Indian Butter Chicken

146 Reviews
93% would make this recipe again

Chicken in a spicy and creamy sauce.

Also known as «Chicken Makhani», it is a classic Indian dish with many different versions. This one I have inherited from my grandmother.

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Preparation : 15 min Cooking : 30 min
320 calories/serving

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, diced 600 g
3 tbsp butter, unsalted, clarified 40 g
1 onions, finely chopped 200 g
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1 g
2 tsp gingerroot, grated 9 g
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 cardamom pods 1 g
1 tsp turmeric 3 g
1/2 dried chili peppers, minced 0.2 g
1 tbsp tomato paste 18 g
1/4 cup flaked almonds, finely ground 18 g
1/2 cup canned tomatoes (diced) 130 g
1/2 cup yogurt, plain, 2% 130 g
1/4 cup cream 15% 65 mL
3 tbsp fresh cilantro [optional] 6 g
1 pinch salt [optional] 0.2 g
ground pepper to taste [optional]

Before you start

This recipe requires ghee, which is clarified butter. Since it allows cooking at higher temperatures than regular butter, ghee is able to enhance the flavour of the spices. It may be homemade or bought at an ethnic market. Alternatively, it may be reaplced by a mixture of butter and oil.

Method

  1. Cut the chicken breasts into cubes then set aside.
  2. In a large pan, heat the ghee (clarified butter) over medium-high heat. Sauté the finely chopped onion and cinnamon 3-4 min then add the grated ginger, crushed garlic, cardamom pods, turmeric and minced chili pepper. Cook 1 min with constant stirring. Add the chicken pieces and sauté until they lose their pink colour. Add the tomato paste, ground almonds and diced tomatoes. Stir, cover, lower the heat and simmer about 25 min.
  3. In the meantime, mix the yogurt and cream in a small bowl. Add the mixture to the pan at the very end and cook an additional 1-2 min without letting it boil. Add salt and pepper to taste and remove the cardamom pods. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves then serve.

Nutrition Facts Table

per 1 serving (250 g)

Amount

% Daily Value

Calories

320

Fat

13 g

21 %

Saturated 6.2 g
+ Trans 0.3 g

33 %

Cholesterol

110 mg

Sodium

130 mg

5 %

Carbohydrate

12 g

4 %

Fibre

2 g

8 %

Sugars

6 g

Net Carbs

10 g

Protein

38 g

Vitamin A

26 %

Vitamin C

14 %

Calcium

12 %

Iron

17 %
More info

DIABETES Exchange

1 serving of this recipe is equivalent to :
Food Group Exchanges
Vegetables 1
Milk and Alternatives 0
Meat and Alternatives 4
Fats 2
More info
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Reviews

146 Reviews (139 with rating only) 93% would make this recipe again
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My Notes

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This space is reserved for your personal notes on the recipe. These notes are private and will only be visible to you. Here's an example of what these notes could say for a given recipe:

  • I replaced oregano by rosemary and it turned out great
  • use my large pan with the copper bottom
  • leave under the grill 3 minutes instead of 1 to get a golden crust

This recipe is in the following categories

Poultry | Main courses/Entrées | High Iron | Indian

Top Reviews

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october 04, 2009 | I would make this recipe again

I love this recipe. Easy to make. I replaced the cinnamon, turmeric spices with an Indian Masala spice pre-mix. I also doubled the diced tomatoes and it made a nice and juicy sauce. I would double the garlic and ginger for an extra "zing". Enjoy!

Useful 2
Anonyme
october 20, 2021 | I would make this recipe again

First off, I would use less chicken breast, as I like more sauce. Also, I would marinade the chicken overnight in a tandoori marinade. Second, after adding the tomato paste and cooking the sauce for a minute or two, I would puree it, then put it back on the pan and add the chicken. I would not cook the chicken for 25 min, or it will be too dry; 10 min should be fine. And keep adding a bit of water, because the sauce will dry up fast. Also, I would add a bit of sugar to the sauce but NOT yogourt! Yogourt is really just for the tandoori chicken marinade and will kill the sauce! After 10 min, put in the cream and cook it for another 5 min, and again add some water if you have to.

Useful 1
Anonyme
october 20, 2021 | I would make this recipe again

This was very good, and I will make again. I noticed that the ingredients list slivered almonds, and the directions later say ground almonds. I bought and used slivered almonds which I think is a mistake...!? I will omit the almonds all together next time.

Useful 1

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