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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’ve made Indian food 30+ times, and this recipe is the best Indian dish I’ve ever made. It was absolutely delicious!
Hey Kara,
That’s awesome!! Thank you so much for making this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it was enjoyed! xx
Can I marinate the chicken overnight?
Love this recipe so much!
Thanks so much, Emma! Totally, that will work nicely for you! Happy Sunday! xx
This was delicious but it took more like an hour to make.
Hey Renee,
Thanks so much! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you giving it a try! Sorry this took longer than expected. xx
I found your recipe while searching for full cream alternative to butter chicken as mine was over.
I made it less spicy and i can say it was very tasty and changed from the usual indian butter chicken, into somewhat a completely different dish.
It is definitely a keeper and will be a regular in my dinner rotation.
Thank you.
Hey Adeela,
Yay! Love to hear this dish turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! Have the best week:)
Marinated the boneless thigh chunks for five hours. Finished dish was tasty and the chicken was tender. I used Aleppo pepper (mild chili pepper) instead of the red pepper and chili flakes. After reading the comments about adding water I opted to not add but found the sauce to be to tomatoey and added a bit of sugar to cut the acidity and one can of coconut milk and about half cup of heavy cream. Served with cilantro lime rice.
Commenters are right – it takes longer than thirty minutes but is still less than an hour start to finish and with great leftovers. It also can sit simmering on the stove until dinner and gets better as the spices and sauce do their happy dance and your kitchen is filled with the mouthwatering aroma. Well worth the effort and economical ingredients.
Hey Marilyn,
Happy Sunday! Thank you so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback! I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed:) xxT
Is there a way to make the sauce a day before and the chicken the day of?
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and agree the leftovers are really what take this from normal and delicious HH to one of the best things I’ve ever cooked.
The issue with the leftovers though is the chicken isn’t nearly as tender as when I make it day of. Hoping to combine the two to create something that is perfect
Hey Thomas,
So glad to hear you have enjoyed this recipe! Sure, I would just start with step 3 to make the sauce and then you will have to cook the chicken the day you want to serve. I hope this helps! xx
This was so YUMMY !!! LOVED the sauce❣️ Going to stretch it for another nite by adding veggies to the leftovers . Thank you !!
Hey Denise,
Fantastic! I appreciate you trying this recipe, love to hear it turned out well for you! Enjoy your day:)
This was delicious. However, please stop writing 30 minutes on meals that there is no way the average home chef can do in that time. It took more than twice this amount of time and I see several people have commented that it took longer.
Hi Lauren,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it was a hit! Sorry to hear it took longer than expected. XxT
Can’t agree more. The cook time alone if you add it up is 35 minutes. How are we supposed to cube chicken breasts, chop an onion and cilantro, and lord knows what else in negative five minutes? Haha. At least it was tasty.
Flavourful recipe. This recipe is a keeper. It did take much longer to brown the chicken than the two minutes stated in recipe. Thank you for your time in providing us with this!
Hey Veena,
Yay!! So glad to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it and your comment! xx
Do you have instructions on how to make this butter chicken in the crockpot? Thanks!
Hey Kaylyn,
Sure do!
https://fett-weg.today/basil-butter-chicken/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Delish! A great recipe to mix things up. My family loved it
Hey Bridget,
Thanks so much for making this recipe! Love to hear it turned out well for you:) Have the best week! xxT
Love, love, love this recipe!! It takes me much longer than 30 minutes because I also make the homemade naan recipe. ❤️
Hi Patricia,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear it was enjoyed! Have the best weekend:)
Absolutely delicious. Just the right amount of spice. Served it with Indian cauliflower (Aloo Gobi) and it was so satisfying. I forgot about the comments about adding the water, but it still was outstanding. I’ll be making this again and again.
Hi Kathy,
Wonderful! Thanks a lot for trying this dish and your feedback, love to hear it turned out well! Have a beautiful Sunday! xx
I made this for dinner and it was so flavorful. My children who range from 3-10 years old loved it. I didn’t have naan as I needed a quick meal with what I had on hand and I was worried that the rice was going to dull the flavor, but it didn’t take away at all. I’ll be writing this down in my recipe book!
Hey Kara,
Happy Friday! Thanks a bunch for making this dish and sharing your feedback, love to hear it was enjoyed! XxT
I love this And make it all the time. It has become a staple in our house. I usually make a double batch and freeze part of it. It reheats really well And is a very clutch meal to have in the freezer. Thank you! I wouldn’t change a thing.
Hi Molly,
Happy New Year!🥳 Thanks so much for making this recipe so often and sharing your feedback, love to hear it always turns out well for you! xx