friend or family member inspire a recipe.
I love the opportunity to make something for someone with the hope that it will be a dish they’ll truly love…one of those dishes my brothers would say is, “fire”. Those are the words I strive for when creating a recipe, but especially when a recipe is created with a specific person in mind.
That was the case with today’s Butter Chicken. This one was inspired by my oldest brother, Creighton. He’s here in Colorado working remotely right now, and the one thing about Creighton?
He loves to eat…like really loves to eat. And one of his favorites foods? Anything Indian inspired and anything spicy. This leads me right into today’s recipe. With Creighton in town, I excitedly have been testing out a new Butter Chicken recipe, and last week I finally got it just right.
Creighton’s exact words…”it’s fire!”
What Is Butter Chicken?
For any of you who are are not familiar, Butter Chicken it’s one of the most popular Indian curries served around the world. I’ve made a few variations in the past, but aside from the coconut milk, today’s recipe is the most traditional.
Butter chicken is made with spices, tomato, butter, and cream. It’s rich and warming, but the spice blend is really what makes this dish. Using a mix of Garam Masala, turmeric, garlic, and plenty of ginger is key to getting an authentic flavor.
Traditionally, Butter Chicken is marinated for many hours in yogurt and spices, but I’ve adjusted that slightly to create a quicker but still super flavorful recipe!
Here’s how to make this 30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken.
With such a quick cook time, I’m sure you guessed, but this is pretty simple, quick, and easy.
Start with the chicken. Just like in a traditional butter chicken recipe, we’re first tossing the chicken with yogurt and spices. But instead of marinating overnight, I found that a quick ten-minute soak in the spices really does the trick.
While the chicken is sitting, I like to start in on the prep for everything else, chop the onion, garlic, and ginger, grab that coconut milk and tomato paste and get everything for the remainder of the recipe ready to go.
Once the chicken has had some time to sit, pan-sear it in a skillet until crisp.
To that same skillet, add the onion and all those remaining spices and a whole can of tomato paste. Just like my pasta alla vodka, I like to cook the tomato paste together with the spices for a bit to really help intensify the flavors in the sauce.
Then just stir in the coconut milk, or if you don’t enjoy coconut milk, use cream. Either is truly delicious and just as creamy. But I love the subtle coconut flavor paired with these Indian spices, they’re delicious.
Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken, then just stir in a bit of butter and plenty of fresh chopped cilantro. And that’s it, super simple, so delicious.
As this cooks, the aroma in the kitchen is truly incredible. It’s just like your favorite Indian spot in town…but maybe just a touch better. I always find anything made at home to be even more delicious.
I like to serve my butter chicken over steamed rice with some fresh naan for scooping up the creamy, coconutty sauce. Absolutely DELICIOUS. You can’t skip the naan either. It’s reason enough to make a good butter chicken.
So how are the leftovers?
I swear they taste even better the following day. The flavors have time to mend and the sauce is just that more intense.
I can’t tell you how much I love this recipe and how much Creighton loved this recipe. I already know he’s looking forward to it for dinner tonight. This butter chicken is SO flavorful, SO full of color, and a nice switch up from the usual cheesy December pasta dishes I’m always sharing (don’t worry, they’ll be back soon). The best part, well aside from all the deliciousness, is that this requires only one pot and is ready in just about 30 minutes. Perfect for these crazy busy cold December days.
Looking for other Indian inspired dinners? Here are my favorites:
30 Minute Butter Chicken Meatballs
Super Simple Coconut Chicken Tikka Masala
Gingery Coconut Sweet Potato and Rice Stew with Chili Oil
Lastly, if you make this 30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
30 Minute Spicy Coconut Butter Chicken
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 561 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-size chunks
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 6 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, use to your taste
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes, use to your taste
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1 (14 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk (or sub 1 cup cream)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro roughly, chopped
- steamed rice and naan, for serving
Instructions
- 1. in a bowl, toss together the chicken, yogurt, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon ginger, 2 teaspoons garam masala, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 – 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt. Let sit 5-10 minutes. 2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear on both sides until browned, about 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon butter and toss to coat the chicken. Remove the chicken from the skillet to a plate. 3. To the skillet, add the onion and cook 5 minutes, until softened. Add 2 tablespoons butter, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 tablespoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/2 – 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and the chili flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until very fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and continue cooking another 3-4 minutes. 4. Reduce the heat to low. Add 1 cup water and the coconut milk. Stir to combine, bring the sauce to a simmer, cook 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter. If the sauce seems thick, thin with 1/2 to 1 cup additional coconut milk. Add the chicken and any juices on the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.5. Serve the chicken and sauce over bowls of rice with fresh naan. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on December 16, 2020
This is a favorite in our household! So delicious and full of flavor!
Hey Vanessa,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
I love this recipe so much that I make it once every two weeks. It is so delicious and spicy! Highly recommend everyone to make it asap! Thanks for the great recipe!
Amazing flavour. Huge hit in my household. I made it a bit spicy so I’ll adjust that next time but otherwise it was perfect. So tasty. Thank u. From Whitby, Ontario, Canada.
Hey there,
Thanks a lot for trying out this recipe. I love to hear that it was enjoyed and hope you have the best week! xTieghan
Any issue with making the marinade a few hours ahead of time?
Hey Taylor,
Totally fine to do that! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
So glad I finally made this, delicious! Perfect with your homemade naan.
Hey Suzanne,
Happy Friday!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go:) xTieghan
This recipe was so good it was jaw dropping. It could have easily been a dish from my favorite Indian restaurant. The spices were incredible and it was so good with rice and garlic naan! Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Hey Ashlee,
Awesome! So good to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xx
We made this on Friday! I really wanted to order out but decided to save money and make it ourselves. I was slightly concerned about the spice; I love spicy but my tongue is a wimp. However, I found it to be a perfect level of spicy! The coconut milk really balances it all out.
Hey Tracy,
Happy Labor Day!?? Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
LOVE this recipe! Could it work in a slow cooker? If so how would you do it? TIA!
Thanks so much Mary! You can follow the instructions for the slow cooker from this recipe:
https://fett-weg.today/easy-healthier-crockpot-butter-chicken/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This is so tasty. I’ve made naan with it and a cold cucumber/tomato/red onion/basil/balsamic salad and chilled Pinot Grigio.
Hey Norma,
Wonderful! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
Absolutely delicious!! The coconut milk pairs superbly, making me feel healthier lol
Hey there,
Happy Friday! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
I’m excited to try this recipe tomorrow. What vegetable sides would you recommend would pair nicely with this dish? Kid friendly would be a plus! Thank you!
Hey Christine,
I would do cauliflower:) I hope you love this dish, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I am amazed at how well this came together! You hit the flavors out of the park. They were exactly how picture it will taste at your favorite Indian restaurant. Having never really made Indian food myself before this was a great place to start. I used coconut cream and ginger powder (it was all I had) and it still turned out beautifully. Thank you for sharing this!
Hey Megan,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
Thank you for sharing your Indian butter chicken recipe!!!:) it’s soo good taste legit like Indian food!!?
Hey Shobhana,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
Your healthier crockpot butter chicken is typically my go to recipe, but I’ve made this a few times and I made it again tonight! This is the second time I’m cooking with a newborn and the fewer steps and the faster something is, the better. I definitely half-assed the steps to make the whole thing simpler – sautéed the onions in half the butter and olive oil until translucent, added in the spices/garlic/ginger, cooked until fragrant, then added in the chicken and let it brown a little, then added in the tomato paste and greek yogurt, stirred it around until it was homogenous, then added in the coconut milk and simmered until the chicken was cooked through. I skipped the water since I used less chicken and just went with the coconut milk.
Turned out delicious and just as good as it would have, if I had done it the way it was intended!
Hey Shannon,
Happy Friday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
This recipe has become a staple in our home. It is my husband’s favorite meal I make! I will say – we use the max amount of cayenne suggested and it has me crying from heat but is just right for my spicy-loving husband! If you aren’t a spicy fan, definitely cut back on the cayenne / red pepper!
This was amazing! I messed up and didn’t add the butter after cooking the onions and my seasonings got fragrant way too fast. I was worried I’d ruined it but it still turned out great. I added the butter when I added the tomato paste. I added this to my recipe box and I’ll definitely be making it monthly at minimum!
Hey Hannah,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This recipe is amazing! I have made it once before and I am so excited to make it again tonight.
Hey Allie,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Hello!
I was wanting to make this but was unsure if the 1 cup of water in the directions is a mistake? Water is not in the ingredients list and it seems like it would be too much liquid with the coconut milk!
Thanks can’t wait to try
Hey Brianna,
The recipe is correct, water is not typically listed as an ingredient. I hope this dish turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan