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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
I make your slow cooker version of this all the time & love it! Great to know about this quick version, with ingredients I’ll most likely have on hand for a quick delicious dinner!
So glad you enjoy this recipe!! xTieghan
Made this tonight for a quick prep dinner because I had chicken and a package of naan bread. So easy! It was a hit with everyone and going into my regular rotation!
Hey Melissa,
I love to hear that this recipe worked out for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xTieghan
Wonderful weeknight recipe! While it takes me longer than 30 mins (but I’m no speedy chef), I like that you can prep the marinade which allows you to get the chopping and spice measuring done. Tasty, the perfect amount of kick, and easy. I made this in my Dutch oven.
Hey Darcy,
I love to hear that this recipe worked out for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xTieghan
Fantastic – really flavorful. We’ve had this pinned for a while and finally got around to making it. HBH never disappoints. Our palate is spicy but not AS spicy as HBH so we cut the cayenne down since Garam Masala has lots of kick. I’d offer to start with ½ C of water and see how it goes. For us personally, I added the full Cup of water and had to really cook it down a lot until it got thicker so it took more like 50 minutes total. BUT WORTH IT! Absolutely delicious!
Hey there,
I love to hear that this recipe worked out for you, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xTieghan
Hi! I tried this recipe and it is so great and flavorful! I was wondering do you think you could make the sauce and freeze it to have on hand?
Thanks so much!
Hey Cara,
I love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a try! Totally fine to freeze the sauce, that will work well. xTieghan
Delicious! I’ve made it so many times!
Interested in exploring a paneer version. Tieghan, what modifications would you suggest? Do you think the sauce would be just as flavorful without the spices the chicken adds?
Hey Kael,
I love to hear that you liked this recipe, thanks a lot for giving it a try! I think paneer would work well here too! xTieghan
I absolutely love this dish! So flavorful and easy! Highly recommend as a warming winter dinner!
If I wanted to make this vegetarian is there a meat alternative you’d recommend? Mushrooms maybe?
Hi Molly,
Wonderful! It’s so great to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Cauliflower would work well here. xTieghan
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made this INCREDIBLE butter chicken for us as well as family and friends who all loved it. It’s simply amazing, the perfect Friday or Saturday night dinner or midweek meal. It’s so easy to make but the flavour is so good. With that said, is it dinner time yet? Thank you Tieghan!
Hi Samantha,
I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
I made this last night and it was PERFECT! Absolutely recommend making this for anyone who is on the fence. Rather than mix cilantro in at the end, I made cilantro rice. I am usually a bread fiend, but I barely needed the naan.
I used the max amount of spices recommended since my husband and I love that heat. If you’ve never heard of them, I really recommend Flat Iron Pepper Company – I used 1 teaspoon of the 4 Pepper Blend, 1 teaspoon of the IC Bieber, and it was delightful.
Hi there,
Thanks so very much for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Thanksgiving! xTieghan
Amazing recipe! I have tried several different butter chicken recipes and I never found one I really liked until this one! Wow! This is a keeper. It is printed off and now in my recipe book! Thanks!!
Hey Michelle,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great week! xTieghan
Took me more than 30 minutes, but the flavors are legit. So good! Thank you for the recipe!
Hey! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Happy Monday ? xTieghan
This is my absolute favorite butter chicken recipe. I’ve made it at least a dozen different times in the last year. Such a comfort dish. It’s always a hit for whoever I’ve made it for. Easy to adjust spice level for the more sensitive palettes. Goes well with fresh naan, basmati or jasmine rice, and a vegetable like sautéed green beans, sautéed summer squash or just steamed broccoli. The prep work is more than worth it for the end result. This could easily make it into my top 10 requests as a last meal, haha. Thanks!
Hey! Thanks SO much for trying out this recipe, I hope you loved it! xxTieghan
Great recipe! Easy to follow and we had a lot of the ingredients ?
Hey Lizzy,
Awesome! It’s so great to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
I made this for company and oh my! It did not disappoint. Everyone loved it! Amazing flavors and pretty easy to make. Thank you!
Hi Kelsey! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xTieghan
You are, hands down the best cook I’ve EVER found. Every recipe I’ve ever made of yours is TOP NOTCH! I get so many compliments, my family loves them, friends want the recipes… I just cannot even say how amazing you are. God has given you a gift my friend. Thank you for the time you take to make these meals special, delicious and fool proof!
Hey there! Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! xTieghan
I made this with some alterations. First, because I keep kosher, I used no butter at all & my yogurt was non-dairy. Otherwise, I followed the recipe pretty much to a “T” (ok, I used less cayenne & chili flakes than called for bc I can’t handle spicy!).
I also added the juice of one lime at the end bc I felt like the dish needed a little acid to cut through the richness.
Served it with brown basmati rice.
Verdict: winner, winner, chicken dinner! It was delicious! Makes lots of sauce, which I loved.
Do you have a good yogurt sauce to compliment for the people that want it to be less spicy??
Hi there! I don’t have a yogurt sauce specific to this recipe, but here is one you could try out! https://fett-weg.today/grilled-chicken-shawarma/#wprm-recipe-container-93097%3C/a%3E xTieghan
This was really good and surprisingly easy to make! I have tried lots of different (more complicated) recipes for butter chicken, but this was the best one yet. Will definitely make it again!
Hey Kim,
I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I truly appreciate you giving it a try!!? xTieghan
Absolutely loved this recipe. It was easy, delicious and fun. I made the naan too – it was delicious.