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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
We LOVED this! I omitted the cayenne and red pepper flakes and my very picky two year old asked for seconds! That never happens! Loved having the flatbread with it to dip in the delicious sauce. Definitely a new family staple for us! Thanks!
Hi Jen,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it. Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
Can’t wait to try! Any recomendations for trying this in the Insta-Pot? Love your site and all the beautiful photos! Stay warm from cold Tennessee!
Hi Crystal,
You can do 8 minutes on high pressure. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Hi–just wondering, should I marinate the chicken the night before if I have materials ahead? Or is is better to only marinate for the 5-10 minutes suggested.
Hi Brittany,
You can do over night if you would like to! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Definitely takes longer than 30 minutes but soooo worth it! Will absolutely make again.
Hi Kristina,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This was so good…a definite repeat! I wasn’t sure I’d like the coconut milk, so I did half of that plus half milk, and really liked the subtle coconut flavor!
Hi Marilee,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
The prep took me a LONG TIME, so I wouldn’t consider this an easy recipe. Also, the overwhelming flavor was tomato paste. If I make this recipe again, I’d probably do some prep the day before and use 1/3 less tomato paste. Ended up using more spices and an extra can of coconut milk just to cover up the tomato paste. For toppings, I put out: Cilantro, shredded unsweetened coconut, raisins, sliced almonds and Trader Joe’s chutney. At which point it became an awesome meal. By the 2nd or 3 day it was out of this world good.
Hi Laurie,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Thank you for this yummy recipe! Super easy, and a new week night staple. I throw in frozen peas the last 5 minutes. So so good!
Hi Ashley,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I just made this … exactly as the recipe. Tieghen, you are amazing and so is this dish! My family devoured it. Thank you very much.
Hi Tanya,
Awesome! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
Super lekker, Gisteren gemaakt met Flatbread en ze vonden het heerlijk dus ga ik vaker maken.
Hi Ursula,
Es freut mich sehr zu hören, dass dir das Rezept gefallen hat, danke fürs Ausprobieren! xTieghan
This is my second time making butter chicken, but first time making your recipe. I loved all the flavor in your recipe, but it was a bit bitter. I don’t have a ton of experience with all these spices and only could find lite coconut milk. Just wondering if you would have some suggestions for me to not have it turn out bitter next time? Thanks!
Hi Kelly,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear that it was bitter. Were all of your spices fresh? I really don’t know what would give the bitter taste. xTieghan
Delicious and so spicy! Did the most amount of spice recommended as we love spicy food. This recipe is now a staple at my house. Thank you!
Hey Lauren,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thank you for making it! xxT
I put my sauce in a blender and blend on high until I think the texture is where I want it to be. I don’t like having the texture of the chopped onion and I personally think blending the sauce makes it taste better! This recipe is a winter staple.
Hi Mackenzie,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thank you for making it! xxT
Made this tonight, it was so flavorful! We did not find it to be too spicy at all, but I did the minimum suggested amount of cayenne and did not use any crushed red pepper. Will definitely make this again!
Hi Annie,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thank you for making it! xxT
DELICIOUS 🙂 Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Kristen,
Fantastic!! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
I had just made the vodka pasta, which was delicious. So had to try this.
1) I’d say the timeline is longer to prep and make the dish.
2) I stuck to the less spicy side and still, it was so hot that it was all I could taste. It had diminished the flavor. So that’s unfortunate after all that work.
3)I had chopped the onion as indicated but think diced would make more sense in this type of dish.
Hope that helps someone.
Thanks!
Hi there,
So sorry this recipe was not enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan